NBC Nightly News' Lester Holt Goes On the Road

NBC anchor Lester Holt hits the road this week to anchor “Nightly News” from five states in five days as part of his fifth “Across America” series. Orlando is the first stop on Monday May 17, with subsequent broadcasts in Louisville, Kentucky on May 18; Cleveland on May 19; Seattle on May 20; and Los Angeles on May 21.

The Orlando Sentinel reports ordinarily, the “Across America” series is pegged to an election year, but now they are focusing on the United States’s rebound amid the coronavirus pandemic. Traveling allows Holt to see what recovery looks like through the eyes of residents nationwide.

“Orlando was a natural choice because of its dependence on tourism and its ability to bounce back, which it managed to do so largely in a safe way,” he said.

In his travels, Holt will report on escalating tensions between the police and communities of color; the growing homelessness epidemic; and how the nation is reemerging from COVID-19. He will speak to local communities about how businesses, schools, culture and sports have adapted in this new era.

Lester Holt

The Orlando episode features U.S. Paralympian and Orlando resident Nicky Nieves. It also includes interviews with local restaurateurs about the city’s comeback, as well as theme park and cruise ship employees.

Holt mentioned they spent time at Legoland Florida — which he noted has been hiring additional workers — to help get a sense of the theme park industry’s rebound.

Each broadcast will also feature in-depth reporting from local correspondents. This collaboration is new to “Across America,” enabling “Nightly News” to engage with its partners to determine local stories that will resonate while putting a national lens on it, Holt said.

In Central Florida, that includes reports from WESH-Channel 2, such as a story on the housing crisis delivered by WESH 2 News anchor/reporter Sanika Dange.

And after being cooped up at his home studio amid the coronavirus pandemic and getting fully vaccinated, Holt is excited to escape New York and meet new people with this series. A reporter at heart, he said some of the most exciting moments of his career had occurred not while anchoring at the desk but rather by reporting in the field.