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In May 1953, Oklahoma became the first state to provide by law for a statewide educational television system. House Bill 1033, authored by Representative W.H. Langley of Stillwell and Senator Byron Dacus of Gotebo and signed by Governor Johnston Murray, created the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, “…to make educational television services available to all Oklahoma citizens on a coordinated statewide basis.”
On December 3, 1953, the FCC issued a permit to OETA for the construction of Channel 13 facilities in Oklahoma City. On July 21, 1954, a construction permit for KOET/Channel 11 in Tulsa was issued. Lease agreements for $1 a year with KWTV/Channel 9 in Oklahoma City and KOTV/Channel 6 in Tulsa provided for tower and transmitter space.
While the Authority was authorized to issue revenue bonds to be paid off from monies accumulating in the Public Building Fund to finance all expenses involved with construction and equipment, the legislature did not appropriate any funds for operations since these expenses would be handled with private funds.
This misunderstanding caused the operational support provided by the legislature to be conservative, if not meager, during OETA’s first decade. Thankfully, there was a donation of $50,000 a year for three years from a private donor, but the donor (later revealed to be E.K. Gaylord of the Oklahoma Publishing Company and WKY Radio and TV) asked for assurances that the operation of educational television would be funded by the state in future years.
In the fall of 1955, Oklahoma Governor Raymond Gary turned the first spadeful of dirt as groundbreaking ceremonies for the KETA/Channel 13 transmitter building were held.
The dream of public television in Oklahoma became a reality. KETA/Channel 13 in Oklahoma City went on the air as the 20 th educational television station in the United States – and the 2 nd in the Southwest!
In 1956, OETA’s skeleton staff consisted of director John Dunn, a chief engineer, a studio assistant and “a band of willing helpers” from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City public schools.
Because of financial limitations, OETA’s regular program schedule was initially restricted to one hour daily. But by the end of the year, the program schedule was expanded to 20 hours per week.
During its first 14 years, OETA was largely an instructional television facility, playing a pioneering role in the development of instructional television.
In 1959, the Oklahoma legislature approved an appropriation of only $50,000 per year for each of the next two years. Although the funding was substantially less than OETA had requested, it enabled the Authority to go on the air with KOED/Channel 11 in Tulsa.
Equipment to increase transmitter power was installed at KETA/Channel 13 in the fall of 1967 and at KOED/Channel 11 in 1968.
When the decade of the ‘70s began, public television was still an obscure medium. OETA was long on potential and expectations, but devastatingly short on resources and watched by relatively few.
In July 1972, John Dunn, who had guided the Authority since its inception in 1953, retired. Robert L. (Bob) Allen was appointed as the new OETA executive director. Allen immediately began to develop a comprehensive statewide expansion plan for the Authority’s future.
Under Allen’s guidance, quality local productions were emphasized, particularly in public affairs and cultural areas, to serve a broader spectrum of the television audience not reached by commercial television. With the beginning of the fall broadcast season in 1973, OETA began broadcasting on Saturday for the first time in its history. Weekly programming was expanded to 49 hours, an increase of 14 hours.
Public television on the local level received additional support when the Oklahoma legislature voted to move the OETA basement operation from Norman to Oklahoma City. Appropriations were made to enable OETA to consolidate its equipment and personnel by constructing a studio/office facility at the transmitter site in Oklahoma City. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facility were held on December 12, 1973, with then-Lieutenant Governor George Nigh the featured speaker.
In 1974, the new OETA facility was completed. Director Bob Allen called the facility a major step toward the realization of “a long-time dream of providing the best possible public broadcasting programs for the citizens of Oklahoma.”
In 1975, OETA held its first on-air Festival fundraising drive. OETA viewers contributed more than $125,000 for programming and production costs. In 2003, OETA celebrated its 28 th Festival and saw its on-air goal of $1.25 million achieved in just 16 short days.
In 1987, OETA brought “The Lawrence Welk Show” weekly series to public teleivison and for the past 16 years has produced the series that is seen weekly by more than 2.5 million viewers. It is also the number-one syndicated weekly series on public television and is aired by 277 PBS stations nationally. OETA has also produced 12 national Lawrence Welk fundraising special for PBS, including the highly successful, “Lawrence Welk: Milestones & Memories” reunion special, plus the new “Lawrence Welk: God Bless America” patriotic special that debuted in March 2003.
In 1989, OETA produced and premiered “Oklahoma Passage,” a five-part series covering 150 years of Oklahoma History. This award-winning series continues to hold viewing records for OETA and received many accolades from state and national history organizations including the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Today the OETA staff continues to be the smallest among all the statewide public television networks in the country, but produces more local programming and has the largest audience (1.8 million weekly viewers) than any other statewide network.
OETA’s recent list of national, regional and local awards include from the National Academy of Arts and Science (Emmy), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the Associated Press (AP), Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) and the Public Television Programmers Association (PTPA), among many others.
In December 1998, Robert L. “Bob” Allen retired as OETA’s executive director. His tenure lead OETA from its humble beginnings in a basement class r oom at the University of Oklahoma, to a statewide network covering all of Oklahoma, parts of southern Kansas, western Arkansas and the Texas panhandle with four transmitting stations and 15 translators.
In January 1999, Malcolm (Mac) Wall was appointed OETA’s third executive director and was handed the task of taking OETA into the digital future.This means that OETA plans to add an additional digital transmission system to each of its four major statewide transmitter sites and upgrade its production equipment to digital quality in response to a mandate from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
OETA’s initial cost (Phase One) for the transition to statewide digital television is $11.2 million. In 2002, OETA received $5.6 million of that amount from the state legislature and $5.6 million in matching funds from private sources.
Digital television will enable OETA to greatly expand its programming and educational services through multi-casting. In prime time, High Definition Television (HDTV) will significantly enhance the beauty and detail of OETA’s national programming from PBS, from nature and the performing arts to science and drama.
Digital television will also allow OETA to multicast four or more educational programs simultaneously, such as children’s programs, elementary and secondary instructional programs, teacher training and college telecourses for higher education students.
We’re celebrating 50 years of outstanding public television service to the citizens and children of Oklahoma. OETA’s next 50 years will be bright and exciting…welcome to the digital future!
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is Oklahoma's only statewide public television network. Established in 1953, OETA signed-on the air in 1956 to "make educational television available to all Oklahoma citizens on a coordinated statewide basis."
Today, OETA has grown to become The Oklahoma Network, educating, entertaining and enlightening 1.8 million weekly viewers throughout the entire state of Oklahoma, as well as southern Kansas, western Arkansas and the Texas panhandle. Winner of numerous state, regional and national awards including Emmys, Auroras, PBS, AP, Sigma Delta Chi, Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, plus many others, OETA produces a week-night news program and more local documentary productions (including the award-winning "Gallery" and "Stateline" series) than any other TV station in the state. Since 1987, OETA has produced "The Lawrence Welk Show" weekly series and specials for national distribution on PBS stations. Now celebrating more than 50 years on TV, "The Lawrence Welk Show" has become the longest-running weekly series still in production and is the highest-rated weekly syndicated series on public television today.
OETA also leads the way in statewide digital television with four digital, high definition channels located in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Eufaula and Cheyenne. OETA's conversion to digital television will allow The Oklahoma Network to expand its future programming by offering even more choices for viewers across the state.
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