February was a month of complete turmoil behind the scenes at NBC Nightly News, yet somehow the network has managed to pull through the sweeps period in the top spot in the sweeps. Not an easy task when you take into consideration the fact that the face of NBC News, Brian Williams, found himself so tangled in a scandal that the only thing the network could do was suspend him for the next six months. If at first the network believed it needed Williams at the helm to keep the network in the top spot, then it must be rethinking that theory because Lester Holt has not only held things down, but he also scored an increase in ratings at one point. He will return to the anchor seat tonight, March 3.
In the end, it is really all about the numbers and, according to a report by Deadline, "For the sweep, Nightly finished first among total viewers (9.839 million), in the news demo (2.459 million) and among 18-49 year olds (1.745 million). This brings to 30 consecutive sweeps the number of Nightly wins in overall audience. In the news demo, the NBC newscast has finished first for six consecutive February sweep periods, and it also has been No. 1 in the younger demo for 30 consecutive sweeps."
Last night, Savannah Guthrie filled in as host of NBC Nightly News for Holt, who had to tend to a family emergency. We now know it was only a one-day crisis and Holt has himself confirmed that he will be back at the anchor desk this evening.
How do you think Holt is doing in the top anchor spot at NBC? It seems rather unlikely that the network is distancing itself from Williams now only to bring him back in a few months just to cause a flare-up of the debate over his honesty. It really is Holt's job to lose, don't you think? Should NBC name him as Williams's official, permanent replacement? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
