KPNX

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KPNX
city =
station_
station_slogan = The Leader in HD
station_branding = Channel 12 (general)
12 News (newscast)
analog = 12 (VHF)
digital = 36 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
network =
founded =
airdate = April 23, 1953
location = Mesa / Phoenix, Arizona
callsign_meaning = PhoeNiX
former_callsigns = KTYL-TV (1953-1955)
KVAR (1955-1959)
KTAR-TV (1959-1979)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Gannett Company
licensee = Multimedia Holdings Corporation
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
819 kW (digital)
HAAT = 555 m (analog)
534 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 35486
coordinates = coord|33|19|59.2|N|112|3|51.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.azcentral.com/12news/ 12 News]

KPNX is a full-service television station, serving the Phoenix, Arizona television market as the NBC affiliate. Its studios and offices are located in Phoenix, and its transmitter is on South Mountain in Phoenix, but it is licensed to the nearby city of Mesa. It is owned by the Gannett Company.

The station broadcasts in analog on VHF channel 12, and in digital on UHF channel 36. As a full-service station, it is carried on all local cable television systems, and appears on the local stations lineup on all of the satellite television systems.

History

KPNX is the only major English-language commercial television station in Phoenix to never change its primary affiliation. It was founded in 1953 as KTYL-TV, owned by the Harkins Theatre Group, and was a sister station to KTYL radio AM 1490, now KXAM, and FM 104.7, now KZZP. The original studios were located in Mesa, its city of license. Its appearance brought the metro Phoenix area a full-time NBC affiliate; the other three networks shared time on KPHO-TV, as did NBC prior to 1953. Channel 12 carried some DuMont programming prior to that network's demise in 1956.

John J. Louis, owner of KTAR-AM 620, bought channel 12 in 1955 and changed its calls to KVAR. The station then became KTAR-TV four years later. It moved into its current facility in Phoenix in 1959, after the FCC allowed stations to locate their studios outside the city of license. Over the years, the Louis family bought several other broadcasting outlets, including WQXI-TV in Atlanta, Georgia (now WXIA-TV) and WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Eventually, the Louis family's broadcasting interests became known as Pacific & Southern Broadcasting, headquartered in Phoenix with KTAR-AM-TV as the flagship stations.

Advertising mogul Karl Eller bought Pacific & Southern in 1968, and combined it with his existing business to form Combined Communications. Eller was also one of the original founding owners of the city's first major professional sports team, the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. Channel 12 carried Suns games for years, from the team's 1968 inception until the 1980s, when Suns telecasts moved to KNXV-TV channel 15.

KTAR-TV was the Phoenix pioneer of what some call "happy-talk" news when it debuted "Action News" in late 1973, with long-time anchor Ray Thompson paired up with Bob Hughes, weatherman Dewey Hopper (lately with Air America Radio affiliate KPHX 1480, and a long-time weather forecaster in Sacramento) & sportscaster Ted Brown.

Combined Communications merged with Gannett in 1979, in what was at that time the biggest media merger in U.S. history. Combined's ownership of KTAR-AM-TV had been grandfathered earlier in the decade when the FCC forbade common ownership of television and radio stations in the same market, but with the Gannett merger, KTAR-AM-TV lost its grandfathered protection. Gannett opted to keep channel 12 and sell off the radio station. KTAR-TV then renamed itself KPNX, since the radio station had held the call letters first.

The station had ranked third in the ratings for many years behind ABC affiliate KTVK and CBS affiliate KTSP (now KSAZ). That changed in 1994, when every major English-language commercial station in Phoenix changed affiliations except KPNX. After the market shake-up, KPNX finally reached the number one position in the ratings, dropping former leader KTVK to second place.

In 1997, the FCC allocated UHF channel 36 as the station's digital companion channel, and construction began the following year. KPNX launched its digital channel in June 2000. On 29 December 2005, the station began carrying NBC Weather Plus on subchannel 12.2, making it the first station in Phoenix to offer a 24-hour local weather channel. KPNX achieved another first in Arizona on November 2 2006 when it began broadcasting local news programming in high definition.

Digital Television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Post-analog shutdown

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , KPNX will move its digital broadcasts back to its present analog channel number, 12. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101233451&formid=387&fac_num=35486 CDBS Print ] ]

Programming

KPNX's news operations (12News) is among one of the highest rated news operations in Arizona during primetime news hours [cite web |author=M. Hagerty |url=http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,72227.0.html |title=News Ratings: May 2007 |work=Radio-Info.com |date=2007-05-24 |accessdate=2007-07-15] . Its evening newscasts have dominated ratings for the several ratings periods.

While rivals KSAZ and KTVK produce more individually separate local newscasts, KPNX airs the largest amount of news (local and national) in the market, running about 30 hours a week of local news, along with 25 hours a week of national news from NBC (Today Show, NBC News, etc). It also runs syndicated first-run talk and reality shows ("Live with Regis & Kelly" being one of them, which has aired on Channel 12 since its debut [as "Live with Regis & Kathie Lee"] in the 1980s) along with the entire NBC schedule.

KPNX-DT airs programming from NBC Weather Plus, a 24-hour weather service showing national forecasts and weather conditions, on its 12.2 subchannel, and on a separate channel on the local cable systems. Weather Plus also has local inserts, shown at left, allowing KPNX weather staff to show conditions and forecasts for the Phoenix market, including northern Arizona. In addition, weather conditions and forecasts from around the region are displayed on the left and at the bottom of the screen (known as an "L-bar").

Station identification

Over the years, KPNX has used a legal station identification that did not comply with FCC regulations, which require that in the legal identification broadcast aurally or visually, a station must state its call sign, followed by its city of license. KPNX identified as Phoenix-Mesa, but beginning in 2008, has begun using a new, FCC-compliant station ID on its analog and primary digital channels (shown at left, top). On its Weather Plus programming on 12.2, KPNX still identifies using non-compliant ID, and does not air separate ID at the top of the hour (shown at left, bottom).

Current news personalities

12News Today

* Tram Mai
* Scott Light
* Meteorologist Sarah Walters
* Beat the Traffic Reporter Anna Laurel

Arizona Midday

* Jan D'Atri
* Destry Jetton

12News Midday @ Noon

* Tram Mai or Scott Light or Kim Covington
* Meteorologist Sarah Walters or Jerrid Sebesta or Caribe Devine

12News Evening Edition @ 4:30

* Mark Curtis
* Fay Fredricks
* Meteorologist James Quinones
* Beat the Traffic with Anna Laurel

12News Evening Edition @ 5

* Mark Curtis
* Lin Sue Cooney
* Sports Director Kevin Hunt
* Meteorologist James Quinones
* Beat the Traffic with Anna Laurel

12News Evening Edition @ 6

* Mark Curtis
* Lin Sue Cooney
* Sports Director Kevin Hunt
* Beat the Traffic with Anna Laurel

12News at 10:00

* Mark Curtis
* Lin Sue Cooney
* Fay Fredricks (live reporter and substitute anchor)
* Meteorologist James Quinones
* Sports Director Kevin Hunt

12News Saturday Mornings

* Syleste Rodriguez
* Joe Dana
* Weather Forecaster Caribe Devine

12News Sunday Mornings

* Melissa Gonzalo
* Brahm Resnik
* Weather Forecaster Caribe Devine

12News Weekend Evenings

* Brahm Resnik
* Kim Covington
* Weather Forecaster Caribe Devine
* Bruce Cooper (Saturday only)

Arizona Highways

* Robin Sewell -- host and executive producer

12Sports Team

* Sports Director Kevin Hunt (Sunday -Thursday)
* Bruce Cooper (Friday, Saturday, and Sports Tonight)
* Chris Holden
* Joe Pequeno

12News Weather

* Meteorologist James Quinones
* Meteorologist Sarah Walters (NWA/AMS)
* Forecaster Caribe Devine
* Meteorologist Jerrid Sebesta (AMS-CBM)

Call 12 For Action (Consumer/Investigative News Team)

* Dave Cherry
* Rick DeBruhl

General Assignment Reporters

* Melissa Blasius
* Andy Harvey
* Kevin Kennedy
* Brandon Kline
* Anna Laurel (Beat the Traffic)
* Nicole McGregor
* Hannah Mullins
* Syleste Rodriguez
* Tammy Rose (Sky 12 Pilot/Reporter)
* Veronica Sanchez
* Sarah Sevier(web Reporter)
* Jennifer Vogel

Former Personalities

* Kent Dana, Anchor (1979-2004); now weeknight anchor at KPHO-TV
* Jineane Ford, Anchor (1991-2007); most recently anchored "Arizona Midday'(Still fills in as Arizona Miday Anchor)' [cite web |author=R. Cordova |url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1228jineane1228.html |title=Signing off |work=Arizona Republic |date=2006-12-28 |accessdate=2007-01-03]
* Sean McLaughlin, Chief Meteorologist (1992-2004); moved at first to MSNBC/NBC Weather Plus, now at KPHO)
* Ron Hoon, now morning show host at KSAZ-TV
* Marianne McClary, Morning anchor (1990-1995); now at KMAX/KOVR Good Day Sacramento in Sacramento, California)
* Vince Leonard, Anchor (1980-1989); retired
* Dave Marquis, Reporter (1980s-1993); now at KXTV in Sacramento
* Blair Meeks, General Assignment Reporter (until 2003)
* Trayce Hutchins, Reporter (1990s); now co-anchors morning show at WGCL-TV in Atlanta
* Deiah Riley, Anchor/Reporter (until 1999); now at WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida)
* Jill Miles, Weekday Morning Anchor (1990s)
* Linda Alvarez, Anchor (1977-1985); no longer in broadcasting [cite web |url=http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/News_1153/Linda_Alvarez_Leaves_CBS2.php |title=Linda Alvarez Leaves CBS2 |work=Canyon News |author=Harriet Steinberg |date=2007-12-09 |accessdate=2007-12-25] Last at KCBS-TV (no longer at the duopoly KCBS/KCAL)
* Andy Cerota, Reporter (Late 1990s-early 2000s); now general assignment reporter at KTRK in Houston
* Rick Crabbs, Helicopter Pilot; now helicopter pilot at KSAZ-TV
*Pat Finn Host of "Finn & Friends" 1989-1990 Now host of California Lottery's The Big Spin
* Aubrey Aquino, Traffic Reporter; now entertainment reporter for DECO Drive in Miami, Florida
* Kathleen Mascarenas, Anchor/Reporter (1990s); now editor of Latino Future magazine
* Minerva Perez, Anchor/Reporter (1980s); no longer in broadcasting.
* Carolyn Mungo, Reporter (1990s now managing editor at KRIV in Houston)
* Kim Holcomb, Reporter (until 2006, currently at KING-TV in Seattle)
* Dan Plante, Anchor (1990s)
* Al Owen, Reporter and Entertainment Editor (1980-1984) Moved from KPNX to Entertainment Tonight [cite web |url=http://thinkwebworks.com/hs/AOIP/about.htm |title=About AOIP - Al Owen in print |accessdate=2007-08-25]
* Jerry Foster, Sky12 Pilot/Reporter
* Fred Roggin, Sports; now at KNBC-TV
* Mitch Truswell, Anchor/Reporter (1997-2003); noon anchor and investigative reporter for KVBC in Las Vegas
* Kathy Kirschner, Reporter/Anchor
* Mary Kim Titla, Reporter (1993-2005); publisher of Native Youth Magazine online; seeking Congressional seat in 2008 [cite web |url=http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/may/050907jch_kimtitlaazcong.html |title=Mary Kim Titla to run for Arizona Congress |author=John Christian Hopkins |work=Gallup Independent |date=2007-05-09 |accessdate=2007-12-25]
* Julie Watters, Anchor/Reporter (1991-2002); Executive Producer, Glendale 11, a cable television government access channel [cite web |url=http://www.glendaleaz.com/Glendale11/JulieWatters.cfm |title=Meet Glendale 11's Julie Watters |work=City of Glendale, Arizona, website |accessdate=2008-05-20]
* Dawn Witt, Reporter (2000-?); Homemaker and author
* Bill Denney, Sports (1980s-1990s); deceased
* Bob Salter, Anchor/Reporter
* Bill Austin, Weather (1980s)
* Patti Kirkpatrick, Anchor (1980s), now at local independent station KTVK.
* Steve Pascente, Sports; deceased
* Bill Kelly, Weather

logans

*"Hello Phoenix, Hello Arizona" (1980-1990)
*"Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 12" (1988-1990 using NBC's "Come Home to the Best, Only on NBC" campaign)
*"The 1-2 (pronounced like one-to) watch for NBC" (Used in radio promos for primetime shows, used infrequently for TV promos)
*"12 Stands for Local News"
*"The Leader in HD, Local Television Redefined"
*"It's All On 12News" (since 2008)

References In Movies

A reporter for KPNX appears in the 1978 made-for-TV movie "A Fire In The Sky". Elizabeth Ashley portrayed fictional Channel 12 reporter Sharon Allan. The movie aired as a three-hour event on NBC.

Logos

Translators

* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K24FA K24FA] Blythe, California
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K09KG K09KG] Bullhead City
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K42CQ K42CQ] Chloride
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K35EI K35EI] Dolan Springs
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K61FB K61FB] Globe/Miami (construction permit to move to channel 48 - expires October 23 2009)
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K50CY K50CY] Kingman
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K46GI K46GI] Lake Havasu City
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K23DK K23DK] Meadview
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K30BQ K30BQ] Needles, California / Bullhead City
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=KPSN-LP KPSN-LP 22] Payson
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K26GF K26GF] Peach Springs
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K06AE K06AE] Prescott
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K57DC K57DC] Verde Valley/Camp Verde

References

External links

* [http://www.azcentral.com/12news/ KPNX Website]
*TVQ|KPNX
*BIA|KPNX|TV|TV
*TitanTV|KPNX