Kangas says goodbye to NBR

Here are the last on-the-air words of “Nightly Business Report” co-anchor Paul Kangas, who retired Friday after 30 years on the show:

“As I end my long career with NBR, let me go back to the beginning and compliment George Dooley, the founder and long-time president of WPBT 2 public TV in Miami, for recognizing the need for more business news on television back in the late 1970s. He decided it was time to put together a pilot program and had the good judgment to select Linda O’Bryon to develop it. We know she did an exemplary job and I’m proud to have been a part of it right from the start.

“Like many public TV productions, NBR did not have deep pockets, but we were lucky in finding people with a deep devotion toward building it into the best daily program dedicated strictly to business news. Interestingly, many of the people who joined us when we were just a pup are now still with us now that we have all grown up. I’d like to give a special mention to my long-time stocks producer Johnnie Streets, who can coax more information out of a computer or telephone than anyone, anywhere to explain why certain stocks are moving either up or down or not moving at all despite a major development. He’s certainly made my job easier over the years and I want to thank you, Johnnie.

“Actually, there isn’t a person on the “Nightly Business Report” staff including in our bureaus that I wouldn’t like to single out for being outstanding and a credit to our goal of being the best business news program of all time. But time constraints prevent that. However, they must have heard my personal mantra which goes like this: ‘good, better, best, never let it rest, till the good is better and the better is the best!’ And speaking of the best, there is my beautiful wife Peni, who from the day I joined “Nightly Business Report” was supportive and helpful in every way imaginable.

“And yes, I confess that she’s the one who buys the ties that have brought so many compliments from our viewers. Thanks for all your help, Peni. Let me also extend my sincere gratitude to you, our viewers, who have been most supportive over the years. I must tell you that most all of the viewer criticism we’ve received has been of a constructive nature, much of which has been incorporated into the program format.

“And of course, I thank those who have made donations to the PBS system making programs like “Nightly Business Report” possible. With that I bid farewell, look forward to new challenges ahead and for the last time on “Nightly Business Report,” I extend to all of you my wishes for the very best of good buys.

The full transcript is here.