Ted Koppel Joins NBC's 'Rock Center'

Ted Koppel has joined new NBC primetime newsmagazine Rock
Center With Brian Williams
as a special correspondent, the network said
Thursday, confirming a move that has been widely speculated in the industry.

Koppel is most well known for his 25-year stint as anchor and
managing editor of ABC News' Nightline. He started his career as an NBC Page before spending 42 years at ABC News, where he also anchored The ABC Saturday Night News and reported on every presidential campaign since 1964. Though Koppel left Nightline in 2005, he has remained outspoken on the state of the news industry.

"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 premiere storytellers," said
NBC News President Steve Capus in a statement.

Koppel joins Williams and previously announced
correspondents Harry Smith, Kate Snow and Meredith Vieira on Rock Center,
which premieres Monday, Oct. 31 at 10 p.m., the time period formerly held by
the now-canceled The Playboy Club.