KOTV: Tulsa, Oklahoma
KOTV: Tulsa, Oklahoma
KOTV signed on in October of 1949 and became the nation’s 90th TV station. As the only station in the market for several years, they ran programs from ABC, CBS, NBC and Dumont. 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 by the network shows, but with a broadcast schedule that began at 12:30pm, Channel 6 had to fill the rest of its schedule with local programming that was broadcast live. I think this photo is from the ‘Lookin’ At Cookin’ show that had a 32-year run. The station cost a total of $400,000 to build and equip. Notice the Elecrozoom lens on one of their RCA TK30s. I can’t imagine why there is a casket in the studio unless it is for a live spot from a local funeral home.
Around here the news sets seem to take up the entire studio space. In the mid 1960’s at WEDU-TV in Tampa we did have sets all around the studio for various shows because several were still done live back to back all day; the small studio had one set for a children’s show that aired live every day and they used the entire space with 2 ancient Sarkes-Tarzian cameras, one of which seemed to always conk out right before the show started.
Do most stations do much local programing any more (besides news)?
One of my dreams is to open a studio like this. I love the idea of simply having a studio with a bunch of different sets in it.