The 81-year-old Scarborough, who joined the station in 1974, described his plans on the station's evening newscast on Thursday, Nov. 21 as "retirement with an asterisk," noting he will continue contributing to special station projects and programming.
"There is only one word: gratitude," Scarborough said. "Our WNBC viewers welcomed me into their homes for more than 50 years, trusting me to present the news free of any agenda, faithful to the fundamental principles of accuracy, objectivity and fairness -- and to bring them vital, timely information during our darkest and brightest hours. That has been an extraordinary honor."
Scarborough began his tenure at WNBC on March 25, 1974, anchoring both the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekday newscasts from Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Center, now home to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
After more than 42 years as the 11 p.m. anchor, he stepped away from that role in 2016 but continued as co-anchor of the 6 p.m. newscast alongside Natalie Pasquarella, lead sports anchor Bruce Beck, and meteorologist Janice Huff.
Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York, praised Scarborough's unparalleled contributions to journalism.
"Chuck Scarborough is the gold standard in American broadcast journalism," Lerner said. "His skills as an anchor, reporter, and newsroom leader are unmatched -- and he is a pretty special guy off-camera too. We are fortunate that after Chuck's last newscast next month, he will return to his News 4 New York family from time to time and report on special projects."
Scarborough's golden anniversary with the station was celebrated earlier this year with a series of events, including the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building in his honor.
The station has not yet announced Scarborough's successor for the 6 p.m. newscast.