The heyday of the vocation of Kent Dana, the longtime Phoenix Tv news anchor who died Tuesday, April 19, took spot when neighborhood information anchors were celebs.
Dana, 80, labored at three Valley stations and is remembered as a person of the most influential Television set journalists in Phoenix background. How massive a star was he?
Just one time a supporter questioned him for an autograph. Owning no paper, he requested Dana to indicator the back again of … a pizza.
“He laughed,” Joe Dana, Kent’s son and a Television reporter for 12 News, said. “He considered it was so amusing. For my father it was just amusing that people today noticed him in that light-weight. He did not have an moi.”
He did have a adhering to, having said that, as evidenced by the outpouring on social media right after news of his demise unfold Tuesday night time.
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‘If you grew up in Phoenix, you realized Kent Dana’
“I grew up watching him,” Jennifer Firestone tweeted, echoing the sentiment of many.
“Omg I was a religious 12 News watcher as a kid and Kent Dana and Lin Sue Shepard had been my peeps! What a amazing dude,” tweeted Katie Gibson.
Joe Ferra tweeted, “Oh person! If you grew up in Phoenix, you understood Kent Dana. He was *the* deal with of information in this town for a extensive time. My condolences to his household. RIP, Kent.”
Jess Root most likely set it most effective with this tweet: “When I think neighborhood Tv set information, the first name I consider of is Kent Dana.”
Dana labored at three area Television information stations through his very long profession, although he spent the most time at 12 News. Just one of his co-anchors there was Lin Sue Flood.
“He was exceptionally humble,” Flood explained to The Arizona Republic. “He usually felt like he was fortunate to have the lifetime he had and to do the job at the station with men and women carrying out the occupation he liked, which was creating — he loved the written phrase.”
If anchors were being stars in town, they could be dominant forces in newsrooms. But not Dana, Flood stated.
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Co-personnel try to remember Dana as influential and friendly
“He never ever took a story that he thought a person need to have,” she explained. “And he in no way made any of his coworkers come to feel like he was top-quality or more skilled or had it all figured out. We had been constantly a crew.”
Sean McLaughlin, now a meteorologist with Arizona’s Family members stations, but also one of Dana’s newsroom co-staff at 12 News, echoed the sentiment.
“You name it, any large occasion in the previous 30 yrs, we learned about it and processed it by Kent’s words and phrases and calming voice,” McLaughlin told The Republic.
Dana also helped McLaughlin and other people course of action additional than massive tales.
“His affect of how to be a skilled continue to resonates with me to this day,” McLaughlin explained. “And that impact also worked miracles with my private existence. You could go to Kent with any dilemma and he would give you that goofy chuckle, and then would launch into the explanations why it would all do the job out. He would do that for everyone.”
If you ever spoke to Dana, one matter stood out instantly: He failed to take himself very seriously. He took his work critically, with out dilemma.
“He experienced 1 regret that I assumed was fascinating,” Joe Dana reported. “It was interviewing Evan Mecham (the former Arizona governor) in the guide-up to his impeachment. He recognized soon after the interview that he was not hard plenty of on him, and he experienced the unique interview.
“So he promised himself that he would make absolutely sure to be additional organized to ask individuals really hard questions when they essential to be requested.”
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‘Oh wow, the conclusion of an era’
Father and son did not share the same approach to covering the news, Joe Dana mentioned.
“We had been incredibly various. I’m very rigid. I would at occasions discuss to him about how strongly I thought we should go over a selected story or one thing that designed me offended. He would remind me to just relax and not get anything so seriously. At the finish of the day we’re just carrying out our finest.
“Whether or not politics or some unfolding breaking news party, he attempted to continue to keep matters in viewpoint for all people. And he did that in our household.”
Dana did that for a large amount of individuals. This was long ahead of the cries of “fake information” went up each and every time a tale you did not agree with appeared on Television set. Neighborhood anchors were not just popular. Viewers thought what they reported.
“I was unhappy when he retired from the news and am unhappy to say goodbye now,” Elaine tweeted. “I trusted Kent Dana’s news.”
It truly is more complicated to find that rely on these days. Or as Kent Ryan posted on Fb of Dana’s demise, “Oh wow the conclude of an period. RIP Kent.”
Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Fb: fb.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly motion pictures newsletter.
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