Latest news with #LesterHolt
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rising NBC News star Tom Llamas ruffles co-workers' feathers with 'challenging' management style
The new face of NBC News, Tom Llamas, has brought 'a much more hands-on and hard-charging' approach to the program than that of his predecessor Lester Holt, a new report has revealed. The no-nonsense style is reportedly upsetting staffers used to a more laid-back approach from Holt, multiple people 'familiar with the' matter told Breaker. Llamas, in contrast, is more aggressive, the insider accounts claimed. 'He has a management style that has been extremely challenging on some of the team,' one staffer said of Llamas, 46. 'He challenges people to do their best, to think more deeply about the editorial process,' a correspondent added. 'It helps us to raise our game. The expectations are high, but they should be.' A producer further told Daily Mail: 'His energy is infectious, he raises the bar for everyone.' The rising star's executive producer, Meghan Rafferty, called it 'super fun' working with Llamas', during a lunchtime meeting at 30 Rock Tuesday. There, she told staffers she was leaving to join MSNBC's new parent company Versant. Holt, 66, left the program last spring after ten years at the helm and was well-liked by viewers. Llamas now has his work cut out for him to try and catch up with ABC World News Tonight's David Muir, who last week scored his biggest ratings win over NBC Nightly News in more than a year. Llamas, once Muir's protégé, has done well with younger viewers, occasionally his older rival in the key 25-54 year-old demographic twice since his start in June. That age group is particularly sought by advertisers because it tends to have higher disposable income. He has also continued to anchor his other show, NBC News Now's Top Story, where there has been virtually no turnover turnover since he started hosting in 2021, sources told Daily Mail. But Holt, a fixture in American households for more than a decade, was a major loss. The 66-year-old newsman remains at the network with Dateline - a decision he told Variety in May stemmed from a deep-rooted desire to get his hands dirty with stories that do not demand a desk. Insiders told Breaker that Rafferty's move, similarly, stemmed from a desire to avoid the daily rat race of producing a show that requires a certain style of leadership. Llamas' style - at least compared to Holt's 'low-key and unassuming' style that the New York Times talked up in a profile penned in 2019 - has been difficult for some to digest. He's been in the hot seat for just eight weeks. Previously, before joining NBC News in 2021, he worked under Muir as a weekend host on World News Tonight. The show, once second-place to NBC Nightly News, is comfortably in first place with 7.272 million average total viewers as of the week of July 21, new Nielsen numbers show - much more than Llamas' 5.6 million. June was also ABC's biggest ratings win in three decades for the second quarter, continuing a trend of dominance started by Muir after he succeeded a then second-place Diane Sawyer. Llamas' strides against Muir, 51, with winning over younger viewers, however, unsettled ABC News bosses who regard Muir as the network's crown jewel, sources told Daily Mail last month. Llamas, 46, previously told The Washington Post of his desire 'to be number one.' 'It's not easy,' he said. 'But it's something I think we can do.'
Daily Mail
30-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rising NBC News star Tom Llamas 'stuns co-workers with "aggressive and extremely challenging" management style'
The new face of NBC News, Tom Llamas, has brought 'a much more hands-on and hard-charging' approach to the program than that of his predecessor Lester Holt, a new report has revealed. The no-nonsense style is reportedly upsetting staffers used to a more laid-back approach from Holt, multiple people 'familiar with the' matter told Breaker. Llamas, in contrast, is more aggressive, the insider accounts claimed. 'He has a management style that has been extremely challenging on some of the team,' one staffer said of Llamas, 46. 'He challenges people to do their best, to think more deeply about the editorial process,' a correspondent added. 'It helps us to raise our game. The expectations are high, but they should be.' A producer further told Daily Mail: 'His energy is infectious, he raises the bar for everyone.' The rising star's executive producer, Meghan Rafferty, called it 'super fun' working with Llamas', during a lunchtime meeting at 30 Rock Tuesday. There, she told staffers she was leaving to join MSNBC's new parent company Versant. Holt, 66, left the program last spring after ten years at the helm and was well-liked by viewers. Llamas now has his work cut out for him to try and catch up with ABC World News Tonight's David Muir, who last week scored his biggest ratings win over NBC Nightly News in more than a year. Llamas, once Muir's protégé, has done well with younger viewers, occasionally his older rival in the key 25-54 year-old demographic twice since his start in June. That age group is particularly sought by advertisers because it tends to have higher disposable income. He has also continued to anchor his other show, NBC News Now's Top Story, where there has been virtually no turnover turnover since he started hosting in 2021, sources told Daily Mail. But Holt, a fixture in American households for more than a decade, was a major loss. The 66-year-old newsman remains at the network with Dateline - a decision he told Variety in May stemmed from a deep-rooted desire to get his hands dirty with stories that do not demand a desk. Insiders told Breaker that Rafferty's move, similarly, stemmed from a desire to avoid the daily rat race of producing a show that requires a certain style of leadership. Llamas' style - at least compared to Holt's 'low-key and unassuming' style that the New York Times talked up in a profile penned in 2019 - has been difficult for some to digest. He's been in the hot seat for just eight weeks. Previously, before joining NBC News in 2021, he worked under Muir as a weekend host on World News Tonight. The show, once second-place to NBC Nightly News, is comfortably in first place with 7.272 million average total viewers as of the week of July 21, new Nielsen numbers show - much more than Llamas' 5.6 million. June was also ABC's biggest ratings win in three decades for the second quarter, continuing a trend of dominance started by Muir after he succeeded a then second-place Diane Sawyer. Llamas' strides against Muir, 51, with winning over younger viewers, however, unsettled ABC News bosses who regard Muir as the network's crown jewel, sources told Daily Mail last month. Llamas, 46, previously told The Washington Post of his desire 'to be number one.' 'It's not easy,' he said. 'But it's something I think we can do.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NBC's Lester Holt Replacement Loses First Ratings Battle
NBC's Nightly News lost viewers in anchor Tom Llamas' first month as he took the reins from Lester Holt, while his ex-ABC colleague David Muir saw his ratings at ABC's World News Tonight increase. Llamas, 46, started his run on June 2. The show's June ratings averaged around 5.674 million viewers, down from the 66-year-old Holt's final average at 5.708 million viewers. It also saw a slight drop in viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, dropping from 828,000 viewers to 823,000 as Holt left the program on May 30. Muir led World News Tonight to increase its lead over Nightly News between May and June, growing from 7.24 million to 7.308 million in total viewers. World News Tonight remained the top-rated evening news program in June, though its averages this June were drawn from shortened weeks as the NBA Finals on ABC preempted the show. World News Tonight aired 17 times in June, while Nightly News aired 23 times. Muir also carried World News Tonight to its largest lead in more than 30 years over NBC Nightly News through the year's second quarter, though Holt hosted the show through most of that tenure. Llamas' slight dip, which is similar to last year's widened gap, indicates the headwinds Llamas faces in growing an audience and beating his former ABC colleague Muir in a time where viewers are pivoting away from linear television, particularly when a sizable gap between World News Tonight and Nightly News has existed for a decade. Llamas, who left ABC for NBC in 2021 and had long been considered the frontrunner to replace Holt, told The Washington Post in June that he does 'want to be number one.' He conceded, however, that his goal was 'not going to happen in a month.' 'I don't know when it's going to happen,' he said. 'But I believe it will happen.' Llamas has seen some encouraging signs. Nightly News marked three consecutive weeks of total viewer growth toward the end of June, and its 25-54 demo gap narrowed to its closest gap in five years, indicating NBC's promotional blitz of putting Llamas nearly everywhere may have had some effect. (Muir countered the move with a sit-down with People in late May, days before Llamas' start date.) Its 823,000 demo average last month was also up from June 2024, which saw 774,000 viewers tune in throughout a turbulent, pre-election news cycle—though Llamas lost 10,000 viewers compared to last year. NBC News had no comment, though it has touted Llamas' growth in its public releases and has demonstrated its confidence in him by flying him to Texas on Sunday to anchor coverage of the deadly flash floods that have so far taken the lives of more than 100 people. Llamas also anchors his daily show, Top Story, on NBC News Now, the network's streaming service. NBC has managed to avoid the precipitous drop that followed CBS News' efforts to revamp CBS Evening News once anchor Norah O'Donnell left the program earlier this year, indicating Llamas has room to expand his share of the market. The first three weeks of its new lineup of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois saw the show lose hundreds of thousands of viewers, and its June 2025 average of 3.943 million total viewers was down from its June 2024 average of 4.380 million. In the 25-54 demo, its June average was 524,000 viewers, down from its June 2024 total of 606,000.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ABC News bosses 'anxious' as top star David Muir faces competition
ABC News is unsettled by the impact of NBC Nightly News's Tom Llamas during his first month as host, an industry source has claimed. The concerns stem from Llamas, 46 — a former weekend anchor of World News Tonight — gaining ground on ABC's golden boy David Muir, 51, among younger audiences, the insider said. Llamas stepped in for longtime anchor Lester Holt early last month and has quickly closed the gap in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, as well as among A18-49 viewers — reportedly reaching its closest point in five years. Three straight weeks of total viewer growth under Llamas have also caught the attention of ABC bosses, the source alleged. 'There is a growing concern that Muir's once-apparent successor is already showing promising signs — and it's starting to reflect in the ratings,' the insider said. Muir, who is famously private, gave a rare interview to People in late May — just days before Llamas began — a move the source also flagged. 'Between this, the disastrous Terry Moran exit, and GMA3 being completely reworked, anxiety is high at ABC,' they added. Moran was fired from the network in June after 27 years for an X post branding Donald Trump and aide Stephen Miller 'world class haters.' GMA3 — the third hour of Good Morning America — is now reportedly on the chopping block after struggling to retain viewers. Still, it's not all bad news for ABC. Despite Llamas's promising start, Muir remains the most-watched newscaster in America, with World News Tonight pulling in a far bigger overall audience and retaining dominance among younger viewers. In fact, Muir's lead over Nightly News grew between May and June — from 7.24 million to 7.308 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. NBC, by comparison, averaged 5.751 million viewers — an improvement on both the prior week and year. World News Tonight's 1.58 million-viewer lead marks its largest second-quarter advantage over NBC in 30 years. In the key 25-54 demo, Nightly News drew 840,000 viewers to Muir's 1.01 million. Nightly's five-week high in that demo suggests any battle by Llamas to overtake Muir will be an uphill one. A high-level industry insider also pushed back on suggestions that Llamas is rattling ABC News. 'The reality is World News Tonight is beating Nightly News by nearly 2 million viewers on many nights and just had the biggest June win over Nightly News in 30 years,' the source told Daily Mail. 'While NBC remains focused on their transition from Lester Holt, ABC remains focused on the news.' Still, there are signs NBC's transition is going smoothly. Llamas has avoided a drastic ratings drop since taking over from Holt, a respected veteran known for his evenhanded style. Third-place CBS, meanwhile, has suffered ratings slumps since Norah O'Donnell stepped down in January. Despite Muir's commanding lead, Llamas's show was the only evening newscast to post year-over-year and week-over-week growth in both total and demo viewers. Muir, a fixture in primetime since 2014, took over from Diane Sawyer when ABC trailed NBC — but quickly erased the gap. He's held the primetime crown for nine years, and at 51, is seen as having a long career still ahead. But Llamas, who told The Washington Post in June that he wants 'to be number one,' may be poised to shake things up. 'It's not going to happen in a month,' he admitted. ABC News declined to comment.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ABC News bosses 'anxious' as top star faces competition from handsome younger rival
ABC News is unsettled by the impact of NBC Nightly News's Tom Llamas during his first month as host, an industry source has claimed. The fears stem from the former World News Tonight weekend anchor gaining ground on ABC News golden boy David Muir, 51, among younger audiences, the insider said. Llamas, 46, stepped in for longtime host Lester Holt early last month. He has made progress in closing a gap in viewers within the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic to its closest in five years, along with the A18-49 group as well. Three straight weeks of growth under Llamas in terms of total viewers have also caught the attention of ABC News bosses, the source alleged. 'There is a growing concern that Muir's once-apparent predecessor is already showing promising signs - and it's starting to reflect in the ratings,' the source said. Muir, meanwhile, is notoriously private. He offered a rare sit-down with People in late May days before Llamas' start, the insider pointed out. 'Between this, the disastrous Terry Moran exit and GMA3 being completely reworked, anxiety is high at ABC,' the insider said. Moran was fired from ABC after 27 years in June for an X post branding Donald Trump and his aide Stephen Miller 'world class haters.' GMA3 - the third hour of ABC's Good Morning America - is now set for the ax after struggling to retain viewers. But it's not all bad news for ABC. Despite a promising start, Llamas still has a long way to go before he catches up with Muir, who is the United States' most popular newscaster. Muir's World News Tonight commands a far bigger overall audience and remains considerably more popular among younger viewers. His lead over Nightly News grew again from May and June, the new Nielsen numbers showed - from 7.24 million to 7.308 million in total viewers. NBC, meanwhile secured 5.751 million total viewers, up from last week and this time last year. World News Tonight's 1.58 million-viewer lead over NBC is its largest in a second quarter in 30 years. In the all-important 25-54 demo, Nightly News pulled in 840,000 viewers to Muir's 1.01 million. In another encouraging sign, Nightly delivered a five-week high in the A25-54 demo, suggesting any battle by Llamas to beat Muir will be an uphill one. A high-level industry insider trashed claims that Llamas is unnerving ABC bosses: 'The reality is "World News Tonight" is beating Nightly News by nearly 2 million viewers on many nights and just had the biggest June win over Nightly News in 30 years,' the source told Daily Mail. 'While NBC News remains focused on their transition from Lester Holt, ABC News remains focused on the news,' the source added. But there are signs that transition from Holt to Llamas is going well. Llamas has managed to avoid a drastic ratings drop since taking over from his predecessor, a well-liked industry veteran known for his straight-down-the-middle reporting. Third place rival CBS News has seen embarrassing slumps since its former star anchor Norah O'Donnell quit her seat in January. Despite Muir's sizable lead on both fronts, Llamas's was the only evening newscast to see grow in both total and demo viewers year-over-year and week-over-week. Muir, meanwhile, has been a primetime mainstay for 11 years. He succeeded Diane Sawyer in 2014 when World News Tonight still trailed NBC in primetime. Muir has held the primetime crown for the past three years running, after erasing that gap in a matter of years. The life-long newsman is only 51 and is seen as having a lengthy career at the top ahead of him. Llamas, however, could repeat history with another swing as he looks looks poised to expand his share of the evening news market. He told The Washington Post in June that he 'want[s] to be number one' in primetime. He conceded, however, that his goal was a lofty one. 'It's not easy,' Lamas said. 'But it's something I think we can do.' He admitted, 'It's not going to happen in a month.'
