Piers Morgan replacing Larry King?

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Piers Morgan will be paid a staggering $6 million a year for the next three years in his new gig for CNN, according to U.S. reports.

Piers was already known to be the network's top choice to place Larry King before the veteran newsman was officially even leaving his show.

Now CNN bosses have had to offer Piers the whopping salary to make sure they get him to overtake Larry for their key evening show, according to the New York Post.

The deal would make former Fleet Street editor Piers, 45, the highest-paid personality on CNN - but would still actually be a saving for the network as it was paying King $10 million.

And the $6 million will also only be a part of Piers U.S. earnings - he will also be keeping his high-profile judging job on NBC TV's America's Got Talent.

NBC chief Jeff Zucker said Morgan would be staying on as a judge on Got Talent for another three years and that NBC had no problems with him appearing both on CNN and NBC.

"I don't think they're mutually exclusive," Zucker said.

While the deal will make Piers one of the most high-profile journalists in the States, there is still some concern that he is the right man for the job.

Firstly, while bin well-known in the UK there is fear that his lower-profile in the States may turn-off some viewers used to tuning in to King.

And some also fear that Piers' reputation as a fearsome interviewer may put off many of the big name guests who were happy to sit across from King.

"Celebrities went on Larry King because they knew they were not going into hostile territory," said one insider.

"It was a conversation, not an inquisition."

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