It’s the end of an era at NBC News. And the start of a new one.

Lester Holt signed off last Friday as anchor of the “NBC Nightly News” after a solid 14-year run. Holt handled the anchor duties with class, objectivity and credibility. In addition, he always seemed to add the proper perspective — and just the right words of comfort and empathy — in moments of tragedy.

Holt told viewers on Friday, “I’m so grateful for your trust around here. Facts matter, words matter, journalism matters, and you matter. Over the last decade, we have shared some dark and harrowing days and nights of our country, the pandemic, mass shootings, natural disasters, each testing our resilience and our compassion. That’s why I often like to leave you with something to smile about, moments that reassure and connect us.”

Holt added, “I will miss the team that puts it all together, my dear friends and my colleagues. But for now, I just want to say thank you to my incredibly supportive and patient family and all of you.”

Holt will remain at NBC News with his continuing role as host of “Dateline.” He turns the anchor duties over to NBC News veteran Tom Llamas, who starts tonight.

Llamas spoke with The Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio and passed along the advice Holt gave to him.

Llamas said, “He’s been married to this job. And so I asked him about that, because my kids have always known me as a network correspondent and a network anchor. But he told me, ‘Your life is going to change.’ And he explained to me that everyone’s going to want a piece of you and there’s going to be a lot of demands, even more than you’ve ever experienced. And he’s been right about that. He said, ‘You have to make the right decisions when it comes to your career and your family.’ My wife and my kids have known that sometimes I’ll be at a little league game or I’ll be at a school play, and I have to run and jump on a plane because there’s breaking news. And they understand that their dad does that. But we always have conversations about it. And it’s tough.”

Llamas, the son of Cuban immigrants, becomes the first Latino to anchor a daily English-language network evening newscast.

Battaglio asked Llamas, “President Trump basically declared war on diversity, equity and inclusion policies. (The Federal Communications Commission has called for an investigation into NBC’s parent firm Comcast for what it describes as ‘DEI discrimination.’) Has that muted the achievement of being the first Latino to anchor an English-speaking nightly newscast?”

Llamas said, “I don’t think I got this job because I’m Hispanic; I think I got this job because I’m the best person for the job. And I know that’s what NBC believes, too. My life story is something I’m very proud of. (My parents) essentially came to this country with nothing. They had no money, they barely spoke the language, and this incredible country gave them a second chance. It gave them a new home. And they taught me hard work, but they also taught me to love this country. And I do, I think this is the greatest place in the world, hands down. To become the anchor of ‘Nightly News’ tells me that the American dream is still very alive.”

“NBC Nightly News” is typically second in the evening news ratings — ahead of the “CBS Evening News,” but usually behind ABC’s “World News Tonight.” And while the evening news shows don’t have the massive audiences they had in the golden age of 1970s and even 1980s, the three networks usually combine for somewhere around 17 million viewers per night. That’s still significant. And it shows the evening news does still matter, especially for viewers who are looking for the facts of the story without much of the opinion that you’re often going to find on cable news.

Llamas told Variety’s Brian Steinberg, “I want viewers never to forget that we’re out there working for them. I truly believe that even though I work for NBC, I work for the viewer. I really want that to come through, because at the end of the day, viewers have to trust you.”

Llamas will continue as anchor of “Top Story,” a live, hourlong newscast on the network’s free streaming platform NBC News Now. That seems like an incredible amount of work, and one wonders if it’s sustainable.

Llamas told Battaglio that it was his idea to keep doing “Top Story,” adding, “Right now, in this country, you’ve got to be everywhere. And I didn’t want to lose what we’ve established for three and a half years. We just got nominated for an Emmy up against amazing legacy shows like ‘Nightly News,’ ‘ABC World News Tonight’ and the ‘CBS Evening News.’ To be in that circle with a streaming show that is three years old, that’s been one of the greatest achievements of my career. Because this was a startup. And a lot of people said we couldn’t do this, and we have.”

Bombshell story

The New York Times’ Kirsten Grind and Megan Twohey published a stunning story over the weekend: “On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama.”

Grind and Twohey wrote, “Mr. Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use. He told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it.”

They added that it wasn’t known if Musk was taking drugs while working in the Trump administration to cut supposed waste from the federal government. “But,” they wrote, “he has exhibited erratic behavior, insulting cabinet members, gesturing like a Nazi and garbling his answers in a staged interview.”

Musk stepped away from his government job, as was expected all along, last week.

The Times story added, “At a news conference with Mr. Trump on Friday afternoon, Mr. Musk was asked about The New York Times’s coverage. He questioned the newspaper’s credibility and told the reporter to ‘move on.’ He later said on social media that he did not use drugs. That evening, President Trump told reporters outside Air Force One that he was not aware of regular drug use by Mr. Musk. ‘I’m not troubled by anything with Elon,’ he said. ‘I think he’s fantastic.’”

Speaking of Musk, Mediaite’s Joe DePaolo has “Elon Musk CBS Interview Gets Awkward as He Refuses Questions On Trump Policies.”

NBA’s run on TNT comes to an end

Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley at this season’s NBA All-Star basketball game in February. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

When the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks on Saturday night, it put an end to the Eastern Conference finals, with the Pacers advancing to the NBA Finals. It was also the end of something else: TNT’s coverage of the NBA. Turner Sports has been covering the NBA since 1989, but that partnership is now coming to an end, at least for now. TNT’s contract with the NBA is expiring.

It will not be the end, however, of TNT’s superb “Inside the NBA,” which might just be the best sports studio show of all time. The show — featuring host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith — is moving over to ESPN/ABC next season. But will it be the same? Will ESPN let that crew do the show the way they’ve always done it?

That remains to be seen, which is what made Saturday’s signoff so emotional, especially for Johnson.

Johnson said, in part, “If I had written the script, the NBA and TNT would be together forever. It’s not going to happen, but while I was disappointed, I was sad, I was not bitter. We know how business works. Gratitude is the operative word for me.”

Johnson talked about how grateful he was to work with his colleagues, and then added, “And we look forward. As you’ve already heard, the four of us are going to be together. Our production crew is going to be together. It’s still going to be that same bunch, we’re still shooting the show in Atlanta, it’s just going to air somewhere else. And the craziness that you’ve seen, the nonsense and the foolishness and all the top-notch basketball analysis, all that stuff’s going to be on. It’s going to be on ESPN or ABC next year, not TNT. For that, we’re sad, but I’m proud to say for the last time, thanks for watching us, the NBA on TNT.”

Here are Barkley’s thoughts on “Inside the NBA” coming to an end on TNT and moving over to ESPN. And here is The Athletic’s James Jackson and Richard Deitsch with “‘Inside the NBA’ on TNT ends with Eastern Conference finals, but its legacy lives on.”

Jackson and Deitsch wrote, “Part of its appeal is not always knowing what to expect — whether that varies by game, segment or point in conversation. Like most sports shows, there are arguments, but no cast of talent can maintain the energy of well-bonded uncles who just want to discuss basketball and crack a few jokes.”

A notable anniversary

CNN celebrated its 45th anniversary on Sunday.

In case you missed this earlier this year, I wrote about one of the network’s most significant moments: “The night the skies over Baghdad were illuminated, the 24-hour news cycle took over.”

The story is part of The Poynter 50, a series reflecting on 50 moments and people that shaped journalism over the past half-century — and continue to influence its future. As Poynter celebrates its 50th anniversary, we examine how the media landscape has evolved and what it means for the next era of news, so check out the others in his continuing series.

Media news, tidbits and links for your review

• Really strong interview — per usual — from CBS News “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan with FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. Brennan questioned Makary on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Makary told Brennan, “We believe the recommendation should be with a patient and their doctor.” Makary wasn’t clear on some points, yet Brennan kept pressing in an attempt to help viewers understand what’s going on.
• CNN’s Brian Stelter with “MAGA outlet’s Pentagon correspondent criticized Hegseth. And then she was fired, she says.”
• The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin with “PBS Sues Trump Over Order to Cut Funding.”
• From The New Yorker Interview, editor David Remnick talks to CBS News’ Lesley Stahl: “Trump’s Playbook to Cripple ‘60 Minutes’ and the Press.”
• The Washington Post’s Scott Nover with “Kari Lake won awards for overseas reporting. Now she has the job of cutting it.”
• Deadline’s Greg Evans with the latest on a Broadway controversy: “Patti LuPone Apologizes For Comments About Kecia Lewis And Audra McDonald.”
• PhillyVoice’s Michael Tanenbaum with “Philly journalist pleads guilty to role in prescription fraud scheme at Broad Street Family Pharmacy.”
• The Athletic’s Austin Meek with “He inspired the movie ‘Casino.’ Meet the college football player who testified against him.”
• The Ringer’s Jake Kring-Schreifels with “On Set for the Last Day of ‘Around the Horn.’”

More resources for journalists

• Access Poynter’s comprehensive mental health reporting resources.
• New reporters: Get essential reporting techniques, effective storytelling methods, and newsroom navigation skills. Register today.
• Learn how to “lead your leaders” in this virtual intensive for journalism managers handling big responsibilities without direct reports. Apply today.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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