Larry King was flying back to Los Angeles after interviewing basketball superstar LeBron James at his home in Akron, Ohio, earlier this month when it hit him.

“I said, ‘I can’t top this,’ ” King recalled in an interview Tuesday. “I’m not getting younger. I want more time with other things. It’s time to go.”

After a quarter century as host of “Larry King Live,” the centerpiece of CNN’s prime-time lineup and a required stamping ground for striving politicians and contrite celebrities, the 76-year-old announced Tuesday that he will be leaving the program this fall.

In a nod to how much the medium has changed since King began broadcasting in 1957, he broke the news himself on Twitter.

“The daily grind is tough,” King said in a phone call moments after his tweet went out. “And there are aspects of it, you know, when you’ve got to do tabloid shows, which is the nature of the business, you’ve got to do the girl that’s missing in Aruba. It’s hard to make the case that that is major news, but that’s what news is today. And my curiosity runs to that, but not nightly.”King will not be retiring completely: He signed a new contract to host specials on the cable news channel.(LosAngelesTimes)