Michael King
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Michael King was an executive who, along with his brother Roger, took over a television company inherited from their father and turned it into a dominant force in the syndication market on the strength of such long-running programs as Jeopardy!, The Wheel of Fortune and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Born in New Jersey in 1948, he attended Farleigh Dickinson University and soon afterward began working for King World, the TV company started by his father, Charles, in 1964. In its early years, the company syndicated such programs as The Little Rascals, the name given to the classic Our Gang shorts from the 1930s and ’40s, which featured such child stars as Jackie Cooper, Spanky McFarland and Darla Hood.
Michael King and his brother Roger (who was four years his senior and died in 2007), inherited the company in 1972 upon their father's passing. They briefly worked at a television station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before turning their full attention to King World. With formidable sales skills and a knack for spotting incipient talent, the brothers built the company into a powerhouse, and along the way made stars of such figures as Oprah Winfrey, Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Rosanne Barr and Phil McGraw.
Michael King was an executive who, along with his brother Roger, took over a television company inherited from their father and turned it into a dominant force in the syndication market on the strength of such long-running programs as Jeopardy!, The Wheel of Fortune and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Born in New Jersey in 1948, he attended Farleigh Dickinson University and soon afterward began working for King World, the TV company started by his father, Charles, in 1964. In its early years, the company syndicated such programs as The Little Rascals, the name given to the classic Our Gang shorts from the 1930s and ’40s, which featured such child stars as Jackie Cooper, Spanky McFarland and Darla Hood.
Michael King and his brother Roger (who was four years his senior and died in 2007), inherited the company in 1972 upon their father's passing. They briefly worked at a television station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before turning their full attention to King World. With formidable sales skills and a knack for spotting incipient talent, the brothers built the company into a powerhouse, and along the way made stars of such figures as Oprah Winfrey, Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Rosanne Barr and Phil McGraw.
In 1999 they sold King World to CBS for $2.5 million in stock. For a time following the sale, they worked for CBS before moving on to other ventures. At one point, Michael King was part owner of the New Jersey Devils National Hockey League franchise; he later established King Sports Worldwide, a boxing promotion company based in Los Angeles.
King died on May 27, 2015, in Los Angeles. He was 67.
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