Syndication Veteran Passes Away

NEW YORK, December 10: Roger M. King, the CEO of King World
and CBS Television Distribution, passed away this weekend after suffering a
stroke on Friday. He was 63.

King was the chief executive of CBS Television Distribution
at the time of his death. He joined CBS in 2000 after it acquired King World
Productions, the television syndication company founded by his father, Charles,
for $2.5 billion. In recent years, he has worked closely on several syndicated
shows like Dr. Phil, which was
introduced in 2002 and is now the number-two ranked daytime talk show behind
Oprah Winfrey’s show, and Rachael Ray, a home and family talk show that has gained strong ratings since it
started last year.

King World was founded in 1964 as a syndicator of radio
programs and some television fare including The Little Rascals. Roger M. King, along with his brother Michael,
turned the company into a leader in television syndication by capitalizing on
tightened regulatory changes, beginning in the early 1970s, that limited the
three major U.S. television networks’ ownership and control over programming.
The regulations created a market for programming that was independently
produced and syndicated.

As part of his tenure at King World, King helped revive
versions of earlier game shows, including Wheel of Fortune, hosted by Pat Sajak and letter-turner Vanna White,
which has been the top syndicated show on television for the last 25 years,
according to CBS. Jeopardy,
hosted by Trebek, has ranked among the top three syndicated shows for 23 years.
King also played a key role in transforming Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in
Chicago into the top-rated daytime national talk show by persuading reluctant
local stations managers to pick up the program.

King is survived by his wife, Raemali; three daughters,
Kellie, Anna Rose and Lucinda; three brothers, Bob, Richard, and Michael; and
two sisters, Karen King and Diana King.

—By Irene Lew