Lester Holt, the veteran anchor of NBC Nightly News, has announced his decision to step down from the flagship broadcast after a significant ten-year tenure. The announcement, made Monday, revealed that Holt would conclude his role as anchor during the upcoming summer, although a specific date for his departure has not been set.

Holt, who joined NBC News in 2000 and took the reins of NBC Nightly News in June 2015 following the exit of Brian Williams, expressed gratitude in a memo to staff, stating, “It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do.” As part of his transition, Holt will expand his role at Dateline, where he has served as anchor since 2011.

Diving into his impressive career, Holt noted the significance of his journey, reflecting on his decade at Nightly News and the years spent anchoring weekend editions. “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," he said in his farewell announcement.

Operations at NBC are now looking ahead to who will succeed Holt in leading the evening broadcast, which has maintained an average viewership of around seven million. NBC News executives, including Janelle Rodriguez, praised Holt's leadership during challenging times, asserting, "Quite simply, Lester is the beating heart of this news organization.”

Holt's exit continues a pattern of high-profile changes within the network, mirroring broader industry trends as media companies shuffle their focus in an era of evolving viewer preferences. For more information, you can read on this from HuffPost, CBS News, and The Hill.