Michael Gordon King was born in Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America on 8th March, 1948. He was the son of Lucille and Charles King. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey.
Michael King was the Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman, Interim President and Interim Chief Operating Officer of King World Productions Inc. Bloomberg lists the company overview as one that produces and distributes television programming in the United States, Canada and other foreign countries; and related operations. He was also CEO of King Sports Worldwide.
Michael and his senior brother (by four years), Mr. Roger King (1944-2007), inherited King World Productions in 1972 upon the death of their Father who started the same company in 1964 with syndication rights to radio shows.
The King Brothers possessed unique gifts for prospering the entertainment industry on a world wide level as they independently produced and syndicated shows of several genres. In 1975, they co-hosted an all night talk show in Florida. To date, their library stock includes but is certainly not limited to: America's Next Top Model, the CSI franchise, Everybody Loves Raymond, Little Rascals, Inside Edition, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Merv Griffin Show, The Roseanne Show, The Geraldo Riviera Show, Dr. Phil, Racheal Ray, Martha Stewart Living and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In 1999, The King Brothers sold their company to CBS for $2.5 billion in CBS stock. Roger became Chief Executive of CBS Television Distribution while Michael became a Consultant. King World's all-star line up attracted more than 100 million viewers daily.
When Michael King was interviewed by the New York Times Magazine, he said the following: "I measure myself against....Louis B. Mayer, Sam Goldwyn, David O. Selznick, Mike Todd....Those people created this industry, and unfortunately our industry is run by a lot of people who aren't passionate about it, they're not filmmakers, they're not television people. They're lawyers, accountants and businessmen. We have a passion for for this company and this industry."
In recent years, Michael was the Founder and CEO of Kings Sports Worldwide. His company's first foray into boxing was with All-American Heavyweights. His revolutionary organisation's program boasted a state of the art training facility equipped with the latest technology, premiere coaching and medical staff. His company spent time evaluating the entire spectrum of global boxing talent. Through an exhaustive scouting and evaluation process, King Sports Worldwide has been able to locate some of the very best players from around the world.
Michael was an ardent lifelong sports fan who was part an investment group that owned the New York Yankees, the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils. He also sat on the New Jersey Devils' Board of Directors.
Michael and Roger King were innovative empire builders and entertainment entrepreneurs who impacted the world with their incomparable magnificent talents.
Mr. Michael King is survived by his wife, Jenna; their three children: Theodore, Audrey and Jesse; and a daughter, Alexandra, from a previous marriage.
MR. MICHAEL GORDON KING 1948 - 2015.
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Additional Sources: Bloomberg, Kings Sports Worldwide, NY Times.
God bless him.
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