At the time that KNXV had been named Phoenix's new ABC affiliate in 1994, the station already had been building a news department under General Manager Raymond Hunt. Plans for KNXV's new newscast, originally built to match the Fox feel, included a purple set and special effects. After ABC came to KNXV, the style was toned down, though the set remained. The station's newscasts formally debuted on August 1, 1994, under the "News 15" brand name with an 85-person news staff (larger than the 30 that the news department was originally planned to have). By September 1995, KNXV was airing daily newscasts at 6 and 11 a.m. in the morning, and evenings at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. During this time, the news department was being led by Susan Sullivan, who created an environment focused on enterprise and investigative reporting.