"Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel is leaving ABC in December, ending a 42-year alliance with the network.

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In an e-mail announcing the impending change, ABC News President David Westin said several options had been discussed, but, "Ted believes this is the right time for him to leave."

Koppel's contract expires Dec. 4. His long-time executive producer, Tom Bettag, also will be leaving ABC.

Koppel joined ABC News in 1963 as a general assignment reporter. From 1971 to 1980, he was ABC News' chief diplomatic correspondent and for two years beginning in 1975, he anchored "The ABC Saturday Night News."

Koppel is best known for his work as the anchor and principal reporter for "Nightline," a late-night news program launched in 1980 as a nightly update on the Iran hostage crisis.

Honors include 41 Emmy Awards and 11 George Foster Peabody Awards.