Quarantine rules, a 13-hour time difference and putting on an entire broadcast before breakfast? All in a day’s work for Lester Holt.
While viewers in the United States get to sit back and watch NBC Nightly News, they don’t hear the seriously early alarm Holt faces each day to ensure the show goes on as he anchors from the Tokyo Olympics.
As Holt revealed to E! News in an exclusive interview, “I’m up at 2:45 a.m. local time.” From there, it’s time for the veteran journalist to catch up on what’s unfolded since falling asleep thousands of miles away from 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
“I immediately go on the computer,” he said, “and read all the stories that could have been transpiring during the day in the States.” Next, it’s time for an editorial meeting to review the rundown of that day’s broadcast before Holt gets to writing. After a break to record promos for affiliate stations about what’s coming up in the show, he wraps up writing and then it’s showtime. Did we mention that’s all before 8 a.m. in Tokyo? “Then it’s time for breakfast at the buffet,” Holt noted.
With a full day ahead of him, Holt meets up with his team to game plan what stories they’re going to cover that day. Of course, there’s no telling how things will unfold, particularly at the Olympics. “Yesterday, we went to the pool and we got a chance to sit down with Michael Phelps in the evening,” Holt said. “That was almost 8 p.m. when we sat down with him talking about mental health issues.” Afterward, it was time to, as he said, “call it a day.”
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