The man behind Piers Morgan’s move to CNN–his U.S. manager John Ferriter–gets profiled by The Daily Beast.
It is a fascinating read, both for the interesting facts about Ferriter (he was technically dead when his heart stopped for three minutes last year) and for the juicy info about how he landed Morgan the CNN gig.
Talks began with CNN in April before it was clear that King was looking to wind down after 25 years with the network. “Looked at in the grand scheme of things,” says Ferriter, “it was totally impossible and should never have been attempted. There were a million obstacles, but we kept figuring it out.” In the end, it took six months before lawyers could negotiate the final terms.
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He and Morgan celebrated with a bottle of Chateau Latour ’61 at Cut restaurant in Los Angeles. “We looked at each other and burst out laughing,” recalls Morgan, speaking on the phone from New York, where he will be hosting his show. “It was fun, like a caper. John kept saying, ‘This will get done.’ He didn’t have a moment’s doubt.” There is a long pause on the line. “I did. But he didn’t.”
The story also mentions Ferriter’s longtime friendship with Larry King, who Morgan replaces next month.