Flagstaff’s only local television news station, KNAZ Channel 2, will air its final live newscasts next week — a victim of falling advertising revenue and increased costs.
John Misner, president and general manager of both KNAZ and its sister station, KPNX Channel 12 in Phoenix, told the Arizona Daily Sun Thursday that KNAZ no longer could afford to continue its live news broadcasts because ad revenues haven’t kept up with costs.
About 20 people who work for the local NBC affiliate news station will be affected, he said. However, two of KNAZ’s broadcasters and the station’s chief engineer are expected to remain in Flagstaff as part of a new Northern Arizona Channel 12 bureau, Misner said.
Starting Aug. 16, the station will broadcast Channel 12 newscasts in Flagstaff, and Misner expects reporters from the new bureau will frequently contribute local stories.