The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Lester Holt Leaving As Anchor Of NBC Nightly News

**Posted by RadioActive** February 24, 2025 1:03 pm

He's the one anchor I watch from the U.S. And now he's making headlines of his own.

Lester Holt, who has been the face of NBC Nightly News for 10 years, has announced he'll be stepping down from that post in the summer. He's not leaving the network, and will continue to concentrate on his duties hosting "Dateline."

Holt admits it's been an incredible journey. “As a 20-year-old radio reporter on the police beat chasing breaking news around San Francisco, I could never have imagined my career path would unfold in the way it has. What an amazing ride.”

There's no word on who might replace him.

Lester Holt stepping down as 'Nightly News' anchor

**Posted by Radio Bob** February 24, 2025 1:32 pm

Please not Tom Lllamas as a replacement. He's too... polished... like "hey, look, I'm anchoring Nightly News."
Leave him out in the field.
That being said, I don't know who should replace Holt, who is my favourite of the US anchors.

**Posted by RadioActive** February 24, 2025 1:41 pm

I agree, although unfortunately, he certainly has to be in contention. Llamas was lured away as substitute anchor for ABC World News Tonight, and who knows what promises they made to get him?

What drives me crazy about Llamas is his inability to ask a reporter in the field a question without it coming out sounding like it's phony and scripted. Which it is, but it shouldn't be so obvious!

**Posted by ED1** February 24, 2025 1:49 pm

Last year, the NY Post reported Tom Llamas as being the heir apparent for Lester Holt's Nightly News gig:
https://nypost.com/2024/11/01/media/nbcs-tom-llamas-impatiently-waits-for-lester-holt-retirement-report/

This is just part of the trend where the major American networks are shedding high-priced news presenters for cheaper ones. Lester Holt was probably offered a pay cut to stay at NBC, and decided to take it but drop his role on Nightly News.

Like RadioActive, I really enjoyed Holt's time on NBC Nightly News. He had that right mix of gravitas and approachability, and has been the best presenter out of the 3 major network anchors.

He really lived up to "The Anchor for America" promos that NBC has ran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RAon5V6VUI

**Posted by RadioActive** February 24, 2025 2:04 pm

CBS is a mess, as this thread reveals and I have a real hard time with ABC's David Muir, who seems to be possessed of quite the ego. He insists on reading endless copy when throwing to a reporter in the field, and I sometimes find myself with my news producer hat on, screaming at the TV, "just get to the story already!"

His intros are overwritten and way too long, and everything he's involved in seems swollen by his own impression of himself.

Plus I can't stand the overly dramatic writing. ("The images just coming in now..." If you've ever worked in TV news, you know there's processing time for the tape and to edit it. So unless they're running something raw and unseen, which would be too dangerous, that's just not possible in most instances. I know I'm being deceived by this "need to sound urgent and current" crap, and it annoys me so much, I usually tune elsewhere.)

So whoever NBC chooses, I'm not likely to switch to someone else. Even if it's Llamas.

**Posted by Radio Bob** February 24, 2025 4:47 pm

I don't watch ABC, so I don't know how long Muir's intros are. However, having worked in a national news room, I do know that writers were encouraged to fluff out the intros a bit to make sure the anchor -- a.k.a. "The Franchise" -- got a significant amount of time on-camera.

**Posted by RadioActive** February 24, 2025 4:52 pm

Radio Bob wrote:
I don't watch ABC, so I don't know how long Muir's intros are. However, having worked in a national news room, I do know that writers were encouraged to fluff out the intros a bit to make sure the anchor -- a.k.a. "The Franchise" -- got a significant amount of time on-camera.

If that's the case, Muir certainly gets his share of camera time. You sent a reporter a long way to cover a story. Let them tell it, for God's sake, instead of having your anchor give everything away in an intro that drones on and on and on.

The teasers into the show are at least 2 minutes long before they get to their top yarn. NBC is in the middle of their first story by then.

Still, I must be one of the few who feels that way. ABC World News Tonight is generally the #1 6:30 PM network newscast in the U.S. So somebody likes it. I just wonder how many stories get cut down or omitted so Mr. Muir can be on camera longer.

**Posted by RadioActive** February 25, 2025 8:49 am

From Lester Holt to Norah O’Donnell, Why Are Anchors Leaving the News Desk?

**Posted by RadioActive** February 25, 2025 10:36 am

Radio Bob wrote:
Please not Tom Lllamas as a replacement. He's too... polished... like "hey, look, I'm anchoring Nightly News."
Leave him out in the field.
That being said, I don't know who should replace Holt, who is my favourite of the US anchors.

Sadly, he seems to the odds-on favourite.

"His successor has yet to be named — but Page Six hears that Tom Llamas is widely believed to be taking over.

“It’s def Tom,” an NBC insider tells us exclusively. “It’s basically a race between Tom and Hallie Jackson, but Tom is 99 percent.”

Lester Holt leaving ‘NBC Nightly News’ after a decade as anchor — here’s who’s expected to replace him

**Posted by RadioActive** May 1, 2025 11:19 am

The date of his departure has now been revealed.

Lester Holt’s Final Day As ‘NBC Nightly News’ Anchor Set For May 30; Tom Llamas To Debut on June 2

**Posted by mace** May 2, 2025 7:47 am

I don't think Llamas will bring Nightly News any closer to World News Tonight but will remain comfortably ahead of the CBS Evening News.

**Posted by Evuguy** May 4, 2025 8:18 pm

With the current administration in Washington, I think Nightly News should tap Colin Jost and Michael Che from Weekend Update fame. You really can only laugh at some of the news that comes out of the White House these days.