CHICAGO — When former Chicago anchor Lester Holt ended his run as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” on May 30 after 10 years in that role, he left some pretty big shoes to fill.

His successor, Tom Llamas, who last month became just the fourth anchor of the network’s signature weeknight newscast in 40 years, has hit the ground running. In addition to the nightly 30-minute TV broadcast, Llamas is also doing double duty as host of a one-hour prime-time newscast on the NBC News Now streaming network.

The shows, which run back-to-back, bridge the gap between traditional broadcast and streaming TV, and firmly establish Llamas as the new face of NBC News.

“My life has definitely changed,” Llamas, 46, told the Tribune. “It’s a great responsibility, but it’s one I have been dreaming about and thinking about for a very long time.”

Born and raised in Miami to Cuban parents, Llamas is headed to Chicago this week to participate in the annual National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference, which is taking place Wednesday through Saturday at the Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue.

While in town, Llamas is planning to anchor Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. ET national newscast live from an outdoor location in downtown Chicago. The scheduled remote will mark the second time in his nascent role as the top NBC anchor that Llamas has taken the New York-based newscast on the road, after hosting Monday evening from the flood zone in Texas.

Llamas, who reported from Rome following the April death of Pope Francis, is hoping the Chicago newscast will include a segment on his papal successor, Pope Leo XIV, who grew up in south suburban Dolton as Robert Francis Prevost.

“I was there in the Vatican, and then Pope Leo emerges, the first American pope, and it’s incredible,” Llamas said. “It’s a huge story. So I think we’re going to be covering that as well.”

Since Llamas took the helm June 2, “NBC Nightly News” has gained traction in the ratings, averaging more than 5.6 million total viewers last month, besting the “CBS Evening News,” which averaged 3.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen data supplied by NBC.

“ABC World News Tonight” remained the top-rated evening newscast in June with nearly 7.2 million viewers, but NBC was the only network to gain ground in the key 25- to 54-year-old demo, closing the gap with ABC, according to Nielsen.

In Chicago, “NBC Nightly News” was up 29% year-over-year in June among adults 25-to-54, according to Nielsen data supplied by NBC 5 Chicago.

Llamas has been in broadcast journalism for 25 years, starting as an NBC News overnight production assistant. A former anchor at WNBC-TV in New York, he joined ABC News as a correspondent in 2014, and became weekend anchor for “World News Tonight” the following year.

In 2021, he rejoined NBC as senior national correspondent and anchor of “Top Story” on NBC News Now. In March, NBC named Llamas to replace Holt, who previously announced he would step down after 10 years as the network’s top anchor.

Llamas credits Holt and other mentors, as well as fortuitous timing, for his elevation to anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News.” Unlike his predecessor, whose broadcast résumé included a 14-year run in Chicago as a local TV news anchor, Llamas has spent most of his career in New York, where he lives in the suburbs with his wife and three kids.

But Llamas professes an “obsession” with Chicago cuisine, which he plans to tie into his visit — whether on the air or behind the scenes.

“I don’t know if we’ll be doing a story, but I know I’m going to be eating,” Llamas said. “So I’m going to be grabbing some beef sandwiches and some deep dish.”

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