Fresno TV station, well-known anchor half methods. He additionally hosted native politics present

A member of the “solely Armenian anchor crew within the nation,” as a Fresno tv dubbed the pair, is off the air.

Anchor and tv persona Alexan Balekian not works at KSEE 24.

The Fresno native represented half of the station’s Armenian anchor crew, sharing the night newscast desk with veteran journalist and longtime KSEE 24 anchor Stephanie Booroojian.

Balekian was final on air Feb. 18, and he’s since been faraway from the KSEE 24 web site. The rationale for his departure is unclear.

When contacted by The Bee, Balekian declined remark however stated he would have extra to say later.

Balekian initially labored at KSEE 24 from 2004-2009, serving as a sports activities reporter and anchor.

He went on to transition to information and politics elsewhere earlier than returning to Fresno in 2018. He initially served as a weekend anchor at KGPE, also known as CBS-47, which by then had merged with KSEE 24, the NBC affiliate, beneath the mum or dad firm Nexstar Media Group.

Balekian additionally labored as a information reporter for each stations then ultimately grew to become a weekday night anchor.

And he hosted a weekly political present referred to as “Sunday Morning Issues,” usually bringing friends in studio to debate native politics.

Although it was unclear if Balekian’s pairing with Booroojian boosted KSEE 24 scores, the 2 definitely spurred Armenian pleasure within the central San Joaquin Valley.

As well as, Balekian usually emceed occasions to assist increase cash for the Armenian group.

Throughout a podcast interview last year, Balekian mentioned the thrill and tasks of representing the Armenian group alongside Booroojian. There are roughly 150,000 people of Armenian descent in the Valley, in accordance with the Armenian Museum of Fresno.

“Being Armenian, clearly right here from the Valley, we’ve an ideal sense of pleasure and honor to not solely be on the anchor desk each single evening,” Balekian stated. “We signify a group the place Armenians populated Fresno, and meaning a lot to us.

“I believe we maintain that in our hearts and on our sleeve each time we do a narrative about Armenia or Armenians within the Valley.”