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PEOPLE&ARTS Tuesday 11 July 2017
Holt is a steadying force for NBC as anchor

By DAVID BAUDER turn to the job. tions, including calling one
AP Television Writer His first challenge was sift- statement “divorced from
NEW YORK (AP) — Watch- ing through all manner of reality.” Holt doesn’t think
ing a White House briefing advice. Pelley was out of line but,
in his office, Lester Holt said “It was all of this ‘make it again, it’s not Holt’s style.
he had to walk away when your own’ and ‘you’re the He’s conscious of not want-
exasperated reporter Brian guy at the helm’ and ‘act ing to appear to be piling
Karem recently confronted like you own it,’” he re- on.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders called. “That’s easy for peo- “Sometimes you lean back
about the Trump adminis- ple to say. But under the cir- and think, ‘how am I go-
tration’s hostility toward the cumstances, you’re inherit- ing to write this?’” he said.
press. Their exchange al- ing a successful broadcast, “But my first duty is to make
most made him physically you’re working with a staff people understand why
ill. that has taken an emotion- something is unusual, why it
Holt’s no fan of press bash- al hit and there’s this whole might be provoking a lot of
ing, but fighting back that confidence thing. I’ve al- discussion or outrage.”
way is decidedly not his ways been confident in my Evening newscasts haven’t
style. abilities, but this was an ex- In this Oct. 28, 2015 file photo, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Les- seen the “Trump bump” in
“I understand his frustra- traordinary challenge. All ter Holt arrives at the 9th Annual California Hall of Fame induc- ratings their cable counter-
tion, but I thought that we these things were coming tion ceremonies at the California Museum in Sacramento, Calif. parts have. Holt suggested
just can’t be trapped into together and, oh, by the Associated Press it’s because the shows
that sort of thing,” the NBC way, you want to maintain said. knows that comes with the have to serve a wider audi-
“Nightly News” anchor said. the ratings. I’d never been “I was fearful that I would territory and there’s news ence.
“We can take the hits.” under that kind of pressure not be accepted,” Holt to be made — but what re- “We’re not tempted to go
Holt, 58, exudes an aura before.” said, “that I had to earn my ally gets his blood flowing is down the road of ‘all poli-
of calm on the set, so Since Williams was the right to sit there and put my the travel to places where tics, all the time,’” he said.
much so that it’s surprising same age and had been foot down and say no, we people’s lives are on the “MSNBC does that extraor-
to hear him talk candidly atop the ratings for a de- need to do the story this line.” dinarily well. To the extent
about how tough it was to cade, Holt had reasoned way or I don’t feel comfort- After leaving NBC to teach that it has cost us some
replace Brian Williams as that he’d hit his career ceil- able with that. For a long at the University of Mary- viewers, c’est la vie. ... Not
NBC News’ chief anchor. ing as the anchor of “To- time, I think I was a bit more land, Bettag and his stu- everybody is interested
Two years removed from day” and “Nightly News” passive than I should have dents studied how the NBC, in the latest presidential
that drama, he’s in a tight on the weekends, along been.” ABC and CBS evening tweet, or at least not 15
battle for supremacy with with as “Dateline NBC.” The feeling that “Nightly news programs covered minutes on it.”
ABC’s David Muir for view- “I don’t want to say that in News” was now his show the presidential campaign Holt maintained the “Night-
ers and advertising dollars a bitter way, it was just, this crept up on him. “I can’t and the early days of Presi- ly News” ratings lead, at
in the dinner hour. is probably as far as I’m go- even tell you what day it dent Trump’s administra- least at first. Between Sep-
There were moments af- ing to go, and this isn’t half- happened,” he said. tion. They found Holt the tember 2014 and 2015,
ter replacing Williams, bad,” he said. “There was Holt loves to take the show most even-handed anchor, NBC averaged 8.66 million
Holt conceded, “when I no sense of regret. I had out of the studio and has one most aware that he’s viewers to ABC’s 8.29 mil-
thought, ‘Is this really what stopped on the rung of the made those journeys his speaking to people with lion, the Nielsen company
I want to do?’” ladder I was on and was “Nightly News” signature. differing views, Bettag said. said. So far this year, the
To rewind, Holt was elevat- enjoying the view.” He’s traveled to South Ko- That was almost to a fault; broadcasts are essentially
ed after Williams was found Most people at NBC rea, Israel and England NBC could be criticized for tied (ABC has 8.43 million to
to have misrepresented his felt Holt was a decent, so far this year, along with not being more aggres- NBC’s 8.41 million), but ABC
role in covering some news thoughtful man and were multiple trips within the U.S. sive in fact-checking po- clearly has momentum.
stories. Holt filled in during a rooting for him, said veter- “Lester likes that human litical claims, Bettag said. Lack said he’s more con-
limbo period when Williams an television producer Tom contact at the root level, Holt has certainly not been cerned with ratings among
was suspended, earning Bettag, who was working at in the trenches,” said NBC as biting as CBS’ since-de- younger viewers where
the role permanently when NBC with Ted Koppel at the News Chairman Andy parted Scott Pelley, who NBC leads, since those are
it was decided in June 2015 time. That helped the staff Lack. “He can interview attracted notice with blunt used for most advertising
that Williams would not re- navigate a painful time, he presidents and kings — he assessments of Trump’s ac- sales.q

Get enthusiastic for ‘Curb Your

Enthusiasm’ returning Oct. 1

NEW YORK (AP) — You can This long-awaited ninth stars David in a fictional-
curb your skepticism. HBO season was announced in ized version of himself as he
has locked down Oct. 1 to June 2016 for some time stumbles through socially
start a new season of the in 2017. The eighth season awkward situations.
Larry David comedy “Curb had aired in 2011, and, Among David’s projects
Your Enthusiasm.” until a year ago, David re- since curbing this series: a
HBO said Monday that the mained tight-lipped about hit Broadway play, “Fish in
10 episodes will bring back whether there would ever the Dark,” and repeated
regulars Jeff Garlin, Susie be more. appearances on “Saturday
Essman and JB Smoove, Premiering in 2000, the se- Night Live” impersonating In this Feb. 28, 2016, file photo, Larry David arrives at the Vanity
among others. ries was created by and Sen. Bernie Sanders.q Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif.