Tom Llamas, who succeeds Lester Holt as anchor of "NBC Nightly News" as of June 2, 2025, is seen on location in Florida covering Hurricane Helene in 2024. To succeed, he says, “you don’t change your game.” He intends to adhere to the two mantras that have guided his journalism career: “Without fear or favor” and “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

Llamas sees Nashville's growing cultural influence as a key to understanding modern American stories. As both a journalist and a country music fan, Tom Llamas loves storytelling. Shortly before taking the helm as lead anchor of NBC's Nightly News, he came to Nashville to visit the local NBC affiliate, WSMV-TV 4.