Believe it or not, there was a time when Sidney and I subscribed to cable. And when we did, Jeopardy wasn’t the only show we watched on a nightly basis.

Early in our marriage, we would arrive home from work and start to prepare dinner. While we did that, we turned on the TV. As food was cooking, we watched NBC Nightly News. At that time, a relatively established journalist named Lester Holt had been recently installed as the anchor. Those first few years of our marriage we saw Lester just as much as we saw Alex Trebek.

Sid and I watched Lester Holt a lot when he first became anchor of NBC Nightly News.

Yesterday, Holt announced he would step down as anchor from NBC Nightly News. After 10 years, he is ready to leave behind the pressure and grind that must undoubtedly come from serving as the face of a national network evening newscast.

I am really dating myself here, but when I was a boy, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, and Tom Brokaw were all in their heydays at their respective networks (CBS, ABC, NBC). When the clock hit 5:30 p.m. on the west coast and the local news swung it to the “big boys,” you knew it was serious business. The only time things got more serious was when you saw Rather, Jennings, or Brokaw outside of the 5:30 p.m. time slot because that meant something major had happened and they were at their desks covering breaking news.

I don’t think Lester Holt will find himself on the Mount Rushmore of evening news anchors, but a 10-year run isn’t bad. Sidney will tell you that I had some minor gripes with Lester but the fact that we always chose to watch him while we had cable should tell you something. If there is a defining moment for me during Holt’s tenure that I won’t forget, it was his coverage of the Las Vegas sniper attack.

Sid and I wish Lester Holt the best and will still welcome him into our living rooms when we stream Dateline. Not going to lie, hosting a news magazine seems to be the perfect cushy retirement gig…but what do I know? Even though we will rarely see the new person who will fill the NBC Nightly News anchor chair, I am excited to see who is selected! Don’t Blink.