One of the biggest stories in Arizona local media didn't take place in a TV newsroom.
It took place at the ballot box, where former Fox 10 anchor Kari Lake, after running a campaign centered on election denial and vitriol toward the media, lost the election for Arizona governor. Along the way she demeaned the industry she worked in and told reporters on Election Day, "I'm going to be your worst freaking nightmare for eight years."
Except she lost.
It was a huge story, locally and nationwide. But it was far from the only media story making news in Phoenix. There was a lot of transition in 2022, particularly the first half of the year; seemingly a week didn't go by without some sort of notable move in a newsroom somewhere in town. Things settled down a bit later, except for Lake stirring the pot.
These were the biggest changes in newsrooms in 2022.
'Pets on Parade' returns
The beloved Phoenix institution went off the air in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It still had an online presence, but the show finally returned to TV in October. "It feels like we never left," host Kelsey Dickerson said. The show, which airs on Saturdays on Channel 3 (KTVK), features animals up for adoption.
Jonathan McCall joins 12 News
McCall joined 12 News in mid-May. He works as an anchor and reporter. McCall, who came to Phoenix from San Francisco, is also one of the few anchors of color in the Valley. "It's important. It really is important," he said. "I think representation matters."
Emily Pritchard becomes a morning anchor at 12 News
Pritchard joined "Today in AZ," the station's morning show, in March, as co-anchor, working alongside Scott McDonnell, who began work as a co-anchor in November of 2021. "For my fiancé and I, Phoenix is home for him, and it is just a place that makes sense for us to make it our home together," Pritchard said.
Kent Dana died
The legendary news anchor died on April 19. Dana, who retired in 2011, worked for three Valley stations throughout his career. His self-deprecating manner and dedication to his work made him one of the most popular anchors in Phoenix history.
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Arizona’s Family letKris Pickel go
Pickel, an award-winning anchor for Arizona’s Family, was let go by the stations in April 2022. “It was called a business decision,” she said. She had been with the station since 2015. “This is a brutal part of the business,” she said, “but it’s part of the business.”
Javier Soto left Arizona’s Family for ABC 15
Viewers noticed in May that Soto, then the co-anchor of “Good Morning Arizona” on Arizona’s Family, had disappeared from the air. The next time they saw him, in June,he was co-anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts with Katie Raml at ABC 15. “We just weren’t seeing eye to eye on my future at Channel 3,” he said. “As everything kind of fell into place and life came about, it was a no-brainer to move to the next step in my career, which was forward.”
Monica Garcia leftArizona’s Family
Garcia, weekend morning anchor at Arizona’s Family and a reporter for “Good Morning Arizona,” left the stations in June. She came to the stations in 2019. “Sure the exposure is there, but there comes a time when a lot of us are ready to come into financial compensation for the hard work we do,” she said. “That’s sometimes not there. You feel like a cog in a wheel, basically.”
Kristy Siefkin leftFox 10
Siefkin, a weather forecaster and reporter for Fox 10, left the station in March after 10 years. ““For me, it was a contract was up,” she said, “and it was the opportunity to move at that moment.”
Siera Santos went to the MLB Network from Fox 10
“I got called up,” Santos posted on her Instagram account in March, when she left Fox 10 for the MLB Network — a good fit for the baseball fan. She joined Fox 10 in 2020, and worked as a sports anchor.
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Steve Irvin retiredfrom ABC 15, then returned for one night
Irvin, a news anchor at ABC 15, stepped down in May, citing health reasons and the stress of the job, including a heart scare. He had been with the station since 2002. “I didn’t want to die on the job,” he said. Irvin returned for election night coverage, but it was a one-time visit.
Stephanie Olmo leftFox 10
The weather anchor and reporter for Fox 10 left the station in June, after having arrived five years earlier. She went to work for KNBC, the NBC affiliate in Los Angeles.
Meteorologist Lauren Rainson leftArizona’s Family for 12 News
Rainson, a meteorologist, moved to 12 News in April, after working part-time at Arizona’s Family for nine months. She got a full-time job at 12 News. “I was lucky to get on board,” she said.
Matt Galka left Fox 10
Galka left Fox 10, where he had worked for five years, at the end of February. He joined the Christian Broadcast Network, where he works as a Capitol Hill correspondent. “If I stayed, things would get stagnant for me, and I’m eager to not let that happen,” he said. “I’m trying to get closer to family, because when it’s all said and done, that’s by far more important than anything you’ll ever see me do on TV.”
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Maria Hechanova leftArizona’s Family
Hechanova, a reporter for “Good Morning Arizona” on the Arizona’s Family stations, left in February, citing the challenges of the schedules of her husband, a firefighter, and her own. “It worked last year and then all of a sudden it stopped working,” she said. “So I had to make a decision — is it work or is it my family? I chose my family.”
Producer Al Macias leftPhoenix news after 47 years
Macias retired from KJZZin April. He had worked in Phoenix news for more than 47 years — at KTVK, KPNX and KNXV. He went to work for KJZZ radio in 2010. “I just thought, let’s just go out while I’m making the decision and someone’s not making the decision for me,” he said.
Heidi Goitia steppedaway from ABC 15
Goitia had been working as a freelancer for ABC 15 since the end of 2021; she left the station in January. Before that she was an anchor at Arizona’s Family, where she was laid off. She left ABC 15 to spend more time with her family. ““It was kind of a culmination,” she said, “just a gut feeling that wouldn’t go away.”
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.
