Ted Koppel, the celebrated TV newsman and former anchor of ABC's Nightline, is leaving the Discovery cable channel six months before the end of his contract by mutual agreement.

Given the timing, one can't help but wonder if he might soon be announced as the new host of NBC's legendary Sunday morning public affairs show, Meet the Press. He is certainly one of the few TV journalists with the interviewing skills, seriousness of purpose and breadth of political knowledge to carry on where the late Tim Russert left off.

And even though there are plenty of people at NBC News who want the Meet the Press job, there aren't many of them who could look in the mirror and say they are better suited than Koppel to sit in the chair.

Koppel addressed only the matter of leaving Discovery in a statement Tuesday:

"There has been significant change in senior management at Discovery,” Koppel said. “Producing our kind of news-related programs is an expensive proposition. It has long been clear that neither of us is interested in an extension of the current contract. Discovery and I worked on terminating the contract a few months early under terms that both sides found acceptable. We leave with gratitude for the professional opportunities we've been given and for the generosity with which we've been treated."

Koppel and his team, which included long-time ABC News producer Tom Bettag, did excellent work for the Maryland-based cable channel including documentaries on race, cancer, Iran and China.