Move over, MoDo! Step off, Bobo - Ted Koppel is in da house! The veteran and venerated anchor will lend his godly voice to the op-ed page as a contributing columnist starting on January 29th. Pretty cool!

"There is no more respected or influential forum in the field of journalism than The New York Times," Mr. Koppel said, obviously unaware of Jay Rosen's thoughts on the subject. "I look forward, with great anticipation, to contributing to its Op-Ed page."

Editorial Page editor Gail Collins calls it "an exciting, new type of relationship for The Times" and promises super-special treats for TimesSelect, like "conversations with the columnists" wherein Koppel will "use his fabled interviewing skills" (uh, I'd rather see him use those skills on interviewing people who don't give us a big ol' column of their thoughts twice a week).

In any case, it should be lively, and an interesting end-run around the question of what we're going to do without our Great Towering Anchors. Full release after the jump.

Update: This is apparently just one of Koppel's many pies -- in addition to his new gig at the Discovery Channel, he just signed on with NPR to do commentaries and news. Fishbowl DC has more.

TED KOPPEL TO JOIN THE NEW YORK TIMES AS CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

First Column to Appear on Sunday, January 29

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2006 - The New York Times today announced that veteran broadcast journalist Ted Koppel will join The Times as a contributing columnist beginning January 29. His column will appear on the Op-Ed page periodically. Editorial Page Editor Gail Collins made the announcement.

"This is an exciting, new type of relationship for The Times and I can't think of anyone we'd rather start with than one of the great journalists of our era," said Ms. Collins. "We're very pleased to provide our readers with Ted's fresh, insightful perspective on current events. Over the past year, we've expanded our Op-Ed page and enhanced it further with TimesSelect, our new online offering, where Ted will use his fabled interviewing skills for conversations with the columnists and for other special features."

"There is no more respected or influential forum in the field of journalism than The New York Times," Mr. Koppel said. "I look forward, with great anticipation, to contributing to its Op-Ed page."

Mr. Koppel was recently named managing editor at the Discovery Channel, where he will host and produce long-form programming examining major global topics and events.

He is a 42-year veteran of ABC News. Since 1980, Mr. Koppel was the anchor and managing editor of ABC News Nightline, one of the most honored broadcasts in television history. As the nation's longest running network daily news anchor, his interviews and reporting touched every major news story over the past 25 years.

Mr. Koppel has won every major broadcasting award, including 41 Emmy
Awards, eight George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 duPont-Columbia Awards, 10 Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Before his Nightline assignment, Mr. Koppel worked as an anchor, foreign and domestic correspondent and bureau chief for ABC News. From 1971 to 1980, he was ABC News' chief diplomatic correspondent, and for a two-year period beginning in 1975, he anchored The ABC Saturday Night News. During the time he was on the State Department beat, Mr. Koppel co-wrote the best seller, "In the National Interest," with his friend and colleague, Marvin Kalb, formerly of CBS News.

Before being named diplomatic correspondent, Mr. Koppel was ABC News' Hong Kong bureau chief from 1969 to 1971, covering stories from Vietnam to Australia. In 1968, he became Miami bureau chief for ABC News. Mr. Koppel joined ABC News New York in 1963 as a full-time general assignment correspondent. Before joining ABC News he worked at WMCA Radio in New York City, where he was a desk assistant and an occasional off-air reporter.

A native of Lancashire, England, Mr. Koppel moved to the United States with his parents when he was 13 years old. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University and an M.A. degree in mass communications research and political science from Stanford University.

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2004 revenues of $3.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, nine
network-affiliated television stations, two New York City radio stations
and 35 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. For the
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industry in Fortune's 2005 list of America's Most Admired Companies. The
Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and
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