PIERS MORGAN TO END NIGHTLY CNN TALK SHOW

With ratings for his show continuing to crater, Piers Morgan has conceded that he will soon bow out of his nightly 9:00 p.m. time period on CNN. In an interview with New York Times media columnist David Carr, Morgan said that things have taken a “painful” turn for him and his show. “Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it,” he told Carr. “That’s run its course and [CNN chief] Jeff [Zucker] and I have been talking for some time about different ways of using me.” Morgan said that he’d prefer doing interview specials with important guests. (Çarr observed that Morgan “has shown an ability not only to book big guests — former President Bill Clinton, Warren Buffett, the real Wolf of Wall Street among them — but also to dig in once they are on set.” And Morgan himself said, “I’d like to do work — interviews with big celebrities and powerful people — that is better suited to what I do well and fit with what Jeff is trying to do with the network.” Speaking with Politico.com, CNN spokesperson Allison Gollust said, “CNN confirms that Piers Morgan Live is ending. … The date of the final program is still to be determined.”