• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, May 4, 2010

Looking to give his year-old late-night show a lift, NBC said Jimmy Fallon will host the Emmy Awards on the network in August. The awards will air live coast to coast for the first time in more than three decades.

Conan O'Brien, who held Fallon's "Late Night" time slot on NBC for years, hosted the awards multiple times on the network.

The 62nd prime-time awards show airs August 29, with nominations announced in early July. Fallon was a member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast for six years and twice hosted the MTV Movie Awards. Paul Telegdy, who oversees alternative programming at NBC, stated that Fallon was a "natural choice ... who will now have the chance to display his many talents on television's biggest night."

"Hosting the Emmys has been a dream of mine ever since they told me I was doing it," Fallon said in a statement.

Emmy ratings hit an all-time low in 2008, but with Neil Patrick Harris as host drew 1 million more viewers (13.3 million) last year.

AMC's "Mad Men" and NBC's "30 Rock" have won for best drama and comedy, respectively, the last two years.

This will be Fallon's fourth big hosting job. The comedian hosted the 2001 and 2005 MTV Movie Awards and the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.