KOTV-DT

KOTV-DT, virtual channel 6, is the CBS-affiliated television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts from studios on South Frankfort Ave. in downtown Tulsa, and its transmitter is located in Oneta. The station is owned by Griffin Communications of Oklahoma City, in a duopoly with CW affiliate KQCW (channel 19).

The station currently broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 45, using its former VHF analog channel assignment of 6 as its virtual channel via PSIP. On cable, KOTV can be seen on channel 6 in standard definition and on channel 706 in high definition on Cox Tulsa.

History
In 1946, the Griffin family, owners of KTUL-AM, assigned Helen Alvarez to make a study of television's chances of success in Tulsa. After two years of research, Alvarez suggested that the Griffins apply for a TV construction permit as quickly as possible. The radio executives decided TV was too risky a venture, and planned to wait a year before going to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to apply for a TV license. Unfortunately, due to a freeze on television applications, the Griffins would face a much longer wait to get into television, but eventually did so when KTVX (now KTUL) signed on in 1954.

Alvarez immediately resigned and began casting about for investors willing to get a station on the air right away. At a party, she was introduced to Texas oilman George Cameron, who was looking to spend monthly royalty checks totaling $50,000 he was banking. Along with salesman John Hill, who was working for a Tulsa wire maker, Cameron and Alvarez formed Cameron Television Corporation and applied to the FCC for channel 6 in Tulsa. With no other applications to consider, the FCC granted a construction permit to the Cameron Television Corporation in the spring of 1948.

It wasn't granted for KOTV, as Cameron had requested, but for KOVB. A typo on the application meant the request had to be re-filed, and in May 1948, the FCC approved the call sign change to KOTV. Alvarez negotiated the lease of the International Harvester dealership and repair shop at Third Street and Frankfort Avenue, and it was converted into what was then the nation's largest television studio. The station still broadcasts from there today. KOTV's transmitter, built in the backyard of Chief Engineer George Jacobs, was eventually hoisted to the top of the National Bank of Tulsa Building in downtown Tulsa. Alvarez had spent a year convincing bank officers that the tower would be both safe and in time, become a local landmark. While the tower was being installed, a workman's wrench fell and struck a woman passing below on the head. She died instantly.

Detractors jumped on the accident proclaiming KOTV was "jinxed" from the start. They took to calling it "Cameron's Folly," and speaking at a Tulsa Chamber of Commerce luncheon, a Tulsa radio executive said anyone investing in KOTV or buying a television set was "foolish." However, Cameron Television continued on, and on October 22, 1949, KOTV signed on as Tulsa's first television station, the 90th television station in the United States and the second in Oklahoma. Alvarez was the station's first general manager, and along with Hill held a minority ownership stake in the station. The station's first broadcast was a test pattern, seen by a handful of viewers across Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. More than a month later, on November 23, 1949 KOTV broadcast its first local program, a live Chamber of Commerce meeting attended by many of the station's original critics.

A week later, the station presented a "Special Dedication Program" featuring Oklahoma Governor Roy Turner, Tulsa Mayor Roy Lundy, singer Patti Page, Leon McAuliffe and his western swing band and Miss Oklahoma Louise O'Brien. The next day, December 1, KOTV broadcast a two-hour sampling of the top programs from all five networks. Over 3,000 television sets were placed throughout the city for public viewing, some of them set on sidewalks outside appliance stores. After several days of this sampling, the public began to buy TV sets and KOTV began having a small, but growing, viewing audience in the Four States area.

KOTV originally carried programming from all four networks of the time—CBS, ABC, NBC and DuMont. It also briefly carried some programs produced by the "Paramount Television Network," a link between KTLA in Los Angeles and WBKB (now WBBM-TV) in Chicago. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1] Even though relations between KOTV and all the networks were smooth, KOTV showed a preference for CBS over the others. At first, network programming was aired about a week after being broadcast live on the East Coast; it would be 1952 before a microwave link with New York City made live network programming possible.

Three hours of programming were filled in the evening. With a broadcast schedule that began at 12:30pm, Channel 6 filled the rest of its schedule with local programming that was broadcast live. The cooking program Lookin' At Cookin' began a 32-year run that first year, broadcast from the nation's first "Telecast Kitchen." Eventually, the show was cut down to a 5-minute show and was retitled Coffee Break, which aired at 10:55 a.m. and pre-empted Douglas Edwards' "CBS Midday Newsbreak." In 1981, the kitchen was shut down.

KOTV had a live wrestling program, and when the station's staff announcer Bob Hower ended his shift as host of the game show Wishing Well, he became Tulsa's first news anchorman, reading Associated Press and United Press wire copy headlines for 15 minutes, four times a week. In 1952, Cameron sold KOTV to another Texas oil magnate, Jack Wrather, for $2.5 million (by comparison, it had cost only $400,000 to build the station). Wrather knew little about television, and persuaded Alvarez to stay on as general manager. He also made her a full partner in what was named the Wrather-Alvarez Television Corporation, later renamed the General Television Corporation.

In 1953, KOTV began airing another live show which aired on Sunday mornings for 42 years: Lewis Meyer's Bookshelf. This program, hosted by author and literary critic Lewis Meyer, was a book review show where Meyer showed off books from his bookstore, located for many years on Brookside Drive in Tulsa. Each Sunday, he would show off books and read some of their content. And each week, Meyer selected the "book of the week." He would review the book of the week, and before closing the program, he always reminded viewers that "the more books you read, the TALLER you grow." Before his death in 1995, Meyer showed off his bookshelf on CBS' Early Show, being interviewed by CBS' Paula Zahn. After Lewis Meyer's death, the show was not replaced, and CBS News' "Face the Nation" now airs in the time slot.

KOTV got a competitor in 1954, when KCEB-TV signed-on on channel 23 as an NBC primary/DuMont secondary affiliate. However, as television manufacturers were not required to include UHF tuning capability at the time, NBC made a secret agreement with KOTV that allowed channel 6 to continue "cherry-picking" NBC's stronger shows. A few months later, KVOO-TV (channel 2, now KJRH) signed on and took the remaining NBC programming. KCEB then moved to ABC, which agreed on condition that KOTV be allowed to cherry-pick its shows as well. When KTVX signed on in 1954, it took all remaining ABC programming, leaving KOTV as a sole CBS affiliate.

Soon after KOTV became only a CBS affiliate, General Television sold the station to the Whitney Corporation of Indianapolis, which was renamed Corinthian Broadcasting Corporation in 1957. Corinthian merged with Dun & Bradstreet in 1971. In December 1983, Belo bought Dun and Bradstreet's entire television division, including KOTV. In late 2000, Oklahoma City-based Griffin Communications purchased KOTV. Griffin Communications is the longtime owner of CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City, and the Griffin family formerly owned KTUL radio, before starting television station KTVX (channel 8) in Muskogee, which is now KTUL-TV. KOTV logo used from 1996 until October 24, 2010.Griffin upgraded KOTV's facilities to accommodate high-definition and digital broadcasting, including a new transmitter, control rooms, and master-control room. KOTV outfitted its photojournalists with the first digital cameras in the market. In recent years, KOTV also added Tulsa's most-advanced news helicopter, SkyNews 6, which teamed up with Oklahoma City's News 9's SkyNews 9HD to form the state's only newsgathering chopper team.

On June 20, 2007, the station's helicopter, SkyNews 6, was shooting a station promotion when the chopper's rotors struck the dish of a KOTV satellite truck, sending the helicopter spinning out of control and crashing to the ground. Two people, including the chopper's pilot, survived with minor injuries. The Bell 206B helicopter was a total loss. [1] A photo of SkyNews 6 is available at http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1154584/M KOTV debuted a new helicopter on May 5, 2008. The new chopper is also called SkyNews 6. Improvements to the new helicopter include an additional camera on the craft's tail, that shows the side of the chopper in profile on the left side of the screen, while showing the scene on the right side. The new cameras have been rebranded as "SteadiZoom 360".

Griffin Communications, the owner of KOTV, announced on October 25, 2007 that it had acquired a plot of land in the historic Brady district of downtown Tulsa on which to build a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2). media center that would house KOTV, KQCW, and Griffin New Media, which maintains all of Griffin Communications' web sites. Ground was broken for the $20 million building on April 8, 2008, but construction has been delayed and a completion date is undetermined.

Digital television
KOTV-DT broadcasts on digital channel 45.

Digital channels KOTV ceased analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009.[2] Because KOTV and KJRH's digital channels were on a band of UHF which is now no longer in use after the June 12, 2009 cutoff date for analog television broadcasting (channels 52 to 69), it seemed likely that both KOTV and KJRH would move their digital signals to their former analog channel assignments. However, their analog channel assignments were in the low band of VHF (channels 2 to 6), which are more prone to interference from atmospheric conditions than are higher channel numbers.

For this reason, KOTV selected channel 45 for its post-transition operations and KJRH now operates on channel 8 after KTUL ceased analog operations. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will continue to display KOTV's virtual channel as 6. Prior to the digital switch KOTV's signal could be heard on FM radio on 87.7 FM. With the shutdown of KOTV's analog signal on February 17, 2009, the anamolous audio service on 87.7 was also discontinued.

Programming
KOTV currently carries all CBS network programming; ironically though, KOTV airs The Saturday Early Show, while sister station KWTV in Oklahoma City preempts the program for local news. However, the weekday edition of The Early Show airs one hour later, from 8-10 a.m. (instead of the network's recommended time of 7-9 a.m.), due to the three-hour long newscast Six in the Morning, and one hour of the Cookie Jar TV children's block airs on Sunday mornings. Syndicated programming on KOTV currently includes Dr. Phil, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Entertainment Tonight (the latter two also airs on sister station KQCW) and Inside Edition, with CSI: Miami and CSI: NY on weekends (all of these programs are distributed by CBS Television Distribution). KOTV (along with Oklahoma City sister station KWTV) also airs the state tourism program Integris Health's Discover Oklahoma on Saturday evenings before primetime.

News operation
KOTV broadcasts a total of 30 hours of local news per week (with 5½ hours on weekdays, 1½ hours on Saturdays and one hour on Sundays).

KOTV also airs its morning newscast from 5 to 8 a.m. and broadcasts CBS's The Early Show from 8 to 10 a.m. In the fall of 2008, KOTV expanded its late newscast on Saturday nights to a full hour. The first half-hour is branded as The News on 6 at 10:00, while the second half-hour is called The News on 6 Late Edition (this is the same with sister station KWTV-DT in Oklahoma City, which also airs an hour-long 10 p.m. newscast on Saturdays).

On October 24, 2010 beginning with the KQCW 9 p.m. newscast, KOTV introduced introduced new on-air graphics, a new news music package, a new station logo (a rounded red square with a "6" in Goudy type), and a new station slogan ("Oklahoma's Own"). Oklahoma City sister station KWTV adopted a similar logo and identical graphics and slogan, as well as adopting The CBS Enforcer News Music Collection by Gari Communications (which KOTV has used as its news theme since 2006) as its news theme on that same date. However, KOTV has yet to begin airing its local newscasts in high definition, unlike its Oklahoma City sister station KWTV which made the switch to high definition on October 24, 2010, though its newscasts and some syndicated programming are now broadcast in 16:9 widescreen standard definition.[3]

Ratings
KOTV continues to dominate the Nielsen ratings 24 hours a day, and its news broadcasts continue to win all time periods by comfortable margins. In November 2007, KOTV's 10pm newscast was the 8th highest-ranked late newscast in the United States. Channel 6 also won in the Local Access time period (6:30pm weeknights) with Entertainment Tonight. [2]

[edit] Newscast titles

 * Channel 6 News (October 22, 1949-December 1968 and January 1969-1971)
 * 6 Photo News (December 1968-January 1969)
 * Channel 6 Eyewitness News (1971-1987)[4]
 * Tulsa Tonight (10 p.m. newscast; 1984-1987)
 * The News on 6 (1987-present)[5]
 * Six in the Morning (1999-present; morning newscast)

[edit] Station slogans

 * First in Tulsa (1949-mid 1970s)
 * The First One You Turn To (mid 1970s)
 * Take A Look (1978-1980)
 * Lookin' Good! (1980-1983; originating as a localized version of CBS ad campaign used during the 1980-1981 season, KOTV kept this slogan after the campaign ended)
 * On a Scale of One to Five, We're Six (c. early 1980s)
 * We're Everything that Tulsa Means to You (1983-1984)
 * The Spirit of Oklahoma (1984-2001; also formerly used on now sister station KWTV)[6]
 * Anchors Who Cover the News, Know the News. (2002-2008)
 * Getting Answers. So You'll Know More. (2008-2010)
 * Oklahoma's Own (2010-present)

Notable on-air staff
====[edit] Current on-air staff (as of June 24, 2010)[7] ==== Anchors WARN Weather Team OKBlitz.com Sports team Reporters
 * Craig Day - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also reporter
 * Lori Fullbright - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also crime reporter
 * Terry Hood - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Rich Lenz - weekday mornings "Daybreak" and "Six in the Morning"
 * Jamie McGriff - weekdays at noon; also morning reporter
 * LeAnne Taylor - weekday mornings "Daybreak" and "Six in the Morning"
 * Scott Thompson - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Tara Vreeland - Saturdays at 5 and 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
 * Travis Meyer (AMS Seal of Approval; Member, NWA) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Nick Bender - Meteorologist; Thursday-Fridays at noon and nightly at 9 p.m. (on KQCW)
 * Alan Crone (AMS Seal of Approval; Member, NWA) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "The News on 6 Daybreak / Six in the Morning" and Monday-Wednesdays at noon
 * Dick Faurot (AMS Seal of Approval; Member, NWA) - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 5 and 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
 * John Holcomb - Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also host of "Friday Football Fever" and co-host of "Oklahoma Sports Blitz"
 * Chad McKee - sports anchor/reporter (KWTV based)
 * Kyle Dierking - anchor
 * Dan Bewley - general assignment reporter; also field producer
 * Emory Bryan - general assignment and government reporter
 * Jennifer Loren - "Oklahoma Impact" investigative reporter
 * Ashli Sims - general assignment and education reporter
 * Chris Wright - general assignment reporter
 * Rick Wells - feature reporter

[edit] Newson6.com

 * Mindy Mizell
 * Chris Howell - Newson6.com producer/reporter

Former on-air staff

 * John Anderson - sports anchor (?-?; now with ESPN and co-host of ABC's "Wipeout")
 * James Aydelott - meteorologist (?-?; now at KOKI-TV)
 * Ken Broo - sports director (1970s, now sports director at WLWT-TV in Cincinnati)
 * Bob Brown - afternoon anchor (1977-1979?; now at ABC News' 20/20)
 * Betty Boyd - public affairs personality (?-?; later at KTUL, retired)
 * Mack Creager - sports director (deceased)
 * Mike Flynn - anchor (later journalism professor in Arkansas, retired)
 * David George - meteorologist (late 1980s; now chief meteorologist at WMTV in Madison, WI)
 * Jim Giles - chief meteorologist (1981-2006; deceased)
 * Jim Hartz - anchor (1962-1965; later anchor of NBC's Today)
 * Brad Hawkins - anchor/reporter (1996-2000; later anchor at WFAA-TV)
 * Dale Hogg - weekend anchor (?-?; now living in Washington, D.C.)
 * Bob Hower - KOTV's first anchor (early 1950s; later at KTUL, retired)
 * Robert Joffe - anchor (1986-1990; fired, sued Clayton Vaughn, found dead in Dallas 1991, widow awarded over $4 million)
 * Lisa Jones - anchor (1993-1999; fired, now at KJRH)
 * Les Lampson - announcer (?-?; later announcer for "The Untouchables" [1959-1963], deceased)
 * Bobby Lewis - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor
 * Tami Marler - weekend anchor/investigative reporter (?-2007; now with Tulsa Public Schools)
 * Dari Nowkhah - sports reporter (?-?; now with ESPN)
 * Casey Norton - morning anchor (?-?; now weekend anchor at KOMO-TV in Seattle)
 * Bill Pitcock - anchor (?-?; deceased)
 * Beth Rengel - anchor (1989-1996; former KTUL and KJRH anchor, now realtor and TV spokeswoman)
 * Latoya Silmon - noon anchor/reporter (now with KTUL-TV)
 * Glenda Silvey - anchor (?-2008; now at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa)
 * Bill Teegins - sports director (?-1986; later at KWTV in Oklahoma City, killed in OSU plane crash in Colorado in 2001)
 * Cy Tuma - anchor (?-?; later at KTUL, deceased)
 * Harry Volkman - meteorologist (1950-1952; later with KWTV, WKY-TV (now KFOR-TV) in Oklahoma City and numerous Chicago TV stations, retired in 2005)
 * Clayton Vaughn - anchor (1964-1999; retired)
 * Omar Villafranca - KQCW anchor/reporter (2006-2008; now at KXAS-TV in Dallas)
 * Mike Wolfe - sports anchor (?-2007; now at Cox Communications)
 * Lee Woodward - weather anchor (?-?; retired) (Remembered for his forecast with 'King Lionel', a lion puppet that he used at the beginning of his weather segment in the early 1970's)
 * Scott Smith - sports anchor (2007-2009; now sports reporter/anchor at KPHO in Phoenix)
 * Margaret Stokes - NewsOn6.com reporter (now at KOCO in Oklahoma City)
 * J.B. Long - Sports Anchor; (2008-2010) now in Tampa, Florida