I grew up in Flagstaff watching the same local anchors night after night. I trusted them because I knew their faces, not because I knew who they worked for. Today I still get 12News, on TV in the morning and on TikTok the rest of the day.
So here's the question I'm starting with: when it comes to local news, who do you actually trust, and why?
This is a ground-level report. It covers what I've found so far, what I haven't found, and what I'll be digging into next. Tell me where I'm wrong.
What we know
Most of us still trust local news more than national news
In 2024, 74% of Americans said they had at least some trust in information from local news organizations. Only 59% said the same about national news organizations. [1]
That's a national survey. I haven't found a Phoenix-only number yet.
TV still leads, but neighbors and influencers are catching up
In a December 2025 survey, 65% of U.S. adults said they often or sometimes get local news from a local TV station. 52% said the same about local online forums, like community Facebook groups or Nextdoor, up from 38% in 2018. And 36% said they get local news from news influencers. [2]
In other words, more of us are getting local news from each other, not just from a station.
None of the Valley's biggest newsrooms is owned here
I traced the main local news outlets back to the companies that own them. Every one answers to a headquarters outside Arizona.
- ABC15 (KNXV): E.W. Scripps, based in Cincinnati. [3][4]
- Arizona's Family (3TV and CBS 5): Gray Media, based in Atlanta. It bought the stations from Meredith in a deal that closed in December 2021. [5]
- 12News (KPNX): Nexstar Media Group, based in Irving, Texas. It bought 12News' former owner, Tegna, in a $6.2 billion deal that closed March 19, 2026. [7]
- The Arizona Republic / azcentral: USA TODAY Co., based in New York. Until November 2025 the company was called Gannett. [10]
- FOX 10 (KSAZ): its FCC license holder is NW Communications of Phoenix, Inc., with a Washington, D.C., address. [11] I'm confirming the parent company in the FOX 10 field guide.
Two details worth knowing:
- Your TV bill helps pay for local news. In 2025, $1.43 billion of Gray's $3.10 billion in revenue came from retransmission fees, the money cable, satellite and live TV streaming services pay to carry its stations. That's roughly 46%. [6]
- 12News' new owner made Phoenix a promise. To get its Tegna purchase approved, Nexstar committed to expanding local news in nine markets, Phoenix among them. [8][9] That's something we can watch.
Out-of-state ownership doesn't make the journalism bad. The people reporting in these newsrooms live here, and many of them do excellent work. This is about who holds the purse strings, not about the people on camera.
What one morning of local TV looked like
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, I recorded about 50 minutes of 12News' morning show on my phone and sorted every minute by what it was. [12] Here's how that morning broke down:
- Ads: 33% (about 16.7 minutes, in six breaks)
- Soft news and features: 24%
- Hard news: 14%
- Weather: 11%
- Traffic: 9%
- Teases, promos and sponsor tags: 9%
Of the 37 ads, 13 were political.
That's one morning on one station. It's a sample, not a verdict. I'm repeating it on other mornings and other stations before drawing any conclusions.
What we don't know yet
- How much money each Phoenix station makes on its own. The parent companies only report totals.
- How many people work in each Phoenix newsroom today, and how that has changed.
- How Nexstar's promise to expand Phoenix news will be measured, and by whom.
- Who sits above FOX 10's license holder.
- How much Valley residents trust each station. I haven't found a Phoenix-specific survey.
- Whether one morning on 12News looks like every morning.
Who we asked
Not yet. Before this story is shared widely, I’ll ask 12News for comment on the morning sample and note the answer here.
What I'm digging into next
This story will climb as I report. Here's what's coming:
- A field guide to each station. 12News first, then ABC15, Arizona's Family and FOX 10: who owns it, how it covers the news, and what to expect if you follow it.
- Arizona PBS. The one major outlet here without a corporate owner, and what happened after its federal funding ended.
- Who paid for the political ads you're seeing, from each station's public FCC file.
- Nexstar's Phoenix promise, and whether 12News actually adds local news.
- Your answers. Which station you trust, and why.
What you can do
- If this is useful: tell me in the comments who you trust for local news, and why. Signing up is free.
- If you don't like what you're seeing on local news: look up your station's public file at publicfiles.fcc.gov. Every station has one, and anyone can read it.
- Pass it on: share this with one neighbor who watches the news.
How this story was made
I asked the question. I researched it with Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, which helped me find and summarize public filings and published reporting and helped turn my notes into this draft. I checked every fact against its source. Postmarq is new, so these outlets are, in a small way, competitors. I've stuck to public records and tried to describe rather than judge. How Postmarq reports
Sources
- Pew Research Center, "On issue after issue, Americans say things are going better locally than nationally," Feb. 10, 2025 (reports 2024 survey). pewresearch.org
- Pew Research Center (Pew-Knight Initiative), "Where Americans get local news," survey conducted Dec. 8–14, 2025. pewresearch.org
- E.W. Scripps Q4 and full-year 2025 results, SEC 8-K, via Stock Titan. stocktitan.net
- Scripps reports Q4 2025 financial results (company release). ir.scripps.com
- Gray Television 2021 annual report (10-K), Meredith transaction. sec.gov
- Gray Media fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release. graytv.gcs-web.com
- Nexstar Media Group closes acquisition of TEGNA Inc., March 19, 2026 (company release). nexstar.tv
- Nexstar-Tegna deal approved, divested stations listed, MediaPost. mediapost.com
- FCC grants rule waiver for Nexstar-Tegna deal, Bloomberg Law. bloomberglaw.com
- Gannett changes name to USA TODAY Co., Nov. 18, 2025, Business Wire. businesswire.com
- FCC public inspection file, Phoenix TV station, Facility ID 35587 (KSAZ-TV). publicfiles.fcc.gov
- Postmarq sample: 12News morning show, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, about 50 minutes recorded on a phone and classified minute by minute by Postmarq. One morning, one station.
Corrections
None yet.
Last verified
Ownership facts researched Oct. 4, 2026. Pew figures and the FOX 10 license holder checked Oct. 20, 2026.