Tom Llamas brings ‘challenging' management style to NBC after laid-back Lester Holt: report
Llamas' hands-on, aggressive management tactics have staffers bristling after a decade of Holt's laid-back style, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Breaker.
'He has a management style that has been extremely challenging on some of the team,' one staffer told the outlet.
4 Tom Llamas has aggressive management tactics, a report said.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
There will soon be one high-level departure after the anchor chair change.
Megan Rafferty, who has served as executive producer of 'NBC Nightly News' for nearly four years, told staffers Tuesday that she was leaving to join MSNBC's new parent company Versant, according to Breaker.
Her decision stemmed from a desire to avoid the hectic, 'rat race' schedule of producing a high-stakes nightly show, insiders familiar with Rafferty's move told the outlet.
She reportedly did acknowledge that it was 'super fun' working with Llamas during a lunchtime meeting at NBC's 30 Rock headquarters Tuesday.
Another correspondent at the network defended Llamas, saying the 46-year-old newsman is pushing staffers to raise the bar.
'He challenges people to do their best, to think more deeply about the editorial process,' the source told Breaker.
'It helps us to raise our game. The expectations are high, but they should be.'
NBC News did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
4 Lester Holt hosted 'NBC Nightly News' for a decade before leaving the show earlier this year.
AP
Llamas' reportedly intense management style could come from his desire to catch up to ABC's David Muir, 51, in the nightly news ratings.
Muir, who hosts 'ABC World News Tonight,' last week notched his largest ratings win over NBC in more than a year.
Llamas took over from Holt last month.
Holt, 66, had anchored the newscast for 10 years. He has stayed on with the network as host of the investigative news show 'Dateline.'
4 ABC News host David Muir is firmly in first place for late-night news shows, according to the latest Nielsen figures.
Getty Images
Prior to joining NBC, Llamas worked under Muir as a weekend anchor on 'ABC World News Tonight.'
He's made clear his goal of returning 'NBC Nightly News' to the top slot, discussing his desire 'to be number one.'
'It's not easy,' Llamas previously told the Washington Post.
'But it's something I think we can do.'
4 Llamas has reportedly angered staffers.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Since taking the helm, Llamas has done well in the 25-54 age demographic – a key sector for advertisers seeking out high-income viewers.
He beat Muir in that age category for the first time in the week of July 8, about a month after taking over.
But ABC – which used to trail behind NBC's nightly show – is firmly in first place.
Muir's show raked in about 7.3 million average total viewers during the week of July 21 – far above Llamas' 5.6 million, according to Nielsen.
Llamas has continued to anchor his other show 'Top Story' on NBC News Now, which he started hosting in 2021.
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