Posted on 03/11/2005 10:06:51 AM PST by wmileo
NewsMax has learned that the next veteran TV anchorman to depart his chair in the near future is ABC's Ted Koppel.
Koppel, who has anchored Nightline since its inception in 1980, is resigned to the fact that that his tenure will likely come to a conclusion by December.
A Koppel departure would come on the heels of the retirement of NBC's Tom Brokaw (last December) and this week's departure of Dan Rather from The CBS Evening News.
ABC insiders tell NewsMax that the veteran newsman is likely to wind up as the new host of the Sunday morning news show "This Week," currently hosted by George Stephanopolis.
The show, once hosted by David Brinkley, has steadily dropped in the ratings and now languishes in third place behind CBS's "Face The Nation," hosted by Bob Schieffer.
Schiefffer replaces Rather (at least temporarily) as the new anchor of the CBS Evening News this week.
Where exactly Nightline is headed remains an open question.
Stephanopolis has been "auditioning" as Koppel's possible replacement to less than "enthusiastic" ratings, say ABC officials.
As such, ABC News has been quietly developing a new Nightline replacement and has authorized several pilot episodes of the new offer.
This follows a preliminary sample of the new broadcast offered to ABC News officials last January.
The Nightline alternative (currently in pilot production) would be tied more to "current" rather than feature news say ABC insiders.
The program, as currently produced, would be hosted by Bill Weir (host of Good Morning America's weekend edition) and ABC News correspondent Jake Tapper.
"It is a foregone conclusion that Ted is gone," explained one ABC News veteran. "What happens to George (Stephanopolis)? That's the question."
Koppel was the Iraq embed that most looked like he wanted to by anywhere else but there.
Ted Koppel. Ted Kennedy. Ted Turner. The TED AXIS OF EVIL.
I'll believe it when I don't see it in the schedule. Koppel's demise has been a prime rumor for as long as the show has been on. Somehow, he manages to stay on the air.
He was OK when that program started, YEARS ago..during the hostage crisis. He lost his professinalism with the years. Or maybe he never had it...it was all an illusion!
I hope that abc also loses its peter(jennings)!
This man acts like he has a severe case of iron-poor blood. I once liked him, but then he got lazy, taking 18 vacations a year, and getting sloppier and sloppier in his questioning, especially of liberals. My impression is that he slid to his left because he was just to tired too paddle against the flow of "respectable" journalism.
.....Ted Bundy, Ted Kazinski (unibomber)....the list goes on.
Koppel sems to pride himself on the fact that he has never set his tiny dainty foot outside the east coast
Rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.
The only thing I liked about Koppel in the last 10 years is that he was an embed in my old unit (3rd Brigade, 3ID). I found that interesting, especially when hanging with the medics (I was a Ten-Week Doc).
Used to watch him every night during the hostage crisis.
How events change one's perspective. The hostage crisis seems minor when compared to recent events.
That's funny. I was going to add just those names, but the President only had three on the Axis of Evil, so I wanted to stay with his format. :)
He didn't want to get a crack in his hair.
Koppel the Next Newsman to Lose his HAIR
LMAO!
Koppel may be losing his chair soon, by he lost his mind about 10 years ago, when he became an unabashed and undisguised leftist, slanting every interview and video background piece in that direction.
Yet somehow you leave out Ted Bundy and Ted Kaczynski?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.