Veteran ABC reporter Krulwich going to NPR

Robert Krulwich, a reporter who was a favorite on the Ted Koppel incarnation of ABC’s “Nightline,” is returning to National Public Radio.

Krulwich started at NPR as an economics reporter in 1978 before leaving for CBS News in 1985.

He joined ABC News nearly a decade later and his work is known for colorful takes on complex subjects.

He once penned an opera to explain “What does the Federal Reserve do exactly?”

Now he will be a correspondent for NPR’s science unit, working on stories about the intersection of technology with culture, politics and religion. He also will serve as substitute host for such programs as “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Talk of the Nation.”

Krulwich will become co-host with Jad Abumrad of “Radio Lab,” a science documentary series that is produced by WNYC, New York Public Radio, and distributed across the country.

“My feeling has always been that there’s a kind of imprinting going on if you do journalism and broadcasting for a living,” he said.

“Like if you’re a duck and the first thing you see is a duck. I imprinted on NPR -- it’s the duck I know and the duck I own, and I’m going back to my original duck.”

NPR has boosted its news presence in recent years, doubling its staff and becoming more competitive.

Krulwich, in an interview, said he’s still contributing to ABC News and has a story in the works for the post-Koppel “Nightline.”

“It seems fine to me,” he said of the new “Nightline” with Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Martin Bashir. “I’d love to see it continue in some form.”