Longtime Central Coast meteorologist Dave Hovde will leave his position at KSBY in early June, he announced on the air Tuesday night.
The move will mark the end of his 22-year tenure with the station. Hovde did not disclose where he was headed, but he told The Tribune his next steps will allow him to continue communicating with the community as well as make changes to his life and schedule that have been a long time coming.
KSBY said it will conduct a nationwide search for Hovde’s replacement, according to an article the station posted just after Hovde’s announcement. News director Kendra Martinez said in the article that the station will “wait for the right person.”
KSBY honored Hovde’s legacy and “steadfast presence” at the station.
“The KSBY family and our audience will undoubtedly miss him,” KSBY said. “Thank you, Dave, for your unwavering dedication and commitment to keeping us safe and informed. Your impact will be felt for years to come.”
Why is Dave Hovde Leaving KSBY?
As a nightly meteorologist, Hovde’s job consumed a lot of hours most people would spend with their kids and family.
“It is time to actually be in the community, not talk about it, but be in it and go to events and be at the Farmers Market, not doing a live shot, but being a citizen of the community,” he told The Tribune on Tuesday.
“I’m just so excited to have an opportunity to visit with people one-on-one now, you know, not be in the TV station every day, but actually be out and about. I’m really excited about those opportunities.”
He said he’s looking forward to going to basketball games, watching concerts in the plaza and seeing the sunset at Shell Beach.
“I want to live that life I talk about,” he said.
Hovde expressed immense gratitude to the local communities of the Central Coast.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said. “This, honestly, has felt like a home game my whole life.”
Hovde said he’s lived in nearly every community, and each has treated him like a family member.
“(It’s) really important for everybody to know I’m not leaving the family,” he told The Tribune. “I’m still around, and I will be around, and I can’t wait to visit with everybody about the changes.”
Former Anchor Pays Tribute to Meteorologist
Jeanette Trompeter, a former KSBY anchor who worked alongside Hovde, told The Tribune his departure will leave big shoes to fill.
“He has created a legacy for himself there, and for good reason,” said Trompeter, who now works as a spokeswoman for San Luis Obispo County. “He’s really good at what he does.”
Trompeter commended Hovde on his unfailing dedication to the nightly weather report — a job that occupies most weeknights and can take away from family and personal time.
“He has been giving his all to this job for so long that it’s going to be an adjustment for him to do something totally different,” she said. “What I wish for him is to enjoy catching sunsets, going to dinner with friends, seeing a movie.”
She added: “He has been giving a lot of his life away to being our meteorologist, and so I wish him the freedom of what it feels like to leave a job at 5 o’clock in the afternoon rather than heading into the peak of your day at that time.”
Trompeter said she expects locals to be impacted by the news.
“I think we, as a community, love our local news people. … We will all adjust, but Dave will be talked about forever, probably,” she said.
Award-Winning Career at KSBY
Hovde has served as KSBY’s nightly meteorologist for more than two decades, according to his bio on the news station’s website.
He relocated to San Luis Obispo County in 2003 from Fargo, North Dakota, where he also worked as chief meteorologist, his bio states.
Throughout his time on the Central Coast, Hovde’s weather reports have earned him at least six Golden Mike awards from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California, according to his bio.
He’s also served the community — actively supporting foster children through the Court Appointed Special Advocates program and speaking at local schools, according to his bio.