Tom Llamas will take over as the anchor of NBC’s flagship news program, “NBC Nightly News,” the company said on Wednesday.
Mr. Llamas, 45, has been the anchor on the company’s streaming news outlet, NBC News Now. He succeeds Lester Holt, the longtime anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” who last month announced his plans to step down from the role.
The network said Mr. Llamas would take over “NBC Nightly News” this summer, assuming a lead anchor job that has been held by only three men — Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams and Mr. Holt — over the past 42 years.
Of course, the evening newscast does not have the same agenda-setting influence as it did during Mr. Brokaw’s tenure. But the newscasts still draw big audiences. Since September, “NBC Nightly News” has been attracting 6.3 million viewers a night, lagging ABC’s “World News Tonight” but remaining ahead of “CBS Evening News.”
In a statement, Mr. Llamas (pronounced YA-mas) said that taking over the anchoring duties was “a profound honor and one that carries tremendous responsibility.”
During the “Nightly News” afternoon editorial call on Wednesday, Mr. Holt called in from an Amtrak en route to New York from Washington and offered his congratulations. “It’s important to make the broadcast his, and you will over time, so we’ll make this transition work,” he said, according to a staff member who heard his remarks. “But I’m happy, happy for Tom and his family — crush it my friend.”
Mr. Llamas was recruited to NBC in 2021 from ABC News, where he was the weekend anchor of “World News Tonight.” Shortly after joining NBC, Mr. Llamas became anchor of the network’s nightly streaming show, which many TV news insiders interpreted as a sign that he could be the heir apparent to Mr. Holt.
“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,” Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming at NBC News, said in a statement announcing the news.
Indeed, in a sign of the times, Mr. Llamas is not giving up his streaming role, either. NBC said that Mr. Llamas would continue anchoring “Top Story” on NBC News Now, from 7 to 8 each weeknight, in effect keeping him at an anchor desk for 90 minutes each evening.
It has been a season of change and tumult in television news, and budgets and salaries have been slashed nearly across the board. ABC News issued layoffs earlier Wednesday, and shut down its data and political polling website, FiveThirtyEight. In January, CNN laid off about 6 percent of its work force, and NBC had layoffs that month, too.
There have also been a series of high-profile anchor departures in recent months. Hoda Kotb left the “Today” show this year, and Chuck Todd, the former “Meet the Press” anchor, left NBC News in January. Chris Wallace left CNN last year, Neil Cavuto departed Fox News in December, and Norah O’Donnell vacated the “CBS Evening News” anchor chair in January.
After Mr. Holt leaves “Nightly News” in the early summer, he will commit himself full time to ”Dateline,” where he works as an anchor.
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