Koppel, Ted

Koppel, (Edward James) Ted

(1940–  ) television journalist; born in Lancashire, England. Son of German-Jewish refugees, he came to the U.S.A. in 1953 and became an American citizen in 1963. He earned degrees from Syracuse and Stanford. Originally a newscaster for WABC radio (1963–67), he switched to television reporting while covering the Vietnam War, becoming ABC's chief diplomatic correspondent in 1971 and anchor for the Saturday Night News in 1975. Anchor for Nightline, the distinguished ABC late-night news show begun during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 (originally called America Held Hostage) he is known for consistently knowledgeable and sometimes piercing interviews.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.