KGO-TV anchor Reggie Aqui announced this week that he is leaving the San Francisco ABC station after 10 years on the air, offering a tearful recap of his decade-long tenure as he ended his run.
Aqui reflected on the bittersweet nature of his departure on Tuesday’s telecast, which marked both his 10th work anniversary at ABC7 Bay Area and his last day. He did not offer a reason for his departure.
“10 years is a long time,” he said. “In dog years, that’s like going from a puppy to a senior. Had I been good at math and science, I could’ve been a doctor or a scientist in those 10 years.”
Aqui joked to viewers that his proudest accomplishment at the station was winning a Murrow Award… “If I had one,” he quipped. “I don’t, so it’s not industry accolades.”
Instead, the journalist said, he was most grateful for the relationships he built with his audience, the people whom he said reminded him every day that “we make your day just a little bit better and the news a little easier to swallow.”
“So, I’m going to take those relationships, including my daily one with you, I’m going to take that over an Emmy,” he shared.
Aqui got visibly emotional throughout his speech, concluding it with another reflection on his decade at the network: “I’m so happy it happened. I am sad that it’s over, and that’s perfect because that is my favorite kind of emotion: happy and sad.”
He then wrote on Instagram after the broadcast that, while he isn’t sure what comes next, he knows it includes “a much-deserved nap.”
Aqui joined the network in October 2015 after anchoring at an Oregon station, according to his ABC7 bio. His real favorite career moment was an interview with country legend Dolly Parton that led to a surprise duet of her song, “Islands in the Stream.”
