Sara Sandrik is now the news leader at the Central Valley’s TV news leader.

ABC30 promoted Sandrik to vice president/news director last week. She takes over for Martin Ortiz, who was promoted to general manager last October.

Sandrik, a former on-air reporter and weekend anchor, left for a spokesperson job for the Merced City School District in 2016. She returned to ABC 30 in 2019, working briefly again as a reporter before assuming a management role.

The Stanford grad played for the Cardinal’s 2001 NCAA championship volleyball team. She was recently inducted into her high school’s hall of fame — Pelham High School in Alabama.

“Sara understands the power of Action News and how to deliver the breaking news, weather, and community storytelling our viewers depend on every day. As our next VP/News Director, I am confident Sara will continue to grow our audiences to new heights,” Ortiz said in an email to the ABC 30 newsroom.

Related Story: ABC 30 News Director is Now Station’s Big Boss

Morse Hired as KSEE/CBS 47 General Manager

Nexstar hired Matt Morse as vice president/general manager for its Fresno duopoly — KSEE 24 and CBS 47, the company announced on Jan. 9.

Morse held a similar role down the street at KMPH Fox 26 from 2019 through 2022. In the interim, he worked as sales manager for KMBC/KCWE in Kansas City and KRON-TV in San Francisco. The latter is also a Nexstar station.

“I am honored to return to Fresno, my hometown and a community that holds a special place in my heart,” Morse said in a Nexstar news release.

He replaces J.R. Jackson who retired last year.

Alexan Balekian on Media

Alexan Balekian offered a clue into why he left TV news. The former KSEE 24 anchor exited the station last year. He resumed broadcasting this month, with a weekly political show on KMJ radio (105.9 FM/580 AM).

“I left the news business because frankly I was ashamed of how corporate TV, general managers, and so-called news directors wanted to slant the truth. It somehow became okay not to have two sources, named sources, and both sides of the story. That’s not okay. Politics entered the sacred grounds of the newsroom, where it should never have a platform,” Balekian said in his closing commentary of his Feb. 2 “Sunday Conversations” show.

Balekian’s KSEE political affairs show, “Sunday Morning Matters,” went on an eight-month hiatus starting in June 2023. Balekian resumed the show briefly in February 2024, before leaving the station.

Related Story: Balekian Returns to KMJ with New Political Show

So You Want to Do Baseball Play-by-Play?

The Fresno Grizzlies are hiring a new play-by-play broadcaster.

The duties are part of the media relations manager position. Additional duties include gameday media activities, news releases, and content creation.

The job involves broadcasting all 66 home games and select road games for the Colorado Rockies’ Class A affiliate. All games are broadcast online, with some in the past few seasons on terrestrial radio.

The Grizzlies are owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings, which also owns four other teams — San Jose Giants, Modesto Nuts, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Inland Empire 66ers — in the eight-member California League. Modesto is moving to southern California in 2026.

DBH owns 41 teams nationwide.

The Grizzlies parted ways with Stephen Rice after last season. He is now a content creator for We the Hobby, in Rochester, New York.

Other Media Notes

Fresno State’s radio station, KFSR (90.7 FM), has a new antenna that will increase its signal. The 10-year project was made possible by listeners like you. (Your Central Valley)

One of my favorite TV anchors growing up in the Bay Area passed away. Dennis Richmond retired from KTVU-2 in 2008. I watched him and KPIX’s Dave McElhatton daily. (San Francisco Chronicle)

It will cost more to watch the Giants and other Bay Area teams on cable. Xfinity is moving NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California to a higher tier, the “ultimate” package. That could mean $20 more a month to watch the Giants, A’s, Warriors, and Sharks. (SF Gate)