\u201cThe blue collar work ethic and grit has inspired me to work harder and strive for excellence every single day,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThese past 8 years have taken me up and down this beautiful state and put more incredible people in my life than I can count. Fresno will always hold a special place in my heart and I\u2019ll forever be singing its praises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hicks came to Fresno from Bakersfield (where he was the sports director at the ABC affiliate KERO-TV) and Arizona, where he graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.<\/p>\n
![\"ABC30](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FD1209E0-3486-48AF-B7BB-4D00529E462A.jpeg\" "\\"FD1209E0-3486-48AF-B7BB-4D00529E462A.jpeg\\"")
ABC30 sports director Stephen Hicks is leaving Fresno after eight years with the TV news station. ABC30 <\/p>\n
Early on in Fresno, Hicks used his weekend role to discover new sports talents before they became superstars. He remembers taking a trip to Yosemite to interview \u201cFree Solo\u201d climber Alex Honnold in the days before the Oscar win.<\/a> He also remembers doing one of the first stories on the Cavinder twin<\/a>s (Hanna and Haley) when they played basketball for Fresno State and were pioneers in the Name Image Likeness era of college athletics.<\/p>\n Later, he was responsible for creating (from \u201cscratch\u201d) the 30-minute \u201cBulldog Breakdown.<\/a>\u201d The weekly program was dedicated to Fresno State athletics and featured fellow ABC30 sports reporter Brianna Mellon before she left the station in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was taken with how much love the community has for ABC30.<\/p>\n \u201cI came from a station that was dead last in the rating,\u201d Hicks told the Bee in an interview on Thursday. \u201cLiterally, from day one here, people were asking to take selfies with me.\u201d<\/p>\n The move coincides with Hick\u2019s July 4 marriage to his longtime fianc\u00e9 (a TV journalist in Los Angles) and comes after years of a long-distance relationship. \u201cThat commute to see her has been absolutely insane,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Friday is Hick\u2019s final day on air in Fresno.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a privilege,\u201d he told The Bee, to work at ABC30, a station with 70 years of history<\/a> and a cohort of strong journalists like Warren Armstrong, Graciela Moreno and Kevin Musso.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re good if not better behind the scenes. Incredible journalists and better people,\u201d Hicks says.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just hire good people.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Ferris leaving for Chicago\u2019s ABC 7<\/p>\n Hicks is not the only on-air talent departing from ABC30 this summer.<\/p>\n In a Linkedin post last week, Gabe Ferris announced he would be leaving his post<\/a> as the station\u2019s City Hall reporter to take a gig with Chicago affiliate ABC 7.<\/p>\n \u201cFour years ago, I walked into the ABC News Washington Bureau as an intern. I reported from Capitol Hill before joining ABC30, where I covered local politics and the region\u2019s most consequential criminal cases,\u201d Ferris wrote in the post. \u201cNow, I am headed to one of the most respected newsrooms in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are too many highlights to count and so many people to thank,\u201d he said of his time with the station. \u201cThe trust, mentorship, and opportunities I received at ABC30 shaped me in ways I will carry proudly throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferris started at ABC30 in 2023. His final broadcast will be sometime next month.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep KFSN on the air\u201d<\/p>\n