Beloved South Carolina TV anchor Dean Stephens announces retirement. ‘Kick your feet up’
After three decades of delivering the news, beloved ABC News 4 Evening anchor Dean Stephens will sign off one last time.
The South Carolina station shared news of Stephens’ retirement Tuesday, marking an end to his more than 30 years of being a fixture in the newsroom and on TV screens across the Lowcountry.
“Dean has informed generations of Lowcountry residents while inspiring and teaching countless coworkers through his years of work,” station executives wrote. “He is a friend and mentor who will be greatly missed, and we wish him the absolute best in retirement.”
Stephens first joined WCIV as a weekend sportscaster in 1990, according to the station’s website. He worked his way through the ranks, earning a promotion to sports director and then anchor.
Stephens also picked up plenty of awards and accolades along the way, including Best Sportscaster and Best Reporter in the State of South Carolina by the South Carolina AP Broadcasters Association, his biography states. He’s also been recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
Throughout his career, Stephens has covered a range of topics from the death of celebrated Summerville High School football coach John McKissick and the Atlanta Braves playoff teams of the early 1990s, to stories about autism in the Lowcountry and the massacre of nine worshipers at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in 2015.
News of Stephens’ retirement prompted a flood of well wishes on social media. Scott Eisberg, sports director at WCIV, was among them and praised Stephens as “the finest writer, most compassionate storyteller and most authoritative anchor I know.”
“This is obviously an emotional day for me,” Eisberg wrote in a note posted to Twitter. “There is nobody in this business who has meant more to me than Dino, period.”
“Dean has been my sounding board,” Eisberg continued. “He’s seen every single step of (me) going from a 19 year old intern to a 38 year old sports director — and that journey would absolutely, positively not have been possible without him. Kick your feet up, watch an Astros game without being hounded to cut a topical. You’ve earned it, Dino.”
Viewers also posted on the station’s Facebook page after news of Stephens’ retirement was announced.
“I grew up watching you,” one person commented. “Thank you for your hard work through the years. You deserve a great retirement!”
“I’m sad to hear this because he is so great in what he does!!” wrote another. “BUT I’m so HAPPY for him & his family that he is able to retire & enjoy life ... We will miss you Dean but ROCK ON!!”
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 2:27 PM.