John King, Virtuoso

Anderson Cooper wasn't the only one marveling at John King last night — he works that wall like more than just a pro, he works it like a master. "You want to see good TV, switch over to King," emailed a friend last night. As it happened, I was already there. Once the wall draws you in, you are its prisoner. Actually, it's sort of true — because it really is an incredible tool, sort of the way a Stradivarius is an incredible tool, but only truly comes alive in the hands of a virtuoso. Seriously, that's John King. Here's just one example of his wall-wizardry — there is so much information packed into these few minutes, all of it mesmerizing. CNN smartly stayed glued to him for minutes on end — an eternity in TV time — because he's got the best game going. This clip is worth watching as sure as Joshua Bell was worth stopping in the subway for. That's a punchline but I'm sort of not joking.

Comments

[gevan]

Watching him play with the satellite image of Lake county to no apearant purpose drove me directly to my channel changer.

[jasonbentley]

Giving King the iBoard was a masterstroke. King's Achilles' heel on the air has always been his hands. For years, without a mic or a notebook in them, he had no idea what to do with them - usually resorting to awkward "espressive" gestures that looked strangely animatronic. The board has freed the hands of John King, and therefore, has freed all of us. :-)

I got to meet John King outside the DC Hilton the morning after the TV News Correspondents' Dinner, and we walked and talked for about a half a block. He was really gracious and cool, and he has an unexpectedly loud laugh.