Long Live the King

As we mourn the passing of syndication pioneer Roger King, it seems everyone in the biz has a King story or three. The phrase that keeps popping up as I talk to station people is "larger than life"–not just in physical stature but in personality. Station managers speak of a master of the sale who’d begun his pre-sell long before you even noticed, an operator who was as flexible as Mt. Rushmore, but was all too happy to accompany you to happy hour once the deal was done, a guy with a taste for the bright lights of Atlantic City and brighter lights of Vegas, and a fiercely loyal partner and friend. 

The biggest challenge, as station sources keep reminding me, is finding stories that are acceptable for print.