April 20, 2004

ON TALK SHOW LEGEND AND MDA NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT LARRY KING

In March, renowned broadcaster Larry King, host of CNN’s “Larry King Live” and recipient of numerous honors including the George F. Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting, was elected an MDA National Vice President by MDA’s Board of Directors.

King, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast pioneer with 46 years of experience, has interviewed United States presidents, pop singers, and other notables ranging from Rudolph Giuliani to Deepak Chopra.

In an age when many interviewers adopt bullying, antagonistic attitudes toward their subjects, Larry King remains the grand gentleman of interviewers. That doesn’t mean he lobs softballs. On the contrary, King’s ability to maintain a civilized tone while still asking penetrating questions – coupled with his welcome emphasis on the importance of listening – yield some of the most revealing and intriguing exchanges on television.

Through his highly rated program seen at 9 p.m. ET on CNN Mondays through Fridays, King has on many occasions promoted awareness of the work being done by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

In recent years, King has interviewed MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis a number of times, exploring Jerry’s passionate devotion to MDA’s cause, recalling memories of friends like Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra, explaining some of the medical challenges Jerry’s been facing, and showing clips of classic Telethon moments such as the 1976 Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis reunion.

King has also interviewed Telethon Anchor and MDA Board Member Ed McMahon – as well as MDA National Goodwill Ambassador and best-selling poet Mattie Stepanek.

King’s interviews with 13-year-old Mattie have shown great empathy and appreciation for the youngster’s talent and his unusual situation, probing his feelings about fame and about his grief for his three siblings, who were lost to the same mitochondrial disorder that affects Mattie.

King’s other questions for Mattie ranged from the metaphysical – “Do you think anyone is born bad?” (Mattie’s answer: “No.”) – to more concrete questions, such as why Mattie named his service dog “Micah.” (“Micah is Biblical and it means ‘fool’s gold,’” says Mattie.)

	CNN talk-show host and MDA National Vice President Larry King, seen here on the Telethon with Jerry Lewis and Mattie Stepanek, has helped spread awareness of MDA for many years.

King himself has appeared on the MDA Telethon a number of times. On the 2003 Telethon, he read one of Mattie’s poems and spoke of his friendship for Mattie and Jerry Lewis, and his wish for victory in the battle against muscular dystrophy.

It’s thanks to Larry King that Mattie got together with another person who’s very important to MDA, award-winning teen singer Billy Gilman. King booked Mattie and Billy on the same show because he sensed a connection between the positive messages both of these young artists convey.

King’s instincts were on target. Mattie and Billy hit it off famously, with two significant results. In 2003, Billy was named MDA National Youth Chairman, taking over the role from Mandy Van Benthuysen who relinquished it after serving with distinction for six years.

Billy undertook the role with enthusiasm and has done a great job, representing MDA to youth groups across the United States and accepting their MDA fund-raising contributions on the Telethon.

The other result of King’s pairing of Mattie and Billy was Billy’s 2003 CD titled “Music Through Heartsongs,” a superb collection of songs using lyrics from Mattie’s poetry.

In March of this year, King was an honoree at the second annual MDA Heartsongs Gala, held in Washington. The event, which Mattie attended, raised more than $170,000 to benefit MDA and recognized King and Ron Hemelgarn, president of Hemelgarn Racing, for their support of MDA.

An author of seven best-selling books about his work in broadcasting, King has just issued a new book, titled “Remember Me When I’m Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Obituaries.”

In this volume, King has given famous people the chance to write the “last word,” so to speak, on their own careers. Both Jerry Lewis and Ed McMahon are represented, as are comedian and Telethon co-host Norm Crosby and Parade Publications Chairman and CEO Walter Anderson, both of whom are MDA National Vice Presidents. To read what they wrote you’ll have to pick up a copy!

I’m grateful that one of our pre-eminent broadcast personalities has repeatedly used the airwaves to champion our cause. So here’s to MDA National Vice President Larry King -- and to many more years of hearing this master of the interview practice his art.

With every best wish...

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