Dennis Lehnen Retiring From KSBW After 35 Years

Hearst-owned NBC affiliate KSBW Salinas, Calif. (DMA 125) said today that it sports director, Dennis Lehnen, has announced plans for retirement after 35 years at the station. Lehnen made public his decision Monday during the 6 p.m. edition of KSBW Action News 8.

Lehnen has the longest running broadcast career in the station’s 62 year history. He has covered some of the most iconic moments in sports including all five San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl wins, the past three San Francisco Giants World Series championships and 35 National Pro-Am golf tournaments held at Pebble Beach. Lehnen covered Mario Andretti’s final IndyCar race at Laguna Seca and three decades of the California Rodeo Salinas.

“We and our viewers have enjoyed and benefited greatly from the historic tenure of Dennis Lehnen,” said KSBW President-GM Joseph W. Heston. “For over three decades he has presented his sportscasts with credibility and charisma, plus a little wry humor, all of which our Central Coast residents appreciate. Working with Dennis these past 17 years has been a true pleasure. He is a man of honor and integrity.”

Lehnen has become synonymous with coverage of Central Coast high school football. High School Playbook Blitz! on KSBW Action News 8 has remained the most-watched local high school sports showcase since the station debuted it in 1998, the station said.

“I will miss the people that I’ve worked with at KSBW and in the sports community,” Lehnen said. “I’ll especially miss the excitement and reward of covering youth sports on the Central Coast, which has been such a big part of my life for as long as I can remember.”

Lehnen’s last broadcast will be in early August. The station’s search for his successor is underway.