OETA Spared State Cuts for Now

[ljbab728]

http://newsok.com/oeta-funding-is-li...rticle/3664988

[OKCisOK4me]

For someone that doesn't have cable and WILL NOT get cable, OETA is awesome! At least I have Netflix!!

[Questor]

I really love Downron Abbey and am glad they will be able to continue offering such highly-acclaimed series.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

I can't believe so many Republican legislators would want to eliminate funding OETA. Guys and gals legislators: OETA does matter to your constituents. Defunding OETA would likely mean shutting down all the transmitters/translators that puts OETA in the homes of rural Oklahomans (specifically those without cable or satellite). Can you imagine depriving Oklahomans of public television except in Oklahoma City and Tulsa? Can you imagine OETA without any Oklahoma content? That would be tragic and totally YOUR fault. Remember that & vote to properly fund OETA EVERY year.

John Hite, retired, Oklahoma City

[Larry OKC]

JohnH: but is it government's responsibility to make sure everyone has a TV station? Some say yes, others say no.

[oneforone]

OETA gets a bad reputation because of some of PBS's liberal shows. People seem to forget that not every PBS show is aired on OETA. Many of the shows are in place because of viewer pledges. OETA is a good thing overall, because it offers a wide variety of education material. Most of us learned many of the early lessons of childhood through Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Sesame Street. The audience for Discovery Networks, National Geographic and A&E would be non existent. PBS was the launch pad for those type of shows to be the success stories they are today.

They could easily silence the conservative movement to end NPR and PBS by establishing a balance of all points of view. Better yet just provide information without bias. Let the cable networks fight over which point of view is right or wrong.

[Questor]

You know I watch their news shows, their TV series, and their science shows and I just don't see that. I find them refreshingly neutral and science friendly. In fact I find them mostly free of point of view and hope they stay that way.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

JohnH: but is it government's responsibility to make sure everyone has a TV station? Some say yes, others say no.

Larry: Congress passed the Federal Radio Act of 1927 & the Communications Act of 1934 which designated a new FCC to grant licenses to radio & (future) tv stations (with designated frequencies) to allow them to use the public airways for commercial purposes. In return, the radio & tv stations had to provide public information programming, children's programming & religious programming and always allow the public free access to their signal. One proposed rider to this bill was that 25% of the frequencies would be designated for non-profit schools and organizations, but that portion of the bill was not approved.

When I lived in Europe, nearly 40 years ago from 1973 to 1975, most tv stations there did either did not accept advertising or advertising was only permitted in an evening block between about 6 pm to 7 pm (if I remember correctly on ZDF or ARD in Germany). The BBC has never allowed advertising on any of its radio or tv stations to the best of my knowledge. PBS was created before cable or satellite stations existed (1970) and was the successor to NET. I think its purpose was to give the American public some of the great cultural, historical, and nature programs enjoyed by Europeans and the Japanese (with NHK). I know PBS was (and still is) a great success. However when satellite/cable stations like the Discovery Channels, CNN, and the History Channel became available in the early 1980's, then subscribers to cable or satellite tv had access 24/7 to much of the special content previously available only on PBS.

I, myself, think every Oklahoman has a right to have access to OETA and PBS programming, even if they can't afford cable or satellite service. I also think the legislature should increase their funding enough to restore OETA's ability to have an interesting and informative daily newscast for the entire state of Oklahoma that focuses on something other than the crimes, fires and weather disasters that are the staples of the local commercial stations' newscasts.

[Larry OKC]

JohnH: sounds like you are making the case against funding them since there isn't any need for "public" tv/radio then when the commercial stations are required:

...to provide public information programming, children's programming & religious programming and always allow the public free access to their signal....

If you have the equipment to receive their signal, you don't have to pay for it (subscribe to the station or programming itself), right?

[JohnH_in_OKC]

JohnH: sounds like you are making the case against funding them since there isn't any need for "public" tv/radio then when the commercial stations are required:

If you have the equipment to receive their signal, you don't have to pay for it (subscribe to the station or programming itself), right?

Larry: No, OETA said that if the state eliminated its funding, there would be no money to operate any of the transmitters except Oklahoma City and Tulsa. They would have to shut down all the Cheyenne Mountain and Eufaula transmitters and the following repeaters: K38AK-D in Ponca City, K30AE-D in Alva, K28AC-D in Ardmore, K47KI-D in Duncan, K46AI-D in Durant, K36AB-D in Lawton, K46AH-D in Medford, K15AA-D in Hugo, K23HY-D in Idabel, K19AA-D in Altus, K20IT-D in Boise City, K34IN-D in Beaver, K48KE-D in Buffalo, K34IM-D in Frederick, K16AB-D in Guymon. Some of these communities might pay OETA to restore the repeaters & transmitters, but they might not. Thus, Oklahomans in rural areas without cable (or satellite) would likely lose access to OETA and PBS. I don't know anyone at OETA so I only know what I read in the Oklahoman or online.

The information on transmitters & repeaters came from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahom...sion_Authority
Here's the information about OETA having to shut down the transmitters/repeaters outside of Oklahoma City & Tulsa: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...1_ULNSbS372988

[Larry OKC]

John: As you said, some might have to be shut off and some not. OETA's position is that if the state cuts funds, no one will step up to the plate and they will have to shut them down (I consider that to be a scare tactic because it is unlikely that is the case). The bill's author contends someone will step up. it would probably be somewhere in between and a couple might be lost. That said, there are other places to get information (as required by law) from the commercial stations so it doesn't look like there is a governmental need to fund OETA. Think many of the commercial stations have the same type of system too to give statewide coverage. Just as individuals need to distinguish between needs and wants, governments need to do the same thing.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

Larry: No commercial tv station in Oklahoma has statewide coverage. Some have a few translators/repeaters that expands their service into a few additional communities for over the air coverage. The state provides OETA with 41% of its funding -- $3,822,328 this fiscal year (down from $5,194,383 just 3 years ago). I know of no alternative revenue sources that could make up for a nearly $4 million dollar annual cut in funding.

Of the 14 states that have statewide networks, Oklahoma is at the bottom of per person funding with Idaho. We spend only $1.12 per person. [PDF] “Oklahoma's Largest Classroom” Annual Report - OETA. Nebraska and South Dakota both spend over $5.00 per person on their statewide networks. Oklahoma could operate like most other states & have no statewide network, but we'd lose the OETA's Oklahoma content and be stuck with PBS only content, unless our state universities provided some content to their nearest PBS station.

If we lose the state funding, we not only will lose of all the transmitters & translators for statewide coverage, but we will likely lose all of OETA's Oklahoma content. That will trigger less contributions from viewers since there will be fewer of them and they'll miss not having local OETA programs.

[ljbab728]

You're correct, John. Remember the five part film "Oklahoma Passage"? We would would have likely never seen that if not for state funding for OETA.

[Larry OKC]

One good indicator on who is right in all of this (if the State cuts funding, it will be made up elsewhere) is an answer to this simple question. in the $1.3 million cut in state funding from 3 years ago, did OETA make up that revenue elsewhere? With the cuts, did the 41% change any 3 years later? I know they did cut their local newscast and the anchors were let go.

I would think those Oklahoma businesses and extreme wealthy in the state that naturally support things like OETA are going to bridge the gap.

Is there areas that are ONLY served by OETA and no commercial station is available? If that is the case, then one can certainly argue there is a NEED for state sponsored in those areas, and it may be just a want in other areas where alternatives exist.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

Larry, if you travel to small towns outside of the Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, Ada & Ardmore broadcast viewing areas, there are many towns that cannot pick up a commercial broadcast signal of any station & their residents must subscribe to cable (or satellite) or be without any TV service (except OETA). Some larger towns like Enid & Ponca City have translators/repeaters that rebroadcast some Oklahoma City stations for their communities.

From the [PDF] “Oklahoma's Largest Classroom” OETA FY 2011 Annual Report:

"As a state agency, state funding is the most important source of funding for OETA. This funding provides
the base for which all other fundraising is achieved. State funding reductions of 26 percent over
the last three years have resulted in a loss of a great number of talented staff. This loss of funding has
reduced the weeknight newscast to one night a week and eliminated programs that enrich our great
state, including Tulsa Times, Oklahoma City Metro, Legislative Week and other documentary series.
OETA is currently seeking increases in state funding to remedy this major shortfall."

The funding loss has not been made up, and I think you're off base thinking the nearly $4 million dollars a year will be funded by someone other than the state of Oklahoma.
We'll just have an OETA with 2 stations or OETA will be dissolved and the stations will become independent PBS stations that will have to be self funding. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are possibly the only survivors in either scenario. The remaining OETA Oklahoma programming content will likely have to be eliminated without that $3,822,328 from the state. Some of the smaller stations could be taken over by colleges and universities in their communities like Cameron University in Lawton & Northwestern State University in Alva. (Rogers State University in Claremore has its own public broadcast station RSU Public TV, independent of OETA but gets a big contribution each year from ConocoPhillips.) But the universities in this state are just about as underfunded as OETA and probably won't find benefactors like ConocoPhillips. Sadly, the remaining OETA Oklahoma programming that helped make OETA the highest rated public network in the nation will likely be lost.

From the OETA FY 2011 Annual Report - [PDF]:

"OETA began with one transmitting station,
little money, limited broadcast hours
and a small, almost immeasurable audience.
Today, with OETA’s statewide network
of four transmitting stations and 14
translator stations, more than 1.8 million
viewers tune into OETA on a weekly basis
- making Oklahoma the highest rated public
television network in the United States!"

[Larry OKC]

Guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this...you think it will be a great loss to the state and government needs to pay for it and I don't. Peace.