As a child I remember my parents rushing my sister and me off to bed as they turned the TV over to ABC to watch Nightline. The late-night news program was and still is a staple in many American homes.
Nightline first aired on November 8, 1979, as The Iran Crisis—America Held Hostage: Day xxx” where xxx represented each day Iranians held hostage the occupants of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, four days after the Iran Hostage Crisis started. At the time it was a way for ABC to compete with NBC’s The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. The Show kept Americans up-to-date on the situation in Iran. The first host was Frank Reynolds of World News Tonight. In 1980 Reynolds stopped hosting the program. Ted Koppel took the desk in March of 1980 and stayed until 2005.
After 444 days the hostage crisis ended and the show changed its name to Nightline. Nightline made a spot for itself on the ABC programming schedule. The show also made Koppel a household name. The show prides itself on providing a mix of investigative journalism and extended interviews. Nightline is a one of a kind in American media. Most other similar shows only air once a week, though usually for a full hour. Nightline is usually less sensationalistic than the weekly newsmagazines.
One of the most infamous moments of Nightline occurred on April 15, 1987. When Ted Koppel asked Los Angeles Dodgers Executive Al Campanis about why there were not that many black field or general managers in Major League Baseball, Campanis responded by saying that blacks may lack the “necessities.” Campanis kept coming off worse and worse despite the numerous chances from Koppel to clarify himself. Shortly after the interview, the Dodgers fired Campanis.
Nightline had a number of broadcast firsts. They did the first live report from the base of Mount Everest and Antarctica. Some highlights from the show include the 1982 interview with PLO leader Yasser Arafat, first live TV appearance by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, first “Town Meeting” the subject is AIDS and the show runs until 3:47 AM, and John Edwards admits to cheating on his wife.
In 2005, Ted Koppel retired from nightline. His final episode reviewed clips from his 42 years on the air. On November 28, 2005, Koppel was succeeded by Martin Bashir and Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran.
In November 2009, Nightline held number-one spot in the Nielsen ratings, for the first time with an average of 4.15 million viewers.
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