The Arizona Republic
Kent Dana broke into the television news business when it was acceptable – even preferred–for local TV anchormen to be old, ugly guys. At the time, he didn’t fit the profile.
In the nearly 40 years since then, however, news executives have come to prefer anchors (whether men or women) of the younger, prettier variety, about which the 60-something Dana laughingly says, “For a guy like me, since the introduction of HD (high-definition television), there is not enough makeup.” And so, Dana is leaving.
As of Friday, Dana will end his 30-plus-year run as a TV news anchor for Channel 12 (KPHX) and, most recently, Channel 5 (KPHO). He’s been around so long that for just about everyone living in Phoenix, he’s either the guy you grew up watching on TV or the guy you grew old watching. Or both. More…