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He’s often considered the “king of the softballers” by his critics who say he’s too easy on guests who should be challenged harder, but Larry King has developed into one of the most prolific interview talk hosts in history and his nightly program on CNN has become the unofficial town hall in America where issues of concern to the largest number of citizens are hashed out. TALKERS magazine considers his television show to be the ultimate example of modern talk radio’s rise to media prominence and influence on the tube.

His interest in radio goes back to his youth but he didn’t start in the business until he was a young adult. He developed his interview skills while working at WIOD radio and WTVJ-TV in Miami. After years of success there, he became one of the first syndicated talk hosts in contemporary radio when the Mutual Radio Network hired him to do a national show in 1978. Despite there being less than 50 full-time news/talk stations in the country at that time, his popular program grew to over 350 affiliates. This planted the seeds for the phenomenal growth of talk radio in coming years.

He began a syndicated television talk program in 1983 through Post-Newsweek that didn’t last but paved the way for Ted Turner to offer him a television talk show on his fledgling CNN in 1985. From there, King never looked back. His non-aggressive interview style allowed him to consistently book high profile newsmakers and this not only developed his popularity, but made him a household name. Adding to his notoriety, he became a whipping boy for conservative talk radio hosts as the rise of that industry coincided with King’s meteoric ascent on CNN.

Larry King continued to do his evening radio program and the CNN show until 1994 when he gave up the long -form radio show and began simulcasting the CNN show on radio.

In an era of news/talk television where the opinions of the hosts are becoming more prevalent, King’s program continues to be about the guests and the topics at hand. He’ll never be considered a “hardball” interviewer but his fame and style will allow him to consistently get the big interviews.

He is a true media icon woven into the basic fabric of American contemporary culture. For all of these reasons and more, Larry King is the greatest television talk show host of all time and one of the greatest ever heard on radio.