Rich Funke, the longtime evening anchor at WHEC in Rochester, will retire at the end of this year.

Funke, who joined the NBC-affiliate in 1974 as sports director, announced the news on the 6 p.m. newscast yesterday.

“I don’t know where the time has gone,” he said. “But I do know the time has come to step aside, move into the next phase of my life. My last day on the air will be sometime in December, but in the weeks and months ahead we’ll share some stories and revisit some people and places I’ll never forget.”

WHEC VP-GM Derek Dalton praised Funke and said he “will always be a part of our family.” Dalton said the station will launch a nationwide search for Funke’s replacement.