Updated Sept. 20: Ann Curry congratulated Lester Holt this morning on TODAY on his big promotion to anchor of "Dateline NBC."
"We're going to have to change the words NBC — 'Nothing But Curry' — to NBH, because it's now going to be 'Nothing But Holt,'" Ann said. "Congratulations, Lester!"
Lester said he was "thrilled" about the opportunity. "You know there's some great folks, great story telling at Dateline, and I'm glad to be a part of it," he said.
What can Lester look forward to? Ann, the previous host of "Dateline," gave him a hint:
"It'll be a lot of lack of sleep ahead of you," Ann Curry joked. "What else is new?" Holt responded.
Original post: Let's hear it for one of the hardest-working people in television: Lester Holt. Not only does he co-anchor the weekend edition of TODAY; not only is he the weekend anchor of "NBC Nightly News"; not only is he a correspondent and fill-in anchor for both TODAY and "Nightly"; now he is the principal anchor of "Dateline NBC" to boot. (As People magazine reported back in 2004, Lester is sometimes known around NBC News as "Iron Pants," because when news is breaking, he can man the anchor chair for hours.)
"Lester joins an impressive lineage of reporters who have graced the anchor desk over the past 20 years," NBC News President Steve Capus said. "We're really excited to watch as he makes his mark on the award-winning newsmagazine as it continues to tell great stories."
Lauren Kapp, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications for NBC News, joined in the celebration on Twitter, suggesting in a tweet that New York radio station WPLJ should revive their 2003 song in praise of Lester, "If You Want My Vote, You Should Watch Lester Holt." The song was performed to the tune of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"; are there any Big Apple-area Holt fans who remember it?
Iron Pants — er, Lester — takes over the principal anchor chair on "Dateline" starting Friday, Sept. 23. But don't worry, TODAY fans: You'll still see Lester at the helm of Weekend TODAY, and plenty of him on weekdays as well. We can't pry him out of the chair!
Join us in congratulating Lester on his richly deserved new post in the comments below.