The daily host of Lou Dobbs Tonight addressed viewers after giving the day's headlines and said yesterday's show would be his last time in the anchor chair.

"This will be my last broadcast," he said.

The longest-running anchor on CNN, having joined the network in 1980, Dobbs, 64, was one of the nation's leading financial journalists before turning his program in a more opinionated direction. His persistent advocacy against illegal immigration angered many.

"I'm the last of the original anchors here on CNN and I'm proud to have had the privilege of helping to build the world's first news network," he said during the 7 p.m. broadcast.

"Over the past six months," Dobbs said, "it has become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us, and some leaders in media, politics, and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day and to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible."

He said that CNN had allowed him to be released from his contract early and that he was considering a number of options.

Although there had been speculation even before he announced his departure that he might move to the Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network, a Fox spokeswoman said they "have not had any discussions with Lou Dobbs" about those outlets.

CNN president Jon Klein in a statement hailed Dobbs' "appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile, and larger than life presence he brought to our newsroom."

In a written statement included in a story on CNN.com, Klein called Dobbs "a valued founding member of the CNN family."

"With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere," Klein said. "We respect his decision."

Klein said in an e-mail to CNN staff that a replacement would be announced soon.

Dobbs' resignation was hailed by activists who had sought his ouster.

Tom Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a leading Latino legal organization, said: "I think the Latino community can and should celebrate that Lou Dobbs is no longer on CNN."

Dobbs left CNN in 1999 to found SPACE.com, a Web site about space. He returned in 2001 as host of Moneyline, later Lou Dobbs Tonight.