What Lester Holt told Tom Llamas before handing over ‘NBC Nightly News’

Tom Llamas first stepped into NBC’s Rockefeller Heart headquarters in 2000 as a fresh-faced intern.

On Monday, he turns into a part of tv information historical past because the fifth anchor of “NBC Nightly Information” and the primary Latino journalist to helm a day by day English-language community night newscast (one among his mentors, Jose Diaz-Balart, handles the Saturday version of “Nightly”).

Llamas, 45, takes over for Lester Holt, who will transfer full time to NBC’s “Dateline” after a 10-year run within the anchor chair. Llamas will stay the anchor of “High Story,” a stay, hourlong newscast on the community’s free streaming platform NBC Information Now.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Llamas grew up in Miami, the place he continues to have robust ties (pop famous person Gloria Estefan and “Sabado Gigante” host Don Francisco attended a celebration in Florida to have a good time his promotion). He lives in Westchester County, N.Y., together with his spouse, Jennifer, three kids aged 12, 9 and 7, and a devoted room for his vinyl file assortment constructed from a decade of crate-digging whereas touring all over the world on project.

He not too long ago spoke with The Occasions about his new position.

You’ve identified Lester Holt because you have been a 21-year-old manufacturing assistant at NBC Information. What recommendation did he provide you with for your new position?

He’s been married to this job. And so I requested him about that, as a result of my youngsters have all the time identified me as a community correspondent and a community anchor. However he informed me, “Your life goes to vary.” And he defined to me that everybody’s going to need a piece of you and there’s going to be a whole lot of calls for, much more than you’ve ever skilled.

And he’s been proper about that. He mentioned, “You need to make the best selections relating to your profession and your loved ones.” My spouse and my youngsters have identified that typically I’ll be at a little bit league sport or I’ll be at a faculty play, and I’ve to run and soar on a aircraft as a result of there’s breaking information. And so they perceive that their dad does that. However we all the time have conversations about it. And it’s powerful.

Do your kids watch “NBC Nightly Information” and “High Story”?

Oh yeah.

I had my 7-year-old explaining the election to his classmates. He was strolling them by when President Biden stepped down and Kamala Harris took over the nomination. Typically it’s powerful. They have been watching that evening throughout Hurricane Milton final summer time when a transformer exploded over my head, and that could be a little scary. There have been some textual content messages and calls to me shortly.

Typically they watch a little bit an excessive amount of and we now have to show it off. However they’re very plugged-in; they know the world round them. It’s simply the identical manner I used to be raised. We watched information in English and Spanish way back to I can bear in mind. As a result of my mother and father have been all the time trying to find information out of Cuba.

Tom Llamas reporting from Kyiv in March 2022.

(NBC Information)

What are your early information viewing recollections?

I can actually bear in mind any time Fidel Castro was going to be interviewed. It was all the time a significant second, proper? I bear in mind my mother and father watching the interview after which deciding if it was a good interview or not and having an open dialog about that. So I’m listening to about conversations of equity my complete life. And I see what it means and the way viewers react to that.

Did that encourage you to enter the occupation?

I don’t know if it was an inspiration as a lot because it was a testomony of how vital the information is. It’s simply that my household relied on the information. They needed to know what was occurring of their house nation. They needed to know what was occurring in America. And so they listened, and so they belief these folks.

What made the powers that be resolve that it is best to hold doing “High Story” whereas doing “Nightly”?

It was really my thought.

Proper now, on this nation, you’ve acquired to be in every single place. And I didn’t need to lose what we’ve established for three and a half years. We simply acquired nominated for an Emmy up in opposition to superb legacy exhibits like “Nightly Information,” “ABC World Information Tonight” and the “CBS Night Information.” To be in that circle with a streaming present that’s three years outdated, that’s been one of many best achievements of my profession. As a result of this was a startup. And lots of people mentioned we couldn’t do that, and we now have.

President Trump principally declared warfare on variety, fairness and inclusion insurance 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 primary Latino to anchor an English-speaking nightly newscast?

I don’t assume I acquired this job as a result of I’m Hispanic; I feel I acquired this job as a result of I’m the very best particular person for the job. And I do know that’s what NBC believes, too.

My life story is one thing I’m very pleased with. [My parents] basically got here to this nation with nothing. That they had no cash, they barely spoke the language, and this unimaginable nation gave them a second likelihood. It gave them a brand new house. And so they taught me arduous work, however in addition they taught me to like this nation. And I do, I feel that is the best place on the planet, palms down. To turn out to be the anchor of “Nightly Information” tells me that the American dream continues to be very alive.

NBC’s Tom Llamas in Rome, protecting the loss of life of Pope Francis in April 2025.

(NBC Information)

You’re from the streaming music era, however you’ve got a vinyl file assortment. How did that occur?

Ten or 12 years in the past, I went to my pal’s home in Los Angeles and he has a file participant. I feel he performed “Sticky Fingers” from the Rolling Stones. We simply chilled and we listened to the album. And I believed, “What an incredible expertise.”

Then I noticed the opposite enjoyable half about data is simply discovering them and gathering them, and making an attempt to get unique pressings. I’ve Wilson Pickett data that have been made in Spain. I’ve Beatles data the place the liner notes and the album covers are in several languages. I’ve a room the place I’ve them — it feels such as you’re strolling right into a jukebox. It’s the place I learn the paper typically. It’s the place I put together for large election nights. I’ll be in there for hours. It’s how I chill out.

What’s in your turntable in the intervening time?

I’m in a little bit of a hard-bop part, so I’m listening to a whole lot of Artwork Blakey, a whole lot of Cannonball Adderley. I’ve been looking for nice stay albums. I picked up this nice five-record set from Bruce Springsteen, the run he had within the late ’70s by the ’80s. And an incredible album, which I acquired turned on to, is Elvis Presley’s “From Elvis in Memphis.” He recorded that in 1969, when Jimi Hendrix was taking off and Woodstock was occurring. And it’s only a very nation Americana album with stunning songs. It’s acquired the Memphis Boys backing him.

You have good style in music.

I respect it.