Regis Philbin: The Quality of Television Has Been Steadily on the Decline

Regis Philbin. (Reuters)

Regis Philbin is getting ready to part ways with his beloved “LIVE! with Regis & Kelly” in November –  but since he embarking on a television career in the 1950’s, the morning show veteran said the medium has been steadily losing its heart and soul.

“It has all been a step down. The cable shows have no boundaries and they can do whatever they want with it, and the broadcasting stations are beginning to look at that and see how it attracts an audience and are beginning to take that step down too,” he told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column, as he and wife Joy promoted Advil’s latest campaign encouraging other users to share their “true stories.” “I just hope there is a saturation point somewhere down the line, it’s unfortunate that it is on the way down, but maybe that’s the way our culture is going right now.”

And another thing Philbin, 80, won’t miss about his 28-year gig on the popular talk show is the stress of telling engaging stories.

“I worry about the opening segment every day and every night, I think about what happened to me that day and wonder how I am going to reveal it tomorrow on the show in a humorous way if I can, so that hangs over your head every day when doing this kind of a show,” he explained. “No writers are involved, we do it all spontaneously, so that’s one thing I’m not going to miss.”

However, all of this doesn’t mean Philbin intends to disappear from the small screen completely. And some of television's top reality stars better watch out!

“I’ve been listening to a lot of people about a lot of different possibilities, one of them being reality television because it is as hot as it is,” he continued. “As a matter of fact, one day I just took a camera out and did a two-minute piece. It wasn’t a pilot like some reports are saying, I just wanted to see what it would be like but I’m not sure if it is for me.”

And when he looks back on his long career, Philbin, who is now working on a book entitled “How I Got This Way,” which will feature the thirty most inspiring and influential people in his life, he has one regret – never having interviewed legendary actor Cary Grant.

“Cary Grant was always one who meant a lot to me,  when you left one of the movies he had made you felt just for a minute that you could be Cary Grant. I tried very hard to get him on one of my talk shows, but it didn’t work out,” he lamented.

And Philbin’s favorite celebrity guest?

“I like having George Clooney on,” he added. “He is a very interesting guy and a great actor.”