Background
Born in New Jersey, Roger King became chairman of the board of in 1977, following the death of his father, Charles King, who had founded the company in 1964.
Born in New Jersey, Roger King became chairman of the board of in 1977, following the death of his father, Charles King, who had founded the company in 1964.
He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 1992 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004 and is credited with launching the careers of such top television stars as Oprah Winfrey, Philosophy McGraw and Alex Trebek. The Show interviewed celebrities that were passing through South Florida. The interviews were followed by King World"s Little Rascals.
Under Roger"s leadership, King World became the leading distributor of popular syndicated television programming.
He put on the national scene daytime television"s most popular programs of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including Harpo Productions The Oprah Winfrey Show and Doctor Philosophy and is also credited with launching the syndicated news magazine, Inside Edition. He also syndicated Merv Griffin"s Wheel of Fortune (for Sony Pictures Television), starring Pat Sajak and Vanna White which, according to Columbia Broadcasting System, has been the top-rated syndicated television show for the past 26 years.
Another of his Griffin syndications, Jeopardy! (also by Sony Pictures Television), has remained among the top three for 25 years. Roger King joined Columbia Broadcasting System in 2000 following the merger of with the broadcasting network, and served as chief executive officer of Columbia Broadcasting System Television Distribution from 2000 until his death.
He was responsible for the syndicated sale of repeat episodes from Columbia Broadcasting System" top prime-time shows, including the Computer Society of India series, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Everybody Loves Raymond (ancillary rights to this series are owned by Time Warner via Home Box Office) and Universitas Pembangunan Nasional"s America"s Next Top Model.
Roger King had a reputation for throwing lavish industry parties. In January 1998, during the NATPE convention in New Orleans, Roger King rented out the Louisiana Superdome for the evening and hired Elton John to entertain his guests. Remembering his early struggles in his own career, Roger King was known for reaching out his hand to newcomers in the industry and often availing himself as a mentor and advisor.
King was a summer resident of Bay Head, New Jersey.
King suffered a stroke at his home in Boca Raton, Florida and died the following day at Boca Raton Community Hospital at the age of 63. Oprah Winfrey stated, "I will never forget what he did for medical
And this industry will never forget his legendary presence. He was truly a great guy".