KPNX Broadcasting’s “Pep” Cooney Retires
ARLINGTON, Va. — C.E. “Pep” Cooney, president/KPNX Broadcasting Co. and senior vice president/Gannett Television is retiring May 31, 1998.
The announcement was made by Cecil L. Walker, president and chief executive officer of Gannett Broadcasting.
“Pep will be missed by all of us at Gannett. He has made many strong contributions to the company during his years with us and has been a friend and mentor to many of our people. In addition, he has had a major impact on the Phoenix community and KPNX-TV’s ability to serve that community,” said Walker.
Cooney’s career has spanned 44 years in the television industry. In the early days of his career he worked in advertising and program sales. He also served as president and general manager of KRON-TV (NBC-San Francisco) and president of Chronicle Broadcasting. For the last 21 years he has been in Phoenix. He was president and general manager until June 1995. He was then named president of KPNX Broadcasting and senior vice president of Gannett Broadcasting, with responsibility for Gannett’s NBC affiliates in Phoenix, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Jacksonville.
Cooney has devoted his time and energies over the years to many civic, business and professional organizations, some of which are: Valley Big Brothers/Big Sisters; United Way Campaign Chairman (1981-82); Samaritan Health Service/Board of Directors; KPNX-TV Minority Advisory Board; NCCJ Board of Directors Chairman (1988-90); First Amendment Coalition Board of Directors; Theodore Roosevelt Council/Boy Scouts of America/Executive Board; Fiesta Bowl/President (also Life Director/Fiesta Bowl); Walter Cronkite School of Journalism/Arizona State University, and currently serves on the Board of Harris Trust Bank and Blood Systems, Inc.
Cooney has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Citizen Citation from Phoenix Union High School District; All City’s Honor Convocation (1986); Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (1992); Distinguished Achievement Award by College of Public Programs/Arizona State University (1989); and the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith “Torch of Liberty Award” (1989).
Cooney attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Utah, majoring in marketing and advertising. He, his wife, Cheri, their two sons and two daughters, along with 11 grandchildren, reside in Phoenix.
Gannett Broadcasting consists of 20 television stations which cover 16.3 percent of the U.S. The stations include: W*USA (CBS-Washington, DC); WXIA (NBC-Atlanta); WKYC (NBC-Cleveland); KARE (NBC-Minneapolis); WTSP (CBS-Tampa); KPNX (NBC-Phoenix); KNAZ (NBC-Flagstaff); KMOH (WB-Kingman); K*USA (NBC-Denver); KSDK (NBC-St. Louis); WZZM (ABC-Grand Rapids); WGRZ (NBC-Buffalo); WFMY (CBS-Greensboro); WTLV (NBC-Jacksonville); KTHV (CBS-Little Rock); KVUE (ABC-Austin); WBIR (NBC-Knoxville); WCSH (NBC-Portland); WMAZ (CBS-Macon); and WLBZ (NBC-Bangor). Pending FCC approval, Gannett Television will also include WLTX (CBS-Columbia).
Gannett is a nationwide news and information company that publishes 87 daily newspapers, including USA TODAY, and USA WEEKEND, a newspaper magazine. Gannett also has cable television systems in five states.