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The ABC 7 Anchor Exodus: Why Beloved News Veterans Are Quitting In A Massive Industry Shift

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The local news landscape is undergoing a dramatic and unprecedented transformation, and no station has felt the impact more acutely than ABC 7 affiliates across the country. As of late December 2025, a wave of high-profile departures—often framed as retirements or moves to new opportunities—has reshaped the anchor desks in major markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. This is not just a seasonal staff shuffle; analysts are calling it a "mass exodus" driven by a confluence of factors, including a long-overdue retirement wave among veteran broadcasters, industry-wide restructuring, and the relentless pressures of modern media.

The keyword "quit" might imply abrupt, dramatic exits, but the reality is more nuanced: a generation of legendary anchors, many with contracts spanning decades, are choosing to step away from the demanding 24/7 news cycle. The departures of household names like Ellen Leyva and Leslie Sykes in Los Angeles, alongside investigative giants like Chuck Goudie in Chicago, signal a definitive end of an era for local television news. This article dives deep into the specific personalities who have left, the official reasons behind their decisions, and the broader context of an industry in transition.

The Roster of Departures: ABC 7 Anchors Who Recently Signed Off (2024-2025)

The recent string of exits has affected multiple ABC 7 stations (owned and operated by Disney), leading to significant turnover in a short period. Here is a list of the most prominent anchors and journalists who have recently left their posts, marking a major turning point for their respective markets.

Ellen Leyva (KABC-TV Los Angeles)

  • Station: KABC-TV (ABC 7 Los Angeles)
  • Tenure: Nearly 30 years.
  • Final Broadcast: Friday, December 19, 2025.
  • Reason for Departure: Announced retirement. Leyva co-anchored the highly-rated Eyewitness News at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Her final sign-off was an emotional moment, with the 15-time Emmy winner telling viewers it was "an honor" to serve the Los Angeles community for so long.

Leslie Sykes (KABC-TV Los Angeles)

  • Station: KABC-TV (ABC 7 Los Angeles)
  • Tenure: More than three decades.
  • Final Broadcast: September 2024.
  • Reason for Departure: Announced retirement. Sykes was the beloved morning co-anchor of Eyewitness News. A native of Compton, California, and a graduate of Spelman College, her departure followed a celebrated career that saw her become one of the most recognizable faces in Southern California news.

Chuck Goudie (WLS-TV Chicago)

  • Station: WLS-TV (ABC 7 Chicago)
  • Tenure: Nearly 45 years.
  • Departure Date: Late 2024/Early 2025.
  • Reason for Departure: Parted ways with the station. Goudie was one of Chicago's most renowned and longest-serving investigative reporters, known for his relentless pursuit of corruption and major local stories. His exit was particularly notable as he quickly moved to a new role at rival station NBC Chicago (WMAQ).

Reggie Aqui (KGO-TV San Francisco Bay Area)

  • Station: KGO-TV (ABC 7 San Francisco)
  • Tenure: 10 years.
  • Final Broadcast: Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
  • Reason for Departure: Aqui announced his departure tearfully on-air, coinciding with his 10-year anniversary at the station. While a specific new job was not immediately announced, his exit, alongside that of colleague Julian Glover, contributed to the sense of significant turnover at KGO.

The Core Reason: A 'Retirement Wave' Meets Industry Restructuring

The term "quit" often suggests an abrupt or negative exit, but the root cause of the ABC 7 turnover is a complex mix of personal timing and macro-level industry shifts. For veteran broadcasters like Leslie Sykes and Ellen Leyva, who spent three decades or more at KABC, the decision to leave is primarily a personal one, representing a well-earned retirement after a career spent in the intense, high-pressure environment of local news.

However, the sheer volume of departures, which has been dubbed the "Retirement Wave," is amplified by the current state of the media industry. Local television news, in particular, is facing financial pressures, leading to what is often described as "Industry Restructuring." This restructuring can manifest in several ways:

  • Contract Non-Renewals: In some cases, stations may choose not to renew the contracts of high-salary, long-term anchors as a cost-saving measure, leading to a "parting of ways" like the situation at WLS with Chuck Goudie.
  • Burnout and Stress: The demands on local journalists have significantly increased post-pandemic. Anchors and reporters are often expected to produce content for multiple platforms—broadcast, digital, social media—leading to high levels of burnout and a lack of career growth opportunities, prompting younger anchors like Reggie Aqui to seek new paths.
  • Parent Company Influence: As ABC 7 stations are owned by the Walt Disney Company, broader corporate financial strategies and budget cuts can also influence local staffing decisions.

This pattern is not exclusive to ABC 7; similar staffing shifts and anchor departures are being reported across the entire local television news industry, from Dallas-Fort Worth to Boston, as stations grapple with downsizing and evolving viewer habits.

The End of an Era: What These Departures Mean for Eyewitness News

The exit of long-term anchors creates a significant void in the community. Local news anchors are often seen as trusted, familiar entities—a consistent presence in viewers' homes for decades. The departure of someone like Ellen Leyva, who was a fixture on Eyewitness News, affects the station's identity and its connection to the Los Angeles audience.

The Impact on Viewers and Trust

The collective departure of several trusted faces can lead to viewer confusion and a temporary dip in loyalty. Viewers rely on the familiarity of their local news team. When veterans like Leyva and Sykes—who often covered major historical events for their cities—leave, it can feel like a loss of institutional memory. KABC, KGO, and WLS now face the challenge of introducing new, younger talent while maintaining the authority and trust built up over decades by their predecessors.

The Rise of New Talent

While the exits are bittersweet, they create opportunities for a new generation of journalists. The vacancies left by the "mass exodus" allow stations to diversify their anchor teams and bring in talent with different skill sets, particularly those highly proficient in digital storytelling and multi-platform reporting. The challenge for the new anchors will be to establish the same level of trust and familiarity that took their predecessors thirty years to build.

Ultimately, the recent wave of ABC 7 anchor departures is a microcosm of the larger changes sweeping through the media world. While the faces on the screen are changing, the core mission of local news remains: to inform the community. However, the business model and the demanding nature of the job are forcing a reckoning, making it clear that the era of the 30-to-40-year anchor is rapidly coming to an end.

abc 7 news anchors quit
abc 7 news anchors quit

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