'Hannity & Colmes' Dethrones King

Cable World, Nov 4, 2002

Byline: JON LAFAYETTE

One of cable's signature shows has been knocked from its throne.

In October, for the first time, CNN's venerable Larry King Live finished with lower ratings than its challenger on the surging Fox News Channel.

FNC's Hannity & Colmes talk show averaged 1.65 million viewers during the month, while Larry King Live averaged 1.577 million.

While Hannity & Colmes benefits from the lead-in provided by Bill O'Reilly's powerhouse show on FNC, King is in the middle of a CNN lineup that is still having the kinks worked out of it.

King's ratings were up for the month, and the ratings of the show it follows, anchored by Connie Chung, were also up.

But CNN is planning to broadcast Chung's show on tape instead of producing it live. Reports said the change was due to the number of errors the anchor has been making on air.

A CNN spokesperson said King's show remains an important part of the cable news landscape.

"His show breaks news that people are talking about the next day," the spokesperson said.

Just last week, King's show featured the first interview with the ex-wife of accused Washington sniper suspect John Muhammad and other family members.