Veteran U.S. journalist Ted Koppel has signed off as host of Nightline, bidding farewell to viewers of the popular late night ABC news program he has anchored for more than 25-years.
In his final broadcast Tuesday night, Koppel said, "It's been a joy and privilege to occupy this chair" as he capped a 42-year career at ABC news.
Nightline grew out of a series of late-night news specials on ABC devoted to coverage of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. Koppel spent several months anchoring those specials and stayed on to become host of Nightline when it debuted as a regular news program in March 1980.
Koppel was known for his measured delivery and tenacious interview style. Nightline will continue with a trio of new hosts, Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
