The one issue that has often bothered me about Oklahoma is Tulsa and Oklahoma City's boiling rivalry and the constant argument over 'who is the better city'. The problem with this rivalry is beyond the general public. From my personal accounts, its foundation is the local media in both cities. That is the single biggest problem.

I don't want to pick on Tulsa, and I'm not siding with OKC just because I am from here, but I believe the bigger problem lies with our sister city. I have noticed what both cities are equally responsible for, and that is the oureageous claim to "Oklahoma's Newschannel 4" and "Oklahoma's Newschannel 8". (For those not from Oklahoma, KFOR-TV 4 is Oklahoma City's NBC affiliate. KTUL-TV 8 is Tulsa's ABC affiliate.) Wouldn't this be a conflict of interest resulting in a court case?

Well, in any case, I was in Tulsa visiting family when I was watching KTUL. I noticed that no one from Tulsa calls it "Tulsa, Oklahoma". To them its "Tulsa, Green Country." And the news anchors on channel 8 follow that claim. The meteorologist says "Currently in Green Country" instead of "Currently in Northeastern Oklahoma." I understand nicknames, but I question this because Tulsans often talk about seccession from Oklahoma. Besides, Green Country wasn't so green last Sunday.

See, it shouldn't be "Oklahoma's Newschannel 8". It should be "Tulsa's Newschannel 8". Oklahoma City shouldn't make the same claim either. It should be "Oklahoma City's Newschannel 4".

Yet, I am still very much bothered by Tulsa's talk of seccession. I've seen it in Tulsa's newspapers, from people on the streets, and even on Tulsa's forums.
I understand, empathize and even agree with Tulsa's frustrations over getting shortchanged by the Oklahoma state government, however seccession is not the answer. I know it could never seriously happen, but it sets a bad example and resembles juvenile behavior instead of becoming vocal on the issue. Don't get me wrong, Tulsa is a great city and with wonderful people, but the media can do wonders in influencing the populace. I mean really, do you ever here Gary England say "Right now in Frontier Country...". If I recall, every other state goes by geographical region.

Oklahoma City media isn't quite as bad in the rivalry push, however our local media should set a better example of state-wide unity. Showing other states how split we are on issues will only make our image worse, and can make outside interests feel uncomfortable.

I'm not trashing Tulsa (not until the Blazers/Oilers game, which sports rivalries are NORMAL), but there are better avenues of communication that our northeastern neighbor should follow, and show more originality. There is room for improvement here in Oklahoma City as well.

If we want to survive as a state in this country, this needs to end. Indeed, the rivalry has subsided over the years recently, and that's good. But there are still some miles to cover. For our own good, this rivalry can't continue, and our media outlets need to realize this. At least a lot of people have.