Koppell Named Special Correspondent for NBC's ROCK CENTER W/ BRIAN WILLIAMS

NBC News today announced that Ted Koppel, the legendary and highly respected broadcast journalist, has joined "Rock Center with BrIan Williams" as a special correspondent. Koppel will bring his award-winning reporting to the new broadcast, led by BrIan Williams, and premiering on Monday, October 31 at 10pm. The announcement was made today by Steve Capus, President of NBC News.

"We're truly honored to have Ted join ‘Rock Center with BrIan Williams' as a special correspondent," said Capus. "A pioneer of broadcast journalism, Ted has touched every major news event spanning nearly 5 decades, and not only does he bring a tremendous amount of experience to the broadcast, he is a tireless advocate for quality journalism, and is one of our profession's premier storytellers."

"My goal has been to make ‘Rock Center' the Cooperstown of our craft," said BrIan Williams. "Ted is a consensus Hall of Famer, joining the best team of men and women on the air today. While his place in the history of television journalism is already established, his work here is just beginning. This is the next chapter, and it's an enormous honor to work with this giant and former competitor."

Koppel, whose broadcasting career spans half a century, has been honored with every major professional recognition. He contributes to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" and is best known for his role as anchor and managing editor of ABC News' "Nightline" where his interviews and reporting touched every major news story over 25 years, making him the longest-serving news anchor in network history. He left "Nightline" in November 2005 and was named managing editor of the Discovery Channel, anchoring and producing long-form programming that examined major global events.

He began his broadcasting career as an NBC News Page and then took a job at WMCA Radio, New York. In 1963, Koppel joined ABC Radio News as a correspondent for its daily Flair Reports program, where one of his first assignments was to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He moved to television in 1966 when reporting on the Vietnam War. During his 42 years at ABC News, Koppel also worked as anchor of "The ABC Saturday Night News," chief diplomatic correspondent, Vietnam War correspondent and Hong Kong bureau chief. He has also had a major reporting role in every presidential campaign since 1964.