on air and the long-term trajectory of KNXV's news department. The style was toned down slightly; a staff of 30 was expanded to 85; and what was once a 9 p.m. newscast slated to launch July 7 turned into a 10 p.m. newscast, News 15, that debuted on August 1, 1994. The new newscast was fast-paced with a high story count, and it was also the start of a rapid expansion to fit the needs of an ABC affiliate. A 6 p.m. newscast soon followed, with a 5 p.m. show added in December and 6 and 11 a.m. programs in January 1995. The founding news director, Mary Cox, soon exited; she was replaced by Susan Sullivan, who created an environment focused on enterprise and investigative reporting that employees described as "utopian". Bob Rowe, a station manager "excommunicated" by Scripps to Phoenix, was just as influential in the early years of KNXV's news operation, laying the groundwork for a "no chit-chat" approach. The resulting news product attracted increased viewership: News 15 rose as high as second place at one point. It also led to critical acclaim: in 1995, channel 15 won the most regional Emmy Award nominations for a Phoenix station. However, after Sullivan left the station in 1996, Michael Kronley was installed as station manager from Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC-TV: the investigative reports were discontinued, replaced by more live shots, and the station acquired a helicopter. KNXV and KPHO then both adopted the slogan "Live, Local, Late Breaking", requiring KPHO to alter its version and ultimately leading KNXV to adopt a new slogan, "We won't waste your time". Under Jeff Klotzman, channel 15's fourth news director, ratings generally fell for the station's newscasts; he resigned in 1998 and was replaced by Bob Morford, whose format tended to deemphasize reporters. A 2000 Columbia Journalism Review study of local newscasts nationwide gave KNXV the lowest rating in the history of the report, an "F", for its short stories lacking investigations and mentioned sources. On April 1, 2009, Scripps joined with Fox Television Stations, owner of KSAZ-TV, to form Local News Service, a model for pooling newsgathering efforts for local news events in which each station provided employees to the pool service in exchange for the sharing of video. KPHO-TV eventually joined the Phoenix LNS agreement shortly after the announcement. By 2020, all four English-language television newsrooms in Phoenix shared a helicopter. In