If you are interested in seeing the coverage channel 2 did on their own shutdown you can follow this link to view the report. Don’t expect to read about it in the local newspaper, they are slow to the punch.

Northern Arizona will still have a minimal news presence as KPNX Channel 12 plans to broadcast on Channel 2 from Phoenix with some Northern Arizona related news. Locals will still get to see weather and possibly a local story on the Channel 12 news but it just wont be the same as having an operating station and several news personalities residing within the area.

Unfortunately this has been coming for a long time now, in my opinion. Ever since they announced the station was being put up for sale back in November 2005 we knew something bad was coming we just didn’t know what or when. We all figured the station would sell and continue operating under a new owner like it has in years past.

After 3 years of the unknown it seems the fate of 2News has been decided. The station did not sell and the staff is simply being taken off the air. The loss is a big one for the the community, Channel 2 has been around since the 70’s.

“Channel 2 was the first television station in Flagstaff, Arizona. The station made its debut on May 2, 1970, and was originally owned by Wendell Elliot.

Channel 2 is an NBC affiliate. It was originally located in downtown Flagstaff and moved to its current location in 1984. The original call letters were KOAI-TV, and were changed to KNAZ after the sale of the station to Capital Broadcasting in 1981.

In 1988, the station was sold to Grand Canyon Television Company, Inc. On May 23, 1997, Gannett Broadcasting purchased KNAZ-TV.”

(from: http://www.azcentral.com/2news/about2news/articles/knazhistory-CR.html)

Gannett Broadcasting owned and operated KNAZ-TV/ Channel 2 for 11 years. After a 9 years they tried putting the station up for sale back in 2005. Today, 3 years later the doors to the station are being closed permanently.

The announcement to take Channel 2 off the air came 10 days before the actual turn off date which isn’t much notice for employees. However, employees were offered severance packages and other positions within the company during the meeting on August 6th 2008, they were given 48 hours to decide their futures.

Regardless of what staff members decide the lights will permanently go out at KNAZ-TV/ Channel 2 August 16, 2008 after the 10 pm newscast. For more discussion on the situation you can check here, over here and also here.

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