When local NBC affiliate KPNX/Channel 12 went live for the first time Wednesday, Jan. 12 from its ground floor studio in the Arizona Republic building in downtown Phoenix, Kitchell was front and center shouting its congratulations. The day marked the culmination of Kitchell’s fast-track six-month long construction project to move the entire television station from the original Central Avenue location to its new “200 EVB” home.

“This is a significant event in the Valley’s changing media landscape and it’s great that we could be a part of it,” said Mike Rock, president of Kitchell Contractors. “Even better – we now get to see our handiwork on television every day.”

Kitchell oversaw the demolition, relocation and 14,500-square-foot remodel of the news station which is slightly more than 1.5 miles from its previous home. The focal point of the new studio is a picture window, a la the Today Show’s Rockefeller Center Window on the World, facing Van Buren and Third Street. Visitors will be able to get a real time peek into the front-of-camera and behind-the-scenes activities at KPNX, one of the top performing NBC affiliates with 1.1 million viewers weekly.

Project challenges included remaining highly sensitive to ongoing activities at the Arizona Republic, which relies on a sophisticated electronics infrastructure for its news operations.