Commentary

Koppel leaves "Nightline": No Joking Matter.

It seems appropriate Ted Koppel, host of ABC’s “Nightline,” made an announcement that he would be leaving the network the day before April Fool’s Day.

This is serious business after all. And that may just be the point – or a fine metaphor somewhere. The jokes, after all, are on the other networks with Letterman and Leno.

Not to say that “Nightline” is going away. ABC News president David Westin said it would continue to air. But for how long?

Three years ago ABC made a decision to end its hard news late night programming, if it could get David Letterman. Letterman declined – and then had Koppel on as a guest to discuss the matter. To his credit – in a potentially awkward interviewing moment - Letterman was deferential to the great newsman.

But even Koppel knows that -- as “The Godfather’s” Hyman Roth, played by Lee Strasburg, said -- “this is the business we have chosen.” That business isn’t just news and journalism – but more dollars and cents, ratings and ad revenues, launches and cancellations.

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Yes, there are 24/7 cable news networks everywhere. But even with all that competition, “Nightline” always seen to eke out new angles to stories the daily news organizations couldn’t find. That professionalism is a credit.

Money is also a credit – especially to a growing media company. The New York Timesstory analyzed that by keeping a news program like “Nightline” around for some 25 years, it’s cost ABC about $100 million per year in advertising revenues. All that young skewing movie advertising goes to CBS and NBC.

Who’s next? Jimmy Kimmel? Keith Olbermann? Robert Krulwich? Jon Stewart? 

All funny and smart and, maybe, even news worthy. Yet, we’ll miss something.  This is the tough business we have chosen.

Leave the body; take the cannoli.
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