KCCI senior anchor Kevin Cooney says he’s retiring this fall after working at the Des Moines CBS affiliate for more than four decades.
“Kevin is a class act, and we’ve been lucky to have him,” said news director Dave Busiek.
Cooney started his career as a floor director in 1969 when KCCI was known as KRNT. He was still in high school. He worked in the sports and news departments during college and was hired full-time in news after his 1974 graduation from Iowa State University.
He moved to KNTV in San Jose in 1980 and worked as a weekend anchor for two years before returning to KCCI. His last day at KCCI will be November 24.
“This has been the dream job, in the perfect place, for a political junkie like myself,” said Cooney. “From covering Iowa as the epicenter of national politics every four years to sharing local stories important to all, serving Iowans in my current role has always been both a pleasure and an honor.”
The station said Steve Karlin will add the 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts to his duties as a 5:00 p.m. anchor when Cooney retires.