NBC 4 New York journalist Chuck Scarborough is retiring

Chuck Scarborough, the face of NBC 4 New York for half a century, will anchor his final newscast on December 12, marking the end of a record-setting career as the longest-serving local news anchor in the New York market.

Scarborough, 81, announced Thursday that he will step down from his role as co-anchor of the 6 p.m. newscast, capping a career that began March 25, 1974 at 30 Rockefeller Plaza Studio 6B. He has co-hosted the 6 p.m. show with Natalie Pasquarella since 2016, when he retired from the 11 p.m. news. Scarborough called his departure a “retirement with an asterisk” and noted that he plans to return occasionally for special reports.

“There is only one word: gratitude,” Scarborough said in a statement. “For more than 50 years, our WNBC viewers have welcomed me into their homes and trusted me to present the news free of any agenda and true to core principles of accuracy, objectivity and fairness – giving them important, timely information during our darkest times and the darkest times deliver the brightest hours. This was an extraordinary honor.”

Eric Lerner, president and general manager of NBC 4 New York, praised Scarborough’s legacy and called him an integral part of the station’s identity. “We are fortunate that after his final newscast next month, Chuck will periodically return to his News 4 New York family to report on special projects,” Lerner said.