[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 98 (Thursday, June 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ON THE PASSING OF MICHAEL KING

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 18, 2015

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of one of 
the legends of the entertainment industry, a man responsible for some 
of the greatest television touchstones of the past three decades: 
Michael Gordon King. Michael's passing last month at age 67 is a great 
tragedy, but we know he leaves a towering legacy of success and an 
indelible mark on American culture.
  Michael and his late brother Robert inherited their business and 
their savvy from their father, Charles King, who founded a modest 
television syndication company named King World Productions in 1964. As 
Michael would recall, their father would go over every deal at the 
dinner table with his family, delving into the details of his 
transactions when Michael was as young as 14. Michael would take the 
title of president of King World shortly after graduating from 
Fairleigh Dickinson University, at the salary of $150 a week.
  When Charles King died in 1972, King World had one product: the 
distribution rights to ``The Little Rascals.'' Over the next 30 years, 
Michael and Robert would build King World into an entertainment empire.
  In 1983, King World paid $50,000 to acquire the rights to ``Wheel of 
Fortune.'' With the hard-charging brothers traveling the country to 
secure top media markets to air the show, ``Wheel of Fortune'' became 
the highest-rated syndicated program in history. The company was 
awarded the distribution rights to the revival of ``Jeopardy!''--the 
enduring television favorite that made Alex Trebek a national icon.
  In 1986, the Kings' launched a national talk show with a former 
Baltimore news anchor and local-Chicago talk show host: Oprah Winfrey. 
The Oprah Winfrey Show would become one of the most widely watched and 
consequential television programs ever.
  Under the leadership of Michael and Robert, King World reached 
astounding heights. According to the New York Times, ``On a typical day 
in the late 1980s, 90 million people watched at least one of the 
company's three biggest shows--Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and The 
Oprah Winfrey Show.''
  Eventually, the Kings sold their company to CBS. Michael would serve 
as a consultant to CBS, and find a new passion for sports--opening a 
world-class boxing gym and a boxing promotions company dubbed King 
Sports Worldwide.
  Michael measured himself against the biggest legends in entertainment 
history. As we reflect on his life and his legacy, we know that Michael 
King earned his place among the greats.
  Michael's passion for entertainment, his showmanship and eye for 
talent, his dedication, drive and creativity shaped some of the most 
important cultural touchstones of recent memory.
  I knew Michael as a father devoted to his family and concerned about 
the community. I hope it is a comfort to Michael's wife, Jena, his 
children, Alexandra, Theodore, Audrey and Jesse, and the entire King 
family that so many people mourn their loss. Many millions around the 
world have been entertained and moved by Michael's work, and are 
grateful for his legacy.

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