In an internal memo released to the press Monday morning, Holt — who turns 66 in March — said that after "10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, the time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of Nightly News." No replacement was announced.

Holt’s ties to KCRA go beyond the station’s affiliation with NBC. Holt is a former KCRA intern. He grew up in the Sacramento area and graduated from Cordova High School. Holt reported for the now-defunct KRAK radio before getting his KCRA internship in 1979.

NBC’s veteran anchor Lester Holt will soon be stepping down from the network’s flagship “Nightly News” broadcast.