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2015 Television Departures

2

2Son

It seems that there have been quite a few anchors/former anchors departing the airwaves in Phoenix this year (I'll include some from late last year):

Carey Pena - KTVK
Connie Cola - KNXV
Kaley O'Kelley - KTVK
Kim Covington - KPNX
Catherine Anaya - KPHO
Lin Sue Cooney - KPNX
Rebecca Thomas - KPHO


Who else did I miss? I've only been in PHX since early 2010, but that seems like an awful lot of people leaving in a short period of time. Has there been other times when so many anchors left around the same time?
 
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I think what's happening is that two huge things are finally starting to take shape.

One is the KTVK/KPHO semi-consolidation. While it appears that KTVK is remaining largely separate, this is a change in management. (Has KPHO even moved? I notice they are using some KTVK graphic elements on their website and even the full screen background in their newscasts.)

As for KPNX, keep in mind that the slow split of channel 12 and the Republic is beginning. KPNX has its own website for the first time in eons. Instead of crediting La Voz for its supplemental news footage KTAZ now runs 12News.com credits. At some point there is going to have to be a decision on how the relationship will shake out. Will KPNX or the Republic have to move facilities? Will the two retain any editorial interaction? The two have largely forged into the web and social era together as one editorial entity, but that's all changing now.

Lin Sue Cooney left KPNX because it was clear that in all this she could not demand the salary she wanted. Kaley O'Kelley got a promotion to anchor the evening news in Dallas which is still a larger market. Rebecca Thomas's departure was a family issue, and while Catherine Anaya's has been spun the same way, you have to wonder if it was also about money to an extent.
 
formeraa said:
Well, Fields Moseley of KTVK has essentially been demoted from anchor to reporter.
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Are you psychic? Because as of today he's on the list. (And yes, the Republic is now covering such a thing.)

He'll become communications director with the county. He cites the uncertainty of station consolidation as the main reason he went looking for a new job. His last day: this Wednesday!
 
WOW!

Like Former said, Fields went from the main anchor to the late afternoon anchor. Once Brandon Lee came on board, Fields was 'demoted.' I wish him luck with the county.
 
Raymie said:
Are you psychic? Because as of today he's on the list. (And yes, the Republic is now covering such a thing.)

He'll become communications director with the county. He cites the uncertainty of station consolidation as the main reason he went looking for a new job. His last day: this Wednesday!
Click to expand...

Not psychic (as far as I know), but I do pay attention to details! ;)

It's really too bad, because I really thought Fields was a solid anchor. I guess he never really caught on. The interesting thing is that KTVK tried the new evening team of Yetta, Carey, and Fields and they are all gone now.
 
Raymie said:
Could KPHO's Pat McReynolds be on the list?
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Sadly, Pat was solid anchor on a doomed morning show. The item also mentions that KPHO may dump the CBS5 Morning News for a simulcast of GMAZ on 5. Finally, they seem to be going in the right direction. Since CBS5 gets very low ratings in the mornings, a simulcast of GMAZ makes a lot of sense (the ratings can't get much lower).

In other news, 12 News said goodbye to Brandon Hamilton today. Hamilton will be going to Dallas. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton is following girlfriend Chelsey Davis who was recently named as the new traffic anchor for KTVT in Dallas (same station as Kaley O'Kelley).
 
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I guess we'll add Yetta Gibson to the list.

Got to thinking...all of these departures do not surprise me. The news landscape continues to change for the worse and I believe it is because they are scrambling for ratings (instead of quality) as viewers are getting tired (at least I am) of the biased reporting (on both sides) and it's becoming insulting to viewers. I long for the days when I was given more factual information instead of speculation. Now, you turn on the news and it's all about breaking news (hardly) that regurgitates what was already broadcast hours or days earlier. Furthermore, I'm sick to death of all of the "police brutality" stories. Do I believe there are some bad apples out there? Absolutely. Yet, the news now automatically reports these types of stories from a criminal's (scratch that) - "victim's" point-of-view with racism and prejudice sprinkled on top and have no problem damaging someone's reputation during the "investigative" process. I understand that racism and prejudice still exist, but the media should accept responsibility for fueling the fire. I'm calling BS on many of these types of stories as these news outlets are presenting them in a certain way because they think that is what the audience is craving. You have to dig really deep (using other resources) to find the conveniently missing facts on many of these types of stories. Sadly, the media has already done a hack job trying to convince its audience. IF facts are reported, they are usually done so in the last 5-seconds of the speculative report. Rant over.
 
2Son said:
Got to thinking...all of these departures do not surprise me. The news landscape continues to change for the worse and I believe it is because they are scrambling for ratings (instead of quality) as viewers are getting tired (at least I am) of the biased reporting (on both sides) and it's becoming insulting to viewers.
Click to expand...

I've lived in Phoenix since 1979 (coming from Tucson BTW) and I frankly don't see the bias. What I do see are too frequent examples of "if it bleeds, it leads" with all the attention focused upon house fires and traffic accidents. The most political story in Phoenix this past year has probably been El Jefe, Joe Arpio, and his MCSO enforcement of illegal immigration laws and racial profiling. The biggest complaint I make against Phoenix broadcast news media is that they don't go into stories deep enough. The old journalism rules of what, when, how and why have been reduced to whatever fits on a video spot. Since there are so many hours of the broadcast day devoted to news there should never be a story shorted because the reported failed to get all the information.
 
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