Lester Holt plans to step down this summer as anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” a position he has held since 2015.
Holt told staff on Monday he will remain an anchor with NBC’s “Dateline,” a program he has presided over since 2011.
Holt took over as the anchor of “NBC Nightly News” after stints hosting the weekend “Nightly News” and “Today” show.
The veteran journalist and anchor has moderated presidential debates, reported from natural disasters and was the leading face of NBC News coverage of major world events during his years at the helm of the evening broadcast.
Holt succeeded former anchor Brain Williams, who left NBC News amid controversy before taking a job hosting a show on NBC’s sister cable channel MSNBC.
Holt did not give a specific reason for his departure in his announcement but the network reported he wrote to staff that “a smile comes to my face when I think that with Nightly News, and Dateline, I have now anchored two of the most successful and iconic television news programs in broadcast history.”
NBC News did not immediately name a replacement for Holt.
“He has led the network during some of the country’s most fraught and challenging times in the past decade,” said Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming for NBC News, in a message to staff. “Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”
Holt’s departure comes at a time of major changes across the broadcast news industry, as media companies look to retool themselves around streaming offerings amid declines in linear television viewership.
