Kopi Sotiropulos left his television career on Friday, not in the Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sneakers that were the Fresno weatherman\u2019s signature look, but in a plaid sports jacket, lapels extra wide.<\/p>\n
It almost seemed like a statement piece, but such was the style when Sotiropulos first wore the jacket on air for KMPH in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n
The station<\/a> was just a family-owned upstart at that point. It wasn\u2019t even doing news yet.<\/p>\n But it did have some local programming and commercials. And Sotiropulos.<\/p>\n Five decades later, Kopi (as he\u2019s become known to viewers) left the station as one of Fresno\u2019s best-known TV personalities<\/a> \u2014 a Hollywood actor-turned-local-weatherman-turned-morning-show-host, known for embedding himself into the community and for his \u201cexclusive 10-day forecasts.\u201d<\/p>\n Great Day<\/a> dedicated a full hour of Friday morning\u2019s broadcast to highlighting all-things Kopi, showing some of his early commercial clips and weather segments (sans toupee), plus interviewing past co-workers, friends and family. Kim Stephens (currently helming the station\u2019s evening newscast) made a rare morning appearance to say goodbye.<\/p>\n The station dedicated its main studio as Kopi Studio A.<\/p>\n The whole thing culminated with one final \u201cexcluuuuusive 10-day forecast.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Fresno needs no introduction<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re not already watching FOX26 … you might want to right now,\u201d longtime fan Sam Hansen wrote in a post on Instagram<\/a> as the broadcast was happening. Hansen worked with the Fresno Grizzlies when Kopi won the baseball team\u2019s Fresno Famous Bracket Challenge in 2016<\/a>. That earned him the right to design an on-field jersey for the team. It was Hawaiian-themed, obviously.<\/p>\n \u201cTruly the end of an era,\u201d Hansen wrote. \u201cThank you, Kopi. You made generations of us feel connected every morning. You are one of \u2014 if not thee \u2014 biggest icons of Central California culture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may no longer see you on our televisions, but I know you will stay rooted in our community. You didn\u2019t just report stories \u2014 you became part of ours \u2026 and that\u2019s why I know your impact will never sign off, but live on forever in legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n