Lester Holt stepped down from the anchor’s seat at NBC Nightly News in May 2025 after nearly a decade at that post.
He’s moving at a slower pace these days as anchor of Dateline NBC, the weekly television news magazine where stories are developed over a period of months rather than hours.
Listening to him talk, one senses that Holt sometimes misses the adrenaline rush of network news, though perhaps not the daily high-pressure toll.
The veteran television journalist and self-described nightly news junkie views NBC Nightly News these days “as a consumer rather than a provider,” he told a Palm Beach Civic Association audience of more than 200 people Monday at The Breakers.
“For 45 years, I’ve been answering the bell for breaking news, hurricanes and school shootings and major news and wars and conflicts,” Holt said.
Holt was the guest speaker at the Civic Association’s 2026 Community Service Award Breakfast, where he was interviewed in a club-chair format by Civic Association Chairman Michael Pucillo.
Pucillo asked Holt about the role that the network news programs play in today’s 24/7 digital landscape, where news consumers are constantly bombarded with the latest headlines through their smart phones and laptops.
“The challenge for us is to find the viewers and be there, wherever they’re going to go next,” Holt said.
The traditional network news format is far from dead. As Holt pointed out, on any given night there are a combined 15 to 16 million people watching the evening newscast on NBC, ABC or CBS.
“There’s a lot of good opinion programming our there if that is what you want,” Holt said. “But I think there’s still a place to come home to, where they can watch a straightforward newscast with honest, factual reporting that really puts the viewer first.”
Holt was a reporter, local news anchor and international correspondent during a 19-year run with CBS, where he worked in the New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago markets before leaving that network for MSNBC in 2000. He assumed full-time duties at NBC News in 2003 and succeeded Brian Williams as weekday anchor of NBC Nightly News in 2015.
Pucillo asked Holt how important he thinks a free press is to American democracy. It’s “critical to a functioning democracy,” he replied.
Pucillo asked Holt for his thoughts about recent reports of journalists being arrested in United States.
“It’s a chilling, chilling event,” Holt responded. “Chilling on our industry, but more than that, this is something that affects the American people … We all need to be standing up, defending these rights.”
Holt is a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide.
“I’ve always said as loudly as I can that we are one of the critical pillars of a functioning democracy,” Holt said.
Holt recalled the challenges of delivering the nightly news from the relative isolation of his own home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Holt anchored the news from a makeshift studio full of cables in a room that used to be a bedroom. There were a couple of close calls when he wasn’t sure if they were going to get a newscast out. He recalled one evening, when the equipment wasn’t functioning, crawling on his hands and knees with a flashlight and searching for the right electrical switch. He happened upon it just minutes before he was due to deliver the newscast to an audience of millions of people.
“I was a one-man band – I had to turn everything on every evening,” Holt said. “I had this responsibility to put on this dignified newscast every night. And if people only knew: I’m sitting there, not only in my jeans, I’m barefoot … It was a surreal experience.”
In a world that can be dark and depressing, Holt said it’s important to remind people that there are other things going besides politics and tragedies. Sometimes you’ve got to find a way escape from it all, said Holt, who plays bass guitar in a band with Dateline NBC editors who are also musicians. They call themselves the Rough Cuts.
“I think it’s important that we all find that outlet – something you enjoy and that lets you step away from what your public persona is,” he said.
Holt was asked what advice he offers to young people interested in careers in journalism or media. He said obtaining an internship is a great way to get through the door and find out if a media career is right for you. Then develop as many skills as you can, including the technical side of the business.
“You want to be able to do a lot of things, and you want [your employer] to recognize you for being able to do a lot of things,” he said. “It’s a demanding job. We need good journalists. We need people who are fresh and understand the importance of what we do.”
Civic Association CEO Mary Robosson thanked Bob and Susan Wright for asking Holt to speak at this year’s award breakfast. Bob Wright is a former president, CEO and chairman of NBC and NBC Universal and chairman emeritus of the Civic Association. Susan Wright has been a Civic Association director since 2020 and is co-chair of the organization’s communications committee.
Also at Monday’s breakfast, Thomas C. Quick received the Civic Association’s 2026 William J. “Bill” Brooks Award for service that has significantly improved the quality of life in the Palm Beach Community.
Michele Kessler, vice chairman of the Civic Association, handed the award to Quick, who is a longtime Palm Beach resident, business executive and highly regarded philanthropist.
The Brooks Award is named for the late Bill Brooks, who was a longtime general manager of WPTV NewsChannel5 and a member and president of the Palm Beach Town Council.
Robosson expressed the organization’s gratitude to the Fanjul family and Florida Crystals for having sponsored the award breakfast each year since 2018.
[Editor’s Note: The Civic Association will release an additional Our Town article this week, focusing on Thomas C. Quick being honored with the Brooks Award]
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