Posted on 06/10/2005 12:18:05 PM PDT by johnny7
(AP) Bob Costas will become a regular substitute host for Larry King on CNN, conducting prime-time interviews about 20 times a year, the network said Wednesday. The veteran sportscaster is currently host of "Costas Now" on HBO.
King, 71, celebrated the 20th anniversary of his show last week by interviewing former presidents Bush and Clinton, Watergate sleuths Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and CBS' Dan Rather. Despite a swirl of change around him, he's still CNN's most popular personality. But his May average of 970,000 viewers represented his worst month in four years, according to Nielsen Media Research. He regularly loses his time slot to Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes." CNN/U.S. President Jonathan Klein said the idea that Costas could be an eventual successor to King wasn't part of his thinking. Costas was available and Klein said he thought he'd be well-suited to the task. "Larry King is far and away the superstar of CNN and if you list any of the areas we need to address at CNN, 9 o'clock Sunday through Thursday is not on the list," he said.
One of King's most frequent substitutes, Nancy Grace, has been doing well with her own legal-oriented prime-time talk show on CNN Headline News. Costas, 53, has been a host for the Olympics and has covered the World Series, Super Bowl and National Basketball Association during his 25 years at NBC Sports. He also hosted the late-night talk show "Later with Bob Costas" for six years. His first appearance for King will be on Sunday night. Costas said he would not have agreed to the one-year deal without King's blessing. He said he was looking for the work because he has no on-air assignments for NBC Sports between the U.S. Open golf tournament and next winter's Olympics.
He also said he's not considering it any kind of tryout to be King's eventual successor. "I'm not approaching it that way and Larry shows, to me, no sign of slowing down," he said.
You've noticed that, too?? ;);)
I wonder how many telephone books it'll take to get his chin to desk level.
"Hi, I'm Bob Costas and I'm in love with the sound of my own voice."
Bob Costas, the Dick Clark of sports. Hello, my name is Bob Costas and I look exactly the same age as I did 30 years ago. Very creepy. I always thought that if progeria exists, then there must be an opposite of that, a mutation that some humans have that prevents them from aging. Don`t know if I believe it, I mean how would they grow? Plus even if you couldn`t age, the eyes would eventually wear out making you blind. But if it is true, Dick Clark and Bob Costas need to be checked out on that one. Either that, or they must drink formaldehyde for coffee.
Maybe we can get Sensenbrenner to cut off Costas' microphone.
1. The fact that KIng is CNN's biggest star defines CNN's problem..
2. I've checked out Nancy Grance a few times, when O'Reilly is too unsufferable. She has passion. But she is pulling most of her viewers from CNN's Paula Zahn...again..dumb..
Which one, and why?
Politics be damned, Bob Costas is the poster boy for wasted talent. He should be doing baseball. He knows baseball. He should have been the modern broadcast equivalent of Joe Garagiola AND Tony Kubek rolled into one. Instead, he's doing HBO and the Olympics and what, golf?!
Whatta shame.
I've thought that often too. He's a classic example of someone running away from their true talents.
Soon, he'll be interviewing and transmitting via telepathy.
He's a lib... was a bigtime Dukakis supporter.
Love those seances ~~ :):)
Nobody's perfect. As long as he's not running for office or in the middle of campaigning for a liberal, I'll remember him as a would-be hall-of-fame baseball broadcaster whose talent went to waste (even worse, he's a St. Louisan!).
"would not have agreed to the one-year deal without King's blessing" thats the final nail in a career
That sorry face lift he received doesn't made him look like anything but a guy who got a sorry face lift.
I'm confused. You hint that being a St. Louisan is bad, but your tagline is go Cardinals. Aren't the Cardinals St. Louisans?
Nah, it was bad wording on my part. What I meant was that it's one thing for somebody from any other place to let his baseball-related talent go to waste. But, it's even worse for a St. Louisan to do it because St. Louis is, above all else, a baseball town.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.