A video clip from RT showing Larry King promoting his new venture with the state television channel.
Larry King is returning to TV with a political talk show beginning next month on Kremlin-funded channel RT.
The new program on the global, English-language channel will be called "Politics With Larry King," the network announced Wednesday. No premiere date or broadcast schedule was specified.
RT said it will also telecast "Larry King Now," which debuted online on Hulu and Ora.TV last summer.
King is the latest high-profile hire by RT following a deal last year with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to host an interview show called "The World Tomorrow."
King is perhaps best known in Russia for his interview with President Vladimir Putin in 2000 in which Putin responded with what many considered to be a callous, two-word answer to a question about the Kursk submarine disaster, which resulted in the death of 118 Russian sailors.
"What happened with the submarine?" King asked. "It sank," Putin responded, smiling.
The news of King's new show provoked jeers among Russian opposition bloggers, who criticize RT as a Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece.
One website, the anti-Putin "Sputnik & Pogrom," made a list of questions taunting King over the career move.
"Will Larry King host Kremlin holiday programs, concerts and weddings?" the website wrote. "Does Larry King believe that in free elections in the U.S., fascists will come to power?"
A joke also started making the online rounds: "What happened to Larry King? He sank."
Both programs featuring King will originate from Washington and Los Angeles. They will continue to stream on the Hulu and Ora.TV websites and will be available on rt.com. RT America will be the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for both programs.
"I have always been passionate about government and issues that impact the public," King said, adding, "I appreciate the importance of providing a platform with real alternative visions for our country's future."
The suspenders-sporting King, who turns 80 this year, hosted a weeknight talk show on CNN for 25 years before it ended in December 2010.
Material from The Associated Press is included in this article.
