Lester Holt Announces His Departure: What it Means for NBC Nightly News and Viewers

Lester Holt, the reliable anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” is stepping down this summer after a remarkable tenure. For the past decade, he has been a familiar face to millions.

However, Holt will still host “Dateline NBC,” the popular prime-time newsmagazine.

NBC News executive Janelle Rodriguez praised Holt in a memo, noting he is the heart of the organization. He has garnered immense respect from colleagues and viewers alike.

Holt made history in 2015 as the first African-American solo anchor of a weekday network nightly newscast. This was a significant milestone in broadcasting history.

Despite a decline in broadcast TV viewership, nightly newscasts still attract large audiences. Combined, NBC, ABC, and CBS can pull in about 20 million viewers on a good evening.

In the last quarter, ABC’s “World News Tonight,” hosted by David Muir, averaged 7.6 million viewers, while Holt’s “Nightly News” had 6.1 million. The “CBS Evening News” followed with 4.5 million viewers and recently underwent its own anchor change.

NBC has not yet named Holt’s successor, but Tom Llamas, who is currently anchoring the network’s nightly streaming news and often fills in for Holt, is a strong candidate for the role.

In Monday’s announcement, Holt confirmed he signed a new long-term contract to continue with NBC, but will focus solely on “Dateline NBC” going forward.

Holt expressed his enthusiasm in a memo, stating he looks forward to expanding his role and shaping “Dateline” episodes on topics he is passionate about.