PHOENIX, AZ — Longtime 12 News/KPNX anchor Lin Sue Cooney announced today that she will leave TV news at the end of May to join the executive team at Hospice of the Valley.
Cooney has worked for 12 News—a Gannett owned television station in Phoenix, Arizona—since 1984, and is one of the most recognized faces in Arizona television journalism. In an on-air announcement, Cooney explained, "I will miss all the beautiful people I work with here…because they are family to me. But, I am thrilled to be embracing a new season in my life. So many people have helped me along the way, I am anxious to start giving back and use the gifts God gave me to help others."
Cooney will begin working for Hospice of the Valley later this summer. "We will sincerely miss Lin Sue in our newsroom every day. She is beloved not only by her co-workers, but by Arizonans who invite her into their living room each night," said 12 News President/General Manager John Misner. "While we know that it's our loss, we appreciate how impactful she will be in her new role."
For more than 30 years, Arizona viewers have watched Lin Sue Cooney as a primary news anchor at 12 News/KPNX. Most recently, Cooney has served alongside co-anchor Mark Curtis on 12 News at 5, Arizona Nightly News at 6, and 12 News at 10 pm.
READ: Lin Sue's bio page
GREAT MOMENT: Lin Sue's interview with Jimmy Fallon
A respected journalist, Lin Sue has been honored as the Valley's "Best Anchor" by the Phoenix chapter of American Women in Radio and Television. She also has won numerous awards for her news reporting and community service efforts including nine Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards. She has been the face of "Buddy Check 12," a major breast health awareness initiative for 12 News and has served as the principal storyteller on "Hero Central," a news series focusing on ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Lin Sue began her career in Beaumont, Texas. She came to Phoenix from WFAA-TV in Dallas where she was a news reporter and co-host of PM Magazine. Lin Sue graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and Political Science from Willamette University in Oregon. She holds a master's degree in journalism from the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Off camera, Lin Sue devotes time to numerous Valley schools and charities. She and her husband have four children and a very spoiled standard poodle.
