Utley was also an anchor. He served as weekend anchor from 1971-1973, and frequently substituted for John Chancellor during that decade and for Tom Brokaw in the 1980s on "NBC Nightly News". He also filled in for Bryant Gumbel as host of "Today". Utley was news anchor for "Sunday Today" from 1987 to 1988 and frequently substituted for Boyd Matson and then co-anchored the program from 1988 to 1992. Utley also served again as main weekend anchor (Sunday initially and both Saturday and Sunday later) from 1987 to 1993 of "NBC Nightly News". One noteworthy "Nightly News" broadcast Utley appeared on aired on January 22, 1973, the day the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision. In the midst of that broadcast (fed to affiliates at 6:30 p.m. Eastern), and just before reporting on the decision, news broke that former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson had died.