Kent Dana to leave KPHO this Fall

When Kent Dana’s contract with KPHO (Channel 5) ends in the Fall, the longtime Valley newsman will give a final farewell from the anchor desk and hand over the duties to colleague Sean McLaughlin.

“As these things go, this is as comfortable as it gets,” said KPHO General Manager Ed Munson. “He had 5 really good years here, the market knows him; he’s leaving on terrific terms.”

Munson said no official announcement will be made until Dana’s final newscast is near, but he did confirm to Examiner.com what many in the business have been speculating for months: that Dana would not extend his five year deal with the station. “He and I talked for about 8 weeks or so. We really wanted to keep him; he went back and forth to see what was best for him, but at the end of the day he decided this was a good time for him to exit.”

McLaughlin also confirmed the upcoming transition, but declined to provide details “until Kent is ready to speak about it.” Dana had not yet responded to Examiner.com’s request for an interview.

McLaughlin already co-anchors KPHO’s 6:30pm newscast and is the primary backup when Dana is unavailable. Munson said choosing McLaughlin to take over was an easy decision.

“The guy’s got tremendous communications skills, he’s engaged, he’s excited about it. It will be seamless for the viewers because he’s been anchoring for years. People know Sean from NBC, Weather Plus, his time at 12 and of course his years here.”

McLaughlin and Dana both spent time at KPNX (Channel 12) with Dana following his father’s footsteps there. Dana’s son Joe is also a reporter at KPNX.

Kent Dana’s final broadcast at KPHO will come in late September or early October. Should viewers watch for big festivities-- a party, cake and balloons, maybe? Munson chuckled, “Something like that. Maybe we’ll have him wear his plaid sport coat.”