Kurtis Ming, face of popular ‘Call Kurtis’ segment, departs CBS 13 airwaves after 2 decades

You can no longer “Call Kurtis.”

Kurtis Ming, the man behind CBS 13 flagship segment “Call Kurtis,” announced Friday he is leaving the television station.

Ming, who worked at the Sacramento affiliate for nearly 22 years, did not give a reason for his departure. Anchor Tony Lopez, in the farewell message aired on KOVR-TV, said Ming has decided to “take another road.”

“Sometimes change is expected, sometimes it’s unexpected,” Lopez said, noting it’s been hard for the newsroom to process the news. “No one saw this coming.”

Ming, an 11-time Emmy winner who has been nominated 42 times, worked at news stations across California starting from 1996 but made Sacramento his home because “this station was the nicest station,” he said in his farewell message on CBS 13. The South San Francisco native reported stories from across the world, even hitchhiking to cover Hurricane Katrina.

It was the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that drew his interest to journalism, enchanted by the chance to have viewers rely on him and to inform the community. “Kurtis Ming came out of the womb ready for television,” KOVR reporter and anchor Steve Large said on-air.

But the investigative reporter and anchor is most well-known for the popular investigative series called “Call Kurtis” that began in 2006. Ming investigated residents’ concerns who called him and has helped thousands of people while recovering millions of dollars through consumer advocacy, according to the station.

Volunteers also worked alongside Ming and helped to field numerous calls from viewers.

The program will still continue despite the departure, Lopez said.

“It was a dream to walk in the door here that first day,” Ming said. “It’s amazing that I have been here for more than 20 years.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.