Beloved Fresno TV Anchor Kim Stephens Retires After 23 Years of Broadcasting Excellence

In a significant development for Fresno’s media landscape, cherished TV news anchor Kim Stephens is stepping down after a remarkable 23-year tenure. Her departure signifies the most recent transformation in the local television arena.

Stephens is bidding farewell to KMPH Fox 26’s morning staple, “Great Day,” a show she co-launched with the beloved weatherman Kopi Sotiropulos back in 2003, according to reports by the Fresno Bee.

During their tenure, Stephens and Sotiropulos became a staple in the lives of many viewers. While Sotiropulos charmed audiences with his humor, Stephens delivered news with gravitas, supported by her illustrious career, which includes Edward R. Murrow and Emmy accolades.

Earlier this year, Sotiropulos retired in March, leaving “Great Day” soon to operate without the charismatic presence of its original hosts following Stephens’ exit.

Reflecting on their journey, Stephens shared with the Fresno Bee, “Kopi and I are really proud of what we started. And we’re proud to have it carried on.”

Stephens announced her departure on Instagram, revealing she is stepping away from “Great Day” after landing a full-time, tenure-track position with Fresno State’s Media, Communications and Journalism Department. She has worked as an adjunct professor there since 2015.

“I don’t expect to see this new chapter as ending one career for another,” she says of the new job on social media. “I really see it as carrying the best of journalism forward. For years people have trusted me to tell their stories and now I get to help prepare young journalists to do the same ethically.”

Her final day at the station will be Nov. 25.

The retirement comes as Fresno’s television news industry undergoes a broader talent shuffle.

At ABC30, Jason Oliveira is taking some time off before moving to the station’s evening newscasts, where he will replace longtime anchor Warren Armstrong following Armstrong’s planned retirement in November.

Cory James has returned to ABC30 to take over Oliveira’s spot on the “AM Live” broadcast. James previously worked at the station from 2016 to 2020 before leaving for WCBS in New York.

His return comes after ABC30 lost three other on-air personalities — Tiffany Olin, Gabe Ferris and Stephen Hicks. Sydney Berger has since taken over as sports director in Hicks’ place, according to the Fresno Bee.

KSEE24/CBS47 has also experienced a string of departures, including Ben Morris, Brian Dorman, Briana Byus and Jason Takhtadjian.

Dorman recently addressed the exodus on-air alongside Byus and Lauren Wallace after viewers repeatedly asked what was going on.

“What is going on at CBS47 Eye Witness News? Nothing, to be honest with you,” Dorman said, according to the Fresno Bee.

“This happens in a lot of newsrooms where contracts come up at the exact same time. We all started around the same time, different year … and then contracts come up and this is what happens.

“There’s going to be a whole bunch of new talented people coming in.”

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