television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth ...
licensed to
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...
, United States, affiliated with
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
. Owned by
Tegna Inc.
Tegna Inc. (stylized in all caps as TEGNA) is an American publicly traded broadcast, digital media and marketing services company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia. It was created on June 29, 2015, when the Gannett Company split into tw ...
, the station maintains a
news bureau
A news bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate a geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; ' ...
on the campus of
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the final public university established in the Arizona Territory, 13 years before Arizona was admitted as the 48th state.
...
in Flagstaff, and its transmitter is located southeast of the city in rural
Coconino County
Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...
.
KNAZ-TV operates as a full-time
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
of
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
-based
KPNX
KPNX (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, United States, serving the Phoenix area as an affiliate of NBC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios at the Republic Media building on Van Buren Street i ...
(channel 12, licensed to
Mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...
), whose studios are located at the Republic Media building on Van Buren Street in
downtown Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County and ...
. KNAZ covers areas of
northern Arizona
Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Gila counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the sout ...
that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KPNX. KNAZ is a straight
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
of KPNX; on-air references to KNAZ are limited to
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC)-mandated hourly
station identification
Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and broadcast network, networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, ...
s during newscasts and other programming.
KNAZ is the only full-power television station in northern Arizona broadcasting one of the major English-language television networks. It was established as a full originating station in 1970 and continued to produce local newscasts until 2008. After a succession of owners, it came into common ownership with KPNX in 1997.
History
KOAI
As early as July 1967, plans were beginning to crystallize for the construction of a new television station in Flagstaff, the area's first high-power station; the area was only served by two UHF translators of
KTVK
KTVK (channel 3) is an independent television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KPHO-TV (channel 5) and low-power LATV affiliate KPHE-LD (channel 44). KTVK and KPHO-TV share s ...
and
KOOL-TV
KSAZ-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, broadcasting the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV station KUTP (channel 45). Bot ...
from Phoenix. The primary promoter of the proposed station was Wendell Elliott Sr., who had managed radio station
KGNO
KGNO (1370 AM) is a radio station licensed to Dodge City, Kansas, United States, the station serves the Southwestern Kansas area. The station is currently owned by Rocking M Media, LLC. The station airs talk radio programs such as Sean Hannity ...
in
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge (US Army Post), Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The c ...
, and had founded associated television station
KTVC
KTVC (channel 36) is a religious television station in Roseburg, Oregon, United States, affiliated with the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN). The station is owned by Better Life Television, and maintains studios on Golden Valley Boulevar ...
in nearby
Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the 1950s; he also was a founder of the
Kansas Association of Broadcasters
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters is a group supporting broadcasters in Kansas, United States, primarily through lobbying and coordination.
History
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters began in 1951 as the Kansas Association of Radio Broa ...
in 1951. Other stockholders included former Flagstaff mayor Charles L. Saunders, who owned radio station KCLS and had once sought to build a Flagstaff TV station himself. Elliott originally sought to build a tower atop
Mount Elden
Mount Elden or Elden Mountain (Hopi: Hovi'itstuyqa) is located in central Coconino County northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. It takes its name from one of the region's earliest Anglo settlers, John Elden, who, along with his family, established ...
and downtown studios, raising $85,000 by selling stock in the venture.
Flagstaff had originally been assigned channels 9 and 13 for television use. However, when the Elliott group—incorporated in 1968 as Grand Canyon Television Company—was forced by the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
to switch proposed transmitter sites from Mount Elden to Mormon Mountain, southeast of Flagstaff, it asked the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) to change out channel 9 for channel 2 in order to avoid potential spacing problems to
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
's channel 9 station,
KGUN-TV
KGUN-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Sierra Vista-licensed CW affiliate KWBA-TV (channel 58). Both stations share studios on Eas ...
. From the start, Grand Canyon planned to obtain NBC affiliation for its station.
Grand Canyon officially filed an application for construction permit on March 26, 1969, the FCC having approved the change to channel 2 earlier in the month, and the commission granted the application on September 10. With the permit approved, construction commenced nearly immediately; in January 1970, power lines were buried under Mormon Mountain to provide electrical service to the summit. The transmitter facility was complete by early April, when the first test patterns went out, and KOAI began broadcasting on May 2, 1970. It was some time before the station began producing local programming, as the studios at 528 W. Aspen were not yet completed.
KOAI was among the first stations seen on much of the
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
when a tribe-owned translator was completed atop Navajo Mountain in 1973. At the time, the station produced and aired a daily Navajo-language news program hosted by Chester Yazzie; the program was aired the next day on KIVA-TV in
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census the city had a total population of 46,624 people. Farmington (and surrounding San Juan County) makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
, and later also on
KOAT-TV
KOAT-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Carlisle Boulevard in Northeast Albuquerque, and its transmitter is located ...
in
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. It was the only Navajo-language television program in the world at the time.
Wendell Elliott Sr. died in 1974 of an apparent heart attack. His son, Wendell Elliott Jr., took over the operation of the business, which was claimed to be the fourth-smallest TV station in the United States.
KNAZ-TV
In 1980, the Grand Canyon Television Company approved the sale of KOAI to Capitol Broadcasting Company of
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
, which owned radio and television stations in the Mississippi city and
KKTV
KKTV (channel 11) is a television station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, affiliated with CBS. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios on East Colorado Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs and a transmitter ...
in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. Capitol closed on the sale in February 1981 and immediately sought to improve all aspects of the operation. On March 23, 1981, the call sign was changed to KNAZ-TV to represent the station's service area. (Kevin McCabe, a longtime Phoenix sports journalist who worked for channel 2 at the time, noted that people had "laughed" at KOAI for the preceding decade and that the station had set a "bad precedent".) A new maximum-power transmitter at 100,000 watts was installed; the news department was expanded; and Capitol also moved the station into a new building on Vickey Street in 1982. With the upgraded building came much-needed technical updates, notably a conversion to electronic news gathering on videotape from film.
While Capitol Broadcasting, owned by the Hederman family as well as Standard Life Insurance, put all of its properties up for sale in late 1982, they continued to own the station for nearly six more years. During that time, Grand Canyon Television built
KMOH-TV
KMOH-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Kingman, Arizona, United States, airing programming from MeTV. Owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting, the station has studios on Kingman Avenue in Kingman, and its transmitter is located atop ...
, a satellite station of KNAZ at Kingman that began broadcasting on February 29, 1988. It was not until July of that year that KNAZ-TV found a buyer, Peter J. Klein of Indiana; Klein beat out
Sunbelt Communications Company
Intermountain West Communications Company was an American telecommunications company, formerly owned by James E. Rogers (1938–2014), that remains as the licensee company for a number of local television stations in the United States, operated ...
of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
for the station.
Klein's ownership of the television station would end with his ouster in 1991 after four investors who owned 72.5 percent of the business petitioned a court to place Grand Canyon Television into receivership. There had been signs of possible financial trouble earlier in the year when KNAZ-TV was listed as delinquent on its county property taxes; radio station KAFF reported the station was behind on payroll, charges that its financial manager denied. The investors also claimed that Klein, an
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
resident, was an absentee owner and that the firm had lost $3.8 million. The stations emerged from receivership after a year, with W. A. Franke, one of the investors who filed the original motion, as the leader of the business. By this time, KNAZ-TV was airing daily 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts that beat the Phoenix stations within the Flagstaff area.
Gannett/Tegna ownership
In January 1997, Grand Canyon announced that it had sold KNAZ-TV and KMOH, by that point disconnected from the Flagstaff station, to the
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The purchase, which closed in May 1997, attracted attention and concern over the fate of KNAZ-TV; rumors swirled that Gannett would discontinue local newscasts for Northern Arizona and run the station as a full-time rebroadcaster of KPNX. It was noted that the KPNX purchase of KNAZ-TV had taken place after the Flagstaff cable system attempted to drop KPNX from its lineup but found itself unable to do so because Gannett threatened to discontinue carriage to co-owned systems in
Sedona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
, Kingman,
Lake Havasu City
Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport.
History
The community first started as an ...
, and
Bullhead City
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the em ...
.
In December 2005, Gannett announced its intention to sell KNAZ-TV. While Gannett waited for a buyer to surface, the station ceased producing weekend newscasts in 2006, airing newscasts from KPNX with Flagstaff-specific weather inserts. KNAZ ceased production of local newscasts and became a full satellite of KPNX on August 15, 2008, citing inadequate advertising revenues and a lack of
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
carriage as factors in the decision. A Flagstaff bureau was established to cover Northern Arizona news, and some of the station's staff were kept to staff it. Some of the void was filled when Northern Arizona University began producing a local newscast, ''NAZ Today'', for cable and streaming in 2008.
Notable former on-air staff
* Emme Aronson – former reporter/morning anchor and current
plus-size model
A plus-size model is an individual size 12 and above who is engaged primarily in Model (person), modeling plus-size clothing. Plus-size clothing worn by plus-size models is typically catering for and marketed to either Big & Tall or Tall or Overw ...
(as Melissa Julian)
*
Steve Bunin Steve Bunin (born in Seattle, Washington) is a former ESPN Anchor, a five-time Emmy Award winner and a 16-time Emmy nominee. He is now an Executive Communications Coach for companies around the world.
Career
Bunin was a news anchor at KING-TV from ...
– former sports director/anchor (1997–2000)
*
Dina Eastwood
Dina Marie Fisher, known professionally as Dina Eastwood, is an American reporter, news anchor, and actress. She is the former wife of actor and film director Clint Eastwood.
She co-hosted the hidden camera television series '' Candid Camera'' ...
– former anchor/reporter
Technical information
In its DTV allotment plan of April 3, 1997, the FCC assigned channel 22 for KNAZ-DT, and on February 22, 2001, it granted to Gannett a construction permit to build the digital facilities. The digital facility did not begin full-power broadcasts until January 2007.
KNAZ had originally intended to move its digital broadcasts to VHF channel 2 after the digital transition. This plan was abandoned as the existing channel 2 antenna had sustained damage in three successive
ice storm
An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on ex ...
s; an April 2008 inspection found arcing and repeated automatic shutdown due to signal power being reflected back into the transmitter that left it incapable of full-power operation, as well as an crack in the antenna mast that would have required welding to repair. The channel 2 antenna failed completely on April 16, 2009, forcing KNAZ's analog signal to go dark permanently. KNAZ-TV was therefore forced to request that the FCC allow it to remain on channel 22 as its DTV channel, a change the FCC approved of on September 15, 2009.