Larry King Profile

"All the other kids were going to college, and I was working at the United Parcel Service. I was always telling everyone, "I want to be a broadcaster." My best friend's father would put his arms around me and say, 'What, are you crazy? You're not going to be Arthur Godfrey. Get a job with a future!'"

All his life, young Larry Zeiger had dreamed of being on the radio. With no father, no money, bad grades and no chance for going to college, it appeared that his dream would remain just that. But the young man from Brooklyn refused to give up. When he heard there were openings at radio stations in Miami, Florida, he quit his job and bought a bus ticket. In Miami, he slept on his uncle's living room sofa and knocked on the door of every station in South Florida. The best job he could find was sweeping floors at the smallest station in town, but he took it and learned everything he could about the radio business. When his chance came, he was ready.

On the radio, Larry Zeiger became Larry King, possibly the best-known broadcast personality in the world. His CNN phone-in show Larry King Live was seen by millions around the world. For 25 years, it was the chosen venue for media celebrities and political leaders seeking the largest possible audience. When Larry King announced his retirement from broadcasting in 2010, he had hosted his program on the same network, in the same time slot, for a longer time than any figure in the history of television