Koppel to be special correspondent for 'Rock Center'

NEW YORK, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Veteran broadcast journalist Ted Koppel is to serve as special correspondent for the new U.S. program "Rock Center with Brian Williams," NBC said.

The show is to premiere Oct. 31 at 10 p.m. EDT. Koppel's participation was announced Thursday by Steve Capus, president of NBC News.

"We're truly honored to have Ted join 'Rock Center with Brian Williams' as a special correspondent," Capus said in a statement. "A pioneer of broadcast journalism, Ted has touched every major news event spanning nearly five 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," Williams said. "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 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 he worked for more than 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, NBC said in a news release.