NEW YORK (AP) — It’s about to be a family affair at 30 Rock for NBC News anchor Lester Holt and his son, Stefan Holt, who soon will be anchoring […]
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will moderate the first Democratic debate of 2016, on Sunday, Jan. 17, at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C.
In the news demo the November sweep win is NBC News’ 18th of the last 19. Today’s ratings results are good news for NBC; last year, ABC World News Tonight With David Muir won the November sweep in the news demo, ABC’s first such win in 18 years.
Holt, who had been sitting in as NBC Nightly News anchor since Brian Williams was suspended, has officially gotten the job he had all but given up on. With the perch comes the responsibility to lead a news organization that is not only trying to repair its reputation, but also striving to keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital landscape, where the moral authority of a network news anchor has faded.
If there were any doubts about Lester Holt’s new position as the official anchor of NBC Nightly News, his new promotional video puts them to rest
Williams was suspended in February for falsely claiming he had been in a helicopter hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War. NBC launched an internal investigation that found Williams “made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field.” “Brian now has the chance to earn back everyone’s trust,” said Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News and MSNBC.
Exclusives
NBC and Williams have come to a tentative agreement that will keep Williams at the network after his six-month suspension ends in August. The decision, described by people with knowledge of the plan, ends months of speculation that Williams could leave NBC altogether. Williams will not be returning to the NBC Nightly News anchor chair. Instead, he will have a new role at MSNBC. His fill-in Lester Holt will become NBC Nightly News’ permanent anchor
Lester Holt — who’s primed to permanently take over for fibbing Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News — wants the same $10 million-per-year salary Williams was getting. Holt’s agents want to quietly renegotiate his contract with NBC as the network tries to reach a resolution over Williams, who will not return to Nightly News following an internal investigation. But insiders tell us it’s Holt who’s got the upper hand as NBC News has no backup anchor plan.
NBC’s Nightly News trumped both its rivals in nabbing eyeballs in the last week, according to the latest Nielsen data. The victory came even as the NBC newscast lost some of the most important viewers — the kind advertisers covet.
The Chicken Littles who squawked that the sky was falling after Lester Holt’s first week filling in for Brian Williams behind the NBC Nightly News desk have fallen silent, as the Feb. 16 to Feb. 20 newscasts put up huge ratings. Holt’s second week as the Nightly News anchor averaged 10.1 million viewers, per Nielsen figures, only the fourth time this season that NBC has reached that milestone. No other nightly newscast has hit that mark in eight seasons.
Along with anchoring NBC Nightly News, perhaps the biggest job in television news, Lester Holt will also continue to helm the weekend edition of NBC Nightly News and host Dateline, reminding some that he was once nicknamed Iron Pants for his willingness to work seemingly nonstop.
By Friday night, Holt will have anchored NBC’s nightly newscast for seven days in a row. And no one will be filling in for him this weekend.
On Wednesday evening, the Radio Television Digital News Foundation honored Gannett’s David Lougee, NBC News’ Lester Holt, ABC News’ Robin Sproul, CBS News’ Bill Plante and The Associated Press for their commitment to press freedoms at the 24th Annual First Amendment Awards Dinner in Washington.
The recipients of the First Amendment Awards presented annually by the Radio Television Digital News Foundation are Gannett Co.’s David Lougee, NBC News’ Lester Holt, ABC News’ Robin Sproul and the Associated Press’ Gary Pruitt. In addition, CBS News’ Bill Plante will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony takes place in Washington on March 12, 2014.
The NBC News veteran will keep his job as co-anchor of the Weekend Today show while replacing Ann Curry on the newsmagazine.
