New York, NY (CNS) - Not only is he a great actor, but Michael Douglas also has a great voice. Not for singing but for the voice over recording on the NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams.

"A word about the new voice you head at the top of the broadcast tonight," Williams says at the end of Monday night's newscast. "Yes, that is the great Michael Douglas, actor, producer, and Academy Award winner.

"Michael replaces the recording of the great Howard Reig, the voice of Nightly News for decades. Howard retired two years ago. But starting tonight, and hereafter, we welcome Michael Douglas as a rather prominent new member of the NBC News family."

NBC did not release a statement right away about how the decision to replace Reig with Douglas came about. It came rather a surprise because the network's vigorous efforts to avoid accusations of partiality. Douglas is a stout supporter of the Democratic Party. He also often narrates films about social and political issues like U.N. documentaries about Sierra Leone.