Under Scripps, KNXV began to purchase more recent sitcoms, often outbidding KPHO for strong shows. The station also became the over-the-air broadcaster of the Suns again; it lost the rights to televise the team's games to KUTP (channel 45) in 1988. After KPHO turned down an offer to affiliate with the fledgling Fox network, it approached KNXV. After Scripps promised to launch a news department, KNXV joined Fox at the network's inception on October 9, 1986, with the first Fox program airing on the station being the late night talk show "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers", which was at that time the only program Fox offered, so KNXV still essentially remained independent. KNXV promoted its new affiliation with a campaign centered around the slogan "Light Up the Night with Late Night Fireworks".