Contact:
Cedric L. Bess
212-460-1495
cedric.bess@prsa.org

NEW YORK (October 26, 2004) – Larry King entertained PRSA International Conference attendees with tales from his childhood in Brooklyn to interviews with personalities ranging from Pamela Anderson to every U.S. President since Gerald Ford.

The CNN host helped close the Conference on a high note on Tuesday, Oct. 26, by discussing his respect for PR professionals and providing an inside look at his interviewing process.

When asked about his thoughts on working with PR professionals, King said: "I think they're invaluable for broadcasters, for journalists. I have never discounted them. I've always listened to them.

"Throughout 47 years of broadcasting, some of my best moments have been introductions to guests from people in public relations. We're all invaluable to each other. We all work hand-in-hand. To hang up on a PR person just because they're a PR person is just ridiculous," he said, drawing applause.

King, recalling his early days interviewing personalities at a local Miami restaurant, said that he learned that the less he knew about his subjects, the better the interview.

"I would interview people that would come into the restaurant, waiters, people from convention. I would just have fun. One day Bobby Darin walked in and I had no background on him. Then Jimmy Hoffa came in, then Danny Thomas. And I got to like that," said King.

Nowadays, he arrives about an hour before his show airs. He's given blue cards with detailed information on his guests. Unlike other broadcast shows, guests on "Larry King Live" are not preinterviewed.

"If I know the answer to a question, I'm uncomfortable asking it," King explained. "I like not knowing the answer. I like that and the reason I like that is because I'm curious. I'm comfortable the less I know.

"Curiosity is essential to me. I'm insatiable. I'm the person you don't want to sit next to you on the airplane," said King, inspiring laughter, as he did several times throughout his presentation.

King also shared a passion for interviewing that has persisted throughout the decades: "Something happens in an interview that I always liked, that hooks into me. Two people, one asking the questions, learning as much as you can about someone, learning what makes them tick."

He even revealed the inspiration for his ubiquitous suspenders. His ex-wife Sharon suggested that King try them out after he lost a lot of weight after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery in 1987. No one else was wearing them on TV and she thought that they would look good on him, he said.

"And she turned out to be completely correct," said King. "It got to be a brand. Now I have hundreds of people send me pairs. I even got a pair from Ghana."