Holt, Lester Don Jr.
1959-present · Contribution: 1981-present
Broadcast journalist; anchor
Became the first African American to solo anchor a major U.S. network’s weekday evening newscast when he took over NBC Nightly News in 2015, a post he held for a decade before moving to lead Dateline NBC full-time

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1959, Marin County, California
- Active since
- 1981
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- First Black solo anchor of a major network weekday evening newscast
Impact on the world
Holt became the fourth solo anchor of the storied NBC Nightly News franchise, and its first Black one, carrying a measured, trusted authority to the largest nightly news audience in the country.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Robinson, Maxie Cleveland Jr.
1939-1988
Became, in 1978, the first African American to anchor a nightly network newscast, co-anchoring ABC's “World News Tonight” from Chicago alongside Frank Reynolds and Peter Jennings, and co-founded the National Association of Black Journalists in 1975
Shaw, Bernard
1940-2022
Served as CNN’s first chief anchor from the network’s 1980 launch until his 2001 retirement, becoming, alongside correspondents Peter Arnett and John Holliman, one of the “Boys of Baghdad” whose live 1991 Gulf War broadcasts helped establish CNN as a credible major news outlet
Gumbel, Bryant Charles
1948-present
Became the first Black journalist to host a major network morning news program when he took over NBC’s Today in 1982, then spent 29 seasons (1995-2023) hosting HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, widely regarded as the most honored program in sports journalism history
Pitts, Byron A.
1960-present
Overcame childhood illiteracy and a severe stutter to become chief national correspondent for CBS Evening News and a regular 60 Minutes contributor, then co-anchor of ABC News’ Nightline, winning multiple Emmy Awards over more than four decades in broadcast journalism