JosiahCubed 280 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 (edited) NBC News has announced that Lester Holt will be stepping down as anchor of the broadcast after a decade in the anchor chair. He will remain with NBC News, moving to Dateline full-time this summer. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lester-holt-anchor-nbc-nightly-news-rcna193445?cid=mob_npd_nn_ios_mar Edited February 24 by JosiahCubed 1 2 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningNews 1437 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I’m pretty meh on Tom Llamas being the replacement if they decide on him. He’s underwhelming. 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303903 Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5551 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 He was in over his head at noon & 5 on WNBC, he was bland as all get out on ABC, so my expectations are low for Tom. I said it over the Discord, but I'll ask here; he was clearly hired to be NBC's Muir, but will he end up being more of a Jeff Glor? 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303904 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTT 111 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I'm surprised. Is he being forced to retire from Nightly News? Reassigned to Dateline. Like Norah O Donnell? She was reassigned to 60 minutes & other projects. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303906 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicFlag 9 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I don’t watch anymore. They cover stories in a breathless fashion with too many mini-packs. Lester jumps to the next topic too fast. Meanwhile, CBS has a great format now. Theirs is the Huntley-Brinkley report of this day. 3 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303907 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrannical bastard 3931 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 It's been 10 years, so he's probably not renewing his contract (NBC probably cut what it would have been anyway). Maybe Jose Diaz-Balart moves over from the weekend to take over? He seems like a better choice over Tom Llamas. 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303908 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlnews2 590 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I mean Lester is 65 so he’s at about retirement age. Could be his way of slowing down while still being active 12 minutes ago, JTT said: I'm surprised. Is he being forced to retire from Nightly News? Reassigned to Dateline. Like Norah O Donnell? She was reassigned to 60 minutes & other projects. 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303909 Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5551 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Yeah, this isn't a CBS-like transition. He'll be 66 next month, 10 years in a role that no one ever expected him to assume. Just stepping back from the daily grind. Good anchor, good guy, good for him. 4 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303910 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediaZone4K 2158 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Tom Llamas is the obvious choice. He's okay to me. Hallie Jackson has been heavily tapped for breaking news coverage so she's my next guess. Third option, based on her co-anchoring with Lester for big events is Savannah Guthrie. I'm guessing however than NBC doesn't want to mess with Today any further since Hoda left. 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303912 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodfreyGR 650 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 29 minutes ago, 24994J said: Yeah, this isn't a CBS-like transition. He'll be 66 next month, 10 years in a role that no one ever expected him to assume. Just stepping back from the daily grind. Good anchor, good guy, good for him. And unlike Norah (and every recent iteration of CBSEN), Lester always pulled decent ratings. 2 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303913 Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVVTV12 141 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 1 hour ago, atlnews2 said: I mean Lester is 65 so he’s at about retirement age. Could be his way of slowing down while still being active Tom Brokaw was 64 when he left Nightly News in 2004. (I thought he was old then.) John Chancellor was 55. Lester wanting to step away now is just really part of the trend in tv news. Both Brokaw and Chancellor still did stuff for NBC after leaving the Nightly chair and Lester is also. As Walter Cronkite said, “Old anchormen, you see, don’t fade away; they just keep coming back for more.” 7 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303914 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yayan4155 18 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 A "sea of change" is reported being happened for almost all network newscasts. https://variety.com/2025/tv/columns/lester-holt-norah-odonnell-hoda-kotb-1236319101/ Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303925 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recovering Producer 207 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I did not realize American baby boomers in prominent jobs were capable of stepping away on top and on their own terms. Good for Lester. 3 1 2 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303926 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsMan 109 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Tom Llamas is probably the successor don’t know if he’ll overtake ABC but it’s a fair choice. Even David Muir congratulated Lester on him stepping down, so even he knows what he up against next a former ABC colleague. 5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said: Tom Llamas is the obvious choice. He's okay to me. He’s okay, don’t think he’ll overtake Muir nobody is overtaking ABC. I think in fact he’ll be fighting with CBS more. 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303930 Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickp 337 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I am so sad Lester Holt is a good guy excellent reporter 2 2 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303932 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsMan 109 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 34 minutes ago, nickp said: I am so sad Lester Holt is a good guy excellent reporter Whoever replaces him won’t be able to fill his shoes, Lester is by far the most neutral reporter the network has had. Clearly whoever replaces him which will probably Tom Llamas will have a hard time getting to his level. 3 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303934 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodfreyGR 650 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 1 hour ago, GraphicsMan said: He’s okay, don’t think he’ll overtake Muir nobody is overtaking ABC. I think in fact he’ll be fighting with CBS more. Any show or network overtaking another is a tough task in the modern streaming era. For most networks and shows, its about retaining the viewers you still have. To start, if Tom (or whoever the successor may be) can hold Lester's numbers, that's a fine win. As @EVVTV12 summarized above, Lester isn't leaving because of ratings, health, major shakeup... His exit is on par with his predecessors, and seems by all accounts to be in his terms- That suggests NBC has been happy with how things have fared with NN, and if anything they'll want the successor to maintain the status quo. 2 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303936 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 1042 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 7 hours ago, MediaZone4K said: Tom Llamas is the obvious choice. He's okay to me. Hallie Jackson has been heavily tapped for breaking news coverage so she's my next guess. Third option, based on her co-anchoring with Lester for big events is Savannah Guthrie. I'm guessing however than NBC doesn't want to mess with Today any further since Hoda left. It’s likely going to be Llamas who replaces Holt and I could see Jackson taking weekends (in addition to a more prominent role on NN during the week). Which means, Diaz-Balart moves to NBC News Now as they could use more NBC News veterans. And now that they cut his MSNBC show, he’s free to do more. Guthrie should remain on Today. I know they have been pushing her the past couple of years, but she can be insufferable. 1 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303940 Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1566 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 15 hours ago, 24994J said: He was in over his head at noon & 5 on WNBC, he was bland as all get out on ABC, so my expectations are low for Tom. I said it over the Discord, but I'll ask here; he was clearly hired to be NBC's Muir, but will he end up being more of a Jeff Glor? Well-put. Something about him really rubs me the wrong way. He feels like he was created in the same test tube in the same lab as Muir and Glor were. I actually think a better pick would be Kate Snow. She's a solid anchor and was the Sunday Nightly News anchor for many years. Of course, she gave that up to focus on Daily five days a week, and I'm sure that must be a far less stressful gig with better quality of life than the main Nightly gig. 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303947 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsMan 109 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 20 hours ago, C Block said: Muir Well Muir was a successful product of the test tube let’s see what happens. 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-303967 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningNews 1437 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 NBC announces Tom Llamas as Lester’s replacement. They deserve to fall to #3 lol, that guy is so bad. 1 1 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-304136 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsMan 109 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) 17 minutes ago, MorningNews said: NBC announces Tom Llamas as Lester’s replacement. They deserve to fall to #3 lol, that guy is so bad. CBS could take NBC #2 spot. He isn’t familiar with viewers when Lester got the weekday gig he’d been doing weekend editions for years. Tom hasn’t. 17 minutes ago, MorningNews said: NBC announces Tom Llamas as Lester’s replacement. They deserve to fall to #3 lol, that guy is so bad. Looks like he’ll continue to do Top Story on streaming so there trying to make him the face of TV and streaming not a bad idea. Edited March 5 by GraphicsMan Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-304137 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsMan 109 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 26 minutes ago, MorningNews said: NBC announces Tom Llamas as Lester’s replacement. They deserve to fall to #3 lol, that guy is so bad. What makes him bad, personally I think he isn’t himself sometimes. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-304138 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yayan4155 18 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Official confirmation Quote Tom Llamas will take over as anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” after Lester Holt steps down this summer, the network announced Wednesday. Llamas is a senior national correspondent and anchor of “Top Story with Tom Llamas,” an evening newscast that streams on NBC News NOW. He will continue to anchor “Top Story” each weeknight, NBC News executive vice president of programming Janelle Rodriguez wrote in a message to staff. “Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity — all characteristics that have long been trademarks of ‘NBC Nightly News,’” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Additionally, he’s been instrumental in growing NBC News NOW into the leading streaming news network, helping to introduce NBC News to a new generation of viewers.” Llamas said anchoring “Nightly News” is a “profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility.” “I look forward to working with the world class journalists at ‘Nightly News’ and ‘Top Story’ to bring viewers the most important stories every night,” Llamas said in a statement. Llamas will become the first Latino journalist to host the weeknight edition of Nightly News.” José Díaz-Balart, who hosts a show on MSNBC, anchors Saturday editions of Nightly News.” Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/media/tom-llamas-anchor-nbc-nightly-news-rcna194961 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-304139 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanSolo 143 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 43 minutes ago, GraphicsMan said: What makes him bad, personally I think he isn’t himself sometimes. I think he’s fine and that’s the thing, a lot of it is subjective. Some folks love to tear down others over some personal hangup. 3 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/21658-lester-holt-stepping-down-from-nbc-nightly-news/#findComment-304140 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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