Former KPNX-TV chief photographer Chuck Emmert brought decades of Arizona broadcast history to life as he described a career shaped by breaking news, heavy gear, roaring helicopters and the improvisational spirit that defined early television photojournalism.
Speaking before a full room at Goodyear City Hall, Emmert delivered a sweeping and often humorous presentation titled “Eyewitness to History: The Evolution of Photojournalism in Phoenix.” The lecture was part of the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center’s ongoing Heritage Lecture Series, held six times a year in partnership with the city of Goodyear.
Emmert, who spent more than 20 years at Phoenix’s NBC affiliate, said the work was unpredictable, physically demanding and, at times, dangerous. But above all, he described it as a front-row seat to some of the most significant moments in Arizona’s modern history.
A Job Where Anything Could Happen
Emmert began at KPNX in the early 1980s, a period he called the most exciting time to be in local news. Before the digital era, every assignment required heavy equipment, constant coordination and a tolerance for frequent malfunctions.
“Some days everything worked, and what you shot made air. Other days nothing worked,” he said. “The reporter would look at the monitor and say, ‘Where’s my story?’ and all you could do was shrug. That was the job.”
Breaking news often dictated coverage. A typical day might involve racing to a fire in the morning, then battling a dust storm, and ending the afternoon shooting rare desert snowfall.
“You always had to carry everything, coats, boots, rain gear, because you never knew what the day was going to throw at you,” he said.
Emmert recalled the advice of veteran photographer Phil Walsh, who stressed situational awareness during chaotic scenes.
“Phil used to say, ‘Don’t just look at the flames. Look behind you,’” Emmert said. “The real story was often the people — someone pulling a dog from a burning house, a family watching everything they own disappear. That stuck with me.”
Emmert told attendees that early television news crews had to battle not only deadlines but the limitations of analog technology. Videotape could jam, editing decks could fail and live signals could drop without warning.
“There were a thousand things that could go wrong,” he said. “You learned persistence because that was the only way to survive.”
The job also demanded rapid teamwork between photographers and reporters.
“Reporters had to write to what the photographer captured,” he explained. “If they scripted extra sentences in a parks story to include the ducks and I didn’t shoot ducks in the park, well, that wasn’t going to work. You had to function as a unit.”
Sometimes crews worked without reporters altogether, covering press conferences, groundbreakings or spot news alone and sending footage back to the station for others to script.
News in the sky
Much of Emmert’s talk centered on Phoenix’s pioneering helicopter operations. KPNX was among the first stations in the country to regularly broadcast aerial news coverage.
“Working in the helicopter was seven days a week for six weeks straight,” he said. “Then the helicopter went in for maintenance for three days, and you started over.”
In one example that drew gasps from the audience, Emmert described filming a high-speed pursuit while airborne colleague and pilot Jerry Foster simultaneously delivered a live weather report.
“He was flying sideways down Carefree Highway, doing the weather,” Emmert said. “I was hanging out the door filming a teenager in a stolen truck. I can’t believe we did half the things we did.”
Helicopter crews were often first on the scene of fires, floods and rescues. They also traveled across the state to document wildfires and political events, sometimes landing in remote areas with little warning.
“We flew an Arizona senator around during campaign season,” Emmert said. “We’d land, pick him up, drop him off somewhere else. Looking back, I’m amazed we were allowed to do that.”
One of the most somber moments in the presentation came when Emmert discussed the 2007 midair collision of two Phoenix news helicopters over Steele Indian School Park. Four people were killed in the crash, including photographers Jim Cox and Scott Bowerbank.
“That was the worst day,” Emmert said. “They may have gotten too focused on their screens and not on what was happening around them. Not having a second set of eyes in the cockpit may have contributed. I don’t know. But we lost good people.”
The incident prompted new safety protocols and led stations to begin sharing helicopter resources rather than competing aggressively for aerial footage.
The changing news landscape
After more than 20 years at KPNX, Emmert shifted careers, taking a videography role with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
“I’d been through four or five news directors. Each one had a new vision, and after two decades I thought, ‘I’m ready for a change,’” he said.
Filming wildlife offered a welcome contrast.
“Instead of chasing fires, I was chasing elk,” he said. “It was a great exit ramp.”
Today, Emmert continues creating video content, including work for the city of Litchfield Park, where he applies the same fast-turnaround instincts he honed in news.
“What I learned shooting news is still in my DNA — wide shots, close-ups, reactions,” he said. “The storytelling part hasn’t changed.”
Emmert’s program also honored Carol Lynde, the first female TV news photographer in Phoenix and the first woman allowed to film inside the Phoenix Suns locker room. Organizers described her as a trailblazer whose work expanded opportunities for future generations of journalists.
The Heritage Lecture Series aims to document stories like Emmert’s, accounts that capture Arizona’s living history from those who witnessed it firsthand.
“It was a great career,” Emmert said as the program concluded. “I felt lucky every day. We had a helicopter, a camera and the freedom to go wherever the story took us. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.”
The next lecture will take place Thursday, Jan. 18 and will cover the development of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
Visit pwlhc.org for more information.
James Goldmeer Reporter | Goodyear & Litchfield Park
Meet James James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.
Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.
Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English.
Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.
Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.
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