News and Public Affairs | About the ONR

tHE oKLAHOMA nEWS rEPORT

The Oklahoma News Report is Oklahoma's only statewide newscast - delivering news and information that matters to all Oklahomans. Anchored by Gerry Bonds and George Tomek, The Oklahoma News Report features in-depth reporting on important issues affecting the state and comprehensive year-round coverage of state government. Meteorologist Ross Dixon keeps viewers from border to border informed about Oklahoma's rapidly-changing weather.

Now in its fourth decade, The Oklahoma News Report began in the late 1970s, when OETA was funded by the state legislature to expand its signal statewide, beyond the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas.

"Rural residents and citizens felt isolated from the state in which they paid taxes," says former OETA Executive Director Robert Allen, who was instrumental in launching OETA's flagship newscast. "They were not able to get nightly television news except from neighboring states Louisiana, Texas and Kansas. The news started as a 30-minute show, consisting of three 10-minute interview programs. Yet due to viewer demand, the show expanded into a "regular" news program, " says Allen.

By 1980, OETA had the funds necessary to assemble a small production crew and three reporters/anchors, and began broadcasting a regular, weeknight 30-minute news and public affairs program weeknights at 6:30. The show used footage from commercial stations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, along with stories covered daily by its own reporters and photographers.

Today, the Oklahoma News Report features reports from its offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OETA's Stateline and Gallery units, the State Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and Oklahoma's commercial television stations. Now, more than ever, The Oklahoma News Report is dedicated to delivering news and information that educates, enlightens and enriches the lives of its viewers throughout Oklahoma.