Lowell Burch - 07/19/99 07:53:32
My Email:J9z1b95@AOL,com
Location: Magic Circle
Favorite Tulsa TV show: UFF
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Teddy Jack Eddy
Stupidest local commercial: Bust Stop

Comments:
I remember now that there was a radio shack in the top of the bank (BOK). I had a friend (Elmer, I think) in radio electronics about 15 years ago whose responsibility it was to do the repairs up there. He offered to take me up but we never did get around to it. I did go up to the dining room once, though. It takes up the whole floor right under the tower.



Lowell Burch - 07/19/99 03:16:38
My Email:J9z1b95@aol.com
Location: Hiway 66
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Cy Tuma News
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Gusty and Lionel
Stupidest local commercial: I thought he was your son! (UFF&CM)

Comments:
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that KVOO was originally located in the Philtower, hence the antenna of old. When you drive by, remember Paul Harvey, Bob Wills, Will Rogers, Gene Autry and a string of other greats walked through those doors to broadcast prior to and during the early days of Tulsa TV.



Mike (stop with antennae!) Bruchas - 07/18/99 21:13:15
Location: Up a tower somewhere....
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Jim Hill
Stupidest local commercial: Reasor's - at times

Comments:
Hep me!

I vaguely remember either on the Philtower or BOK (or whatever bank it is NOW)there was an antenna. I heard it was for a long defunct radio station then someone tried to tell me it was for KOTV. Does anyone know about this - I think it was taken down.

There was another story that BOK had an executive dining room up top of the building and a transmitter shack had one time been up there, but my memories are murky.

Still another rumor I heard was talk of folks wanting to put an antenna on top of the then new Williams Building - as it was the tallest in Tulsa, but the FAA had cause to object -- I bet they have pager/radio repeater short stick antennae there now though.

Look up to the heights, folks, you might be surprised what you see! A lot of these towers Eric refers to may be either cel phone repeaters -or- relay or microwave towers for areas without fiber optic paths or over the highest hills in town. Think of AMOCO and how high tech they can be - now multiply this by a lot of businesses you know NOTHING about - in the data biz. Like Sabre - American Airline's data division.

Teligent may be coming your way - they are based here and move videoconferencing, internet and data via these little weird looking building-to-building microwaves and packet signals that bypass telco/cable tv lines for service. The "spectrum" of signal waves is getting ever fuller!



Erick - 07/18/99 17:01:11
My Email:ericktul@webtv.net
Location: Tulsa

Comments:
KOKH was at old Classen High School. That place is now an overall learning center, but I believe KOKH's then quasi-transmitter is still hanging off the south side of the building.

Spec Hart...he spoke in front of a tech class I took in school. Very bright man. I remember he was wearing some strrrrrong cologne or soap. We were asking questions not even related to engineering, and he was happy to answer them. Even "swiped a tube from a camera" and let us put our grubby paw prints all over it. He wasn't looking good then, and this was about 9 years ago. Is he still with us?

Bob Allen....the man's misadventures seem laughable at times. In around 1990, he purchased then-Fox affiliate KAUT, and turned it into KTLC "The Learning Channel". This was basically a more adult-friendly PBS station, and their big promotion was that they carried Sesame Street in primetime and Charlie Rose at night. KOKH switched over to Fox from being Ind when this happened. KTLC lasted nearly 9 years...much longer than I expected. I think the gov't was going to stop making funds available for KTLC for some reason, so Allen held a series of auctions in the KTLC studios to fund the station. Where else can you get a scratched up armoir for $550? This obviously didn't work, because the station began airing UPN programming in primetime (KOCB went WB almost 2 years ago), and now the calls are again KAUT, and they are owned by the Paramount Stations Group, although I think some of the PBS morning kids programming still airs.

Speaking of sticks, does anyone know what's up with the one on the hill on 61st east of Sheridan? I've wondered if that was a city thing or if a radio station runs on that.



Mike (stop answerin' questions) Bruchas - 07/18/99 15:25:18

Comments:
KOKH's old stick I think was on top a 2-3 story High School building (I forget which one - Classen?). Everytime I visited friends in OKC - I tried to see the non-commercial station but never did - they ran a limited broadcast day of ITV (Instructional TV or video classes plus I think Sesame Street) on a limited budget and may have had an asthmatic and lower powered transmitter.

I had a job interview there with KTVY legend Zoli Vajda who was production manager at the new 25 after 25 went commercial at the old studios. The tech area had all RCA antique gear except for a used video cart machine that the new owneys brought in for spot playback. The new building hadn't been built yet but plans were underway as the antenna went up across from 9 and OETA. KOKH (Keep Our Kids Happy was the tie to the call-letters) somehow had tech space in the school for a period - don't know how much they paid OKC Public Schools for the station but it probably was a pittance compared to what 25 would sell for later.

Zoli left 25 to produce spots and pro rodeo programming - he was a great director at 4 and ultra creative. I later got to know and love 4 & 25 TV legend chief engineer Spec Hart - who was one of the most decent and sharpest chiefs I have known in my career.

I think KOKH was a forward thinking idea of the 50's or 60's for TV classrooms that was underfunded. Someone had good concept - ahead of it's time but couldn't fathom what it costs to run a station. The Catholic Church in many larger cities runs MMDS or low tower microwave transmitted programming to parochial schools all day long. Maybe if KOKH had gone this route before cable hit - it would have survived on a different scale.

On another side note - I do remember OETA's Bob Allen rubbing his hands in glee after learning he was getting $200-300,000 of US Dept of Education funds normally destined to the old KOKH and he would supposedly spend on 1" tape machines for OETA. .



Mike Bruchas - 07/18/99 14:49:51
Location: Stuck in OK of the 70's.

Comments:
Re the long-standing tower on Reservoir Hill - I was told it was either Tulsa Police or Tulsa County's antenna for years.

I loved driving that way up the back roads to Sperry or Skiatook - I presume it is all mega homes out that way now. Before 75 was improved and all the turnpikes built - I used to drive to Winfield KS by way of Osage County (hello, Jump's Roller Rink - often mentioned on KTUL but they never bought any air-time!). It will always be a magical place in OK for all the funky little towns. When someone from 8 went into Hub's Shop in Barnsdall (a daily KTUL TuffNut co-op spot advertiser) - we were treated like royalty. I used to also remember to look where Barnsdall's night cop always parked (or slept) - so as to NOT get a ticket.

I seem to remember driving several times thru Pawhuska when "Saturday Night Fever" packed folks in all Summer the year it was released - at the drive-in. Which was funny 'cause movies usually only lasted 2-3 weeks at a pop during the season. Thought it hilarious - the town of Ben Johnson and his rodeo - havin' so many disco fans. Then again maybe a lot of those folks WEREN'T watching the movie! I wonder if it is still there? Anyone know?

I was last in PawHuskie 6-7 years ago and downtown was dying. The classic hotel that Bob Gregory mentioned so often in the "Oil in Oklahoma" series had had a bad fire and I guess a newer less historic part was all that remained. Funny at one time Pawhuska had more millionaires than Tulsa - had they all stayed there - this might be Pawhuska TV Memories! Bob Gregory's work instilled in a lot of us - interest in all the old boomtowns and the sense of history.

Not to drift off TV but does the Saba Grotto Shriners clubhouse still live up in No. Tulsa? Many years ago Jack Hobson of 8 and I were trolling around up there after hitting Gilcrease and found this neat old mansion. It had belonged to some big-time doctor who willed or gave it to this Shriners chapter. A member took us thru the public areas one weekday afternoon - it IS classic Tulsa architecture of the 1920's! I get the feeling they were looking for prospective new members but never gave us a sales pitch - just were very proud of the place! Always wondered if the members moved elsewhere - it was pretty remote up there!



Mike Bruchas - 07/18/99 14:19:10
My Email:jmbruchas@juno.com
Location: Hot place on da East Coast

Comments:
Anyone know where Jefferson Peters Lugenbeuhl is now? His family had a funeral home in Miami or one of the towns up by the MO border. His air name in Tulsa was Jeff Peters but he was a KWGS/TU grad. He worked at KCNW and I think at KXXO, too. May have done small market radio in NE OK before coming to Tulsa. Hadn't thought about him in years!

What about Dean Kelly (from KELI)? Or former KTUL announcer Dick Ralston?

Former KWGS announcer J. Lee Ready (also known as weekend DJ Buford Montaigne on KVOO almost 20 years ago) is out of the biz at last note - working as a hotel auditor. He was a Tulsan who went to the UK and spent time knocking around there as a researcher/producer on several projects including D-Day Anniversary TV shows. Came back home to Tulsa and is still looking to get back in the biz.

Randy Kindy - from KELI and KRMG - was at the JAYCEES for years and (sadly, after losing his wife a year or so ago) is now free-lancing in Tulsa as a producer/writer as a gun for hire.

Beautiful music station voice Dave DeForest (from KWGS/TU) worked in PA after graduating and had a long stint at WGAY-FM in DC as the afternoon newsman/announcer. Changes in formats/ownership - after a long haul here - put him back in the free-lance arena. He is working some broadcast relief work and some USIA projects but has a had a stint of tough times in recent years.

Seeing the old pic of Mark Giles at KFMJ - who was also a talented shooter - has me wondering if he is still in the business.

A lot of good folks passed thru station doors in Tulsa and found other callings - but we still remember them here!



Lowell Burch - 07/18/99 03:12:17
My Email:J9z1b95@aol.com
Location: Tulsa
Favorite Tulsa TV show: UFF&CM
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Dr. Pompazoidi
Stupidest local commercial: IN (snap) Muskogee!
How did you find TTM?: Right here

Comments:
I was hanging around with my dad and some old-timers today and they all remembered Perry Ward. He was on 6 all of the time during the early days of Tulsa tv doing quiz shows, commercials and the like. I understand he was quite a character and he was also involved (part owner) with the Golden Drumstick. Maybe the name rings a bell with some folks.



Jim Back - 07/17/99 21:25:26
My Email:jback@mmcable.com
Location: Edmond
Stupidest local commercial: "Andy Ewing Toyota {finger snap} in Muskogee"

Comments:
Swanson TV dinnerYou probably don't realize this, but even that TV dinner at the top of your home page has a Tulsa tie. The Swanson family sold the company (and the rights to the name) to Campbell Soup in the early Sixties. Each of the Swanson kids got a share of the fortune. Young Gerry Swanson used his share to get into the radio business; he bought KRMG and moved to Tulsa and create Swanco Broadcasting (later renamed Swanson Broadcasting). At its height, the company consisted of KRMG and KWEN in Tulsa, KKNG in OKC, a station in Wichita, one in New Orleans, one in San Antonio, and the Texas News Network.

All that from a little chicken dinner!

After I ate the TV dinner (not bad), I scanned the box and stuck it out there. You know, the idea that Swanson had a connection to Tulsa's Swanson Broadcasting did flit across my mind, but then I thought, "Nah". Thanks for the background, Jim!




Lowell Burch - 07/17/99 04:30:17
My Email:J9z1b95@aol.com
Location: Magic Empire
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Longhorn Barn Dance
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Don Woods, too.
Stupidest local commercial: UCFF&CM
How did you find TTM?: Computer

Comments:
I loved the UFF&CM commericials. But on the subject of antennae, I always thought they were so fascinating, especially at night. My question is: whose had the tower on top of Reservoir Hill? I actually thought they did shows from that brick building up there. duh.

On radio, yeah, I loved the rock guys (the Keli's, Scooter, etc.) and U-Need-um, but how about Chuck Adams? No offense, Erling, but really hated to see that guy go. He was great!


Yes, I remember Chuck Adams, too. I listened to his show on KRMG before going to school in the morning. I also had the idea that the KVOO building out east of town was where all the radio people hung out.



Darrell Neale - 07/17/99 02:47:59
My Email:drn@intellex.com
Location: Stilwell, OK
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Tulsa TeenTown Topics
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Sherman Oakes
Stupidest local commercial: Cinderella Bootery
How did you find TTM?: via Channel 2 news

Comments:
You recently had a reader comment on Scooter B. Segraves, he had to be part of the greatest collection of DJ's ever assembled at a Tulsa radio station.

Scooter B was from 3 til 6 pm, Captain Fantastic from 6 until 10 pm, Denver Foxx, 10 til 2 am, Don Cook, 2 till 6 am, Mike "Morning Mouth" McCarthy, 6 am till 9 am, Gary Ono Stevens, 9 am till noon and Charlie Derick noon till 3 pm.

On the tv side, I've got one of those old "Wanted" Posters of Bob Hower, Susan Silver, Don Woods and Chris Lincoln floating around here somewhere.

One of the best live specials was Channel 8's Kanchi, which ran after the 10 o'clock news in the 1970's. The TV people would loosen up and show more of their real personalities as the clock got closer to midnight. Once again, thanks for all the memories you have brought through your web site.


Hey, you're welcome. I work at the same (computer) company as Don Cook these days. I remember how great KTBA was, too. He is still very knowledgable about music...fun guy to talk with. Also, when you are on hold on our phone system at work, the voice that says "Thank you for continuing to wait" is Don's!

Cinderella Bootery...hadn't remembered that in awhile.

Cinderella Bootery



Jim Back - 07/16/99 22:07:09
My Email:jback@mmcable.com
Location: Edmond

Comments:
It was good to see the comments from Scooter Segraves, a true legend in the heyday of Top 40 radio in Tulsa. In my opinion, Scooter was to Tulsa radio what Danny Williams was to OKC Radio. It's interesting to note that both are still making a living with their voice. (See, there's an advantage to being on radio instead of TV: We old radio guys don't get fired for looking old!)



Scott "Scooter B" Segraves - 07/16/99 20:36:41
My URL:http://www.kxkc.com
My Email:hawg@kxkc.com
Location: Lafayette, LA
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Uncanny Phlegm Fester
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: "Young" John Chick
Stupidest local commercial: Lynda Sundered-Turkey
How did you find TTM?: Truly bad kharma

Comments:
My brother-in-law, Andy Anderson of Harrison AR, showed me your stuff, which I am spending a very pleasant afternoon of vacation visiting. Saw a lot of familiar names...but where's MIKE MILLER? He was with Buck Cummins, Lyle Batchelor, Gary Chew, Don Kimmel, Tony DiCristofano, Tommy Thompson (where is HE?), Tom Vaughan, Tom Carter, Richard Silverman, Lynn Lugenbeal, Bill Koch, Bill Giorda, and me at KWGS; then at KTUL-Radio, KTUL- TV (and maybe KOTV). JIM BETHEL???? Enjoyed Jim Back's reminiscences of the U-Need-em- Tires voice -- when I returned to Tulsa in 1987, I had a major chicken-skin attack when I heard that (known to me to have died several years earlier) voice saying "Gary...Henry...Chevrolet.......Sand Springs"--shouldn't do that to someone who's within six years of having a heart attack.

How do I find all the RADIO GB's?

If you're ever down in The Valley of The Crawfish, check me out "on the way home" (3-7PM, just like always) on Hot Country 99.1 KXKC.


Mr. Segraves, we've been lookin' for ya! Glad you are enjoying the site...

We have a Big 30 KAKC listing from your era on the Tulsa Radio page. In fact, what you just said is on it, too. Mike Miller...we have several pictures of him on the Newsmen page, but no luck so far locating him on the internet. There are no specific Tulsa Radio guestbooks, but there have been lots of comments about it.

Please write as often as you would like. I bet some of the readers out there have questions for you, too.



A.N.Tennaman (aka Mike Bruchas) - 07/16/99 15:45:49
My Email:bruchasm@atlanticvideo.net

Comments:
For Jim Back - KVOO has an extensive antenna array like KRMG did. I haven't been to the old KVOO "farm" in almost 25 years but it was neat and all marble and copper inside. I think they even had an ancient back-up control room there. Haven't been to the new KVOO building, though.

I think the tower at 2 was an architectural thingie. Doesn't 2 use it for 2 way radios and a radome?

Rain fade can affect a microwave I guess if you were in a tornado or somethin' (especially if wind is blowing 50mph and hitting an antique 6-10' dish mounted on a tripod or tower - but in my experience satellite dishes are MORE affected (duh since they point up to a degree) by weather.

Where I work we get trouble calls from all over the US. If we can see the signal fine here in DC on a "return" - we know we are transmitting fine. If someone calls from Utah or the VI - we ask what the weather is like there -- knowing it may be rain/snow fade.

Satellite downlinks can also suffer from TI or terrestrial interference. Our cable system affiliate in Indianapolis was formerly near Ft. Benjamin Harrison (hello DINFOS!) which is the Army Payroll Center. Often 2-3 times a week GoodLife TV's signal was disrupted from about 9pm-3am. We figured out the satellite data uplinks were fired up at the Payroll Center only on certain nights and the proximity of the cable company's downlink dishes to the Fort was a factor via terrestrial interference to the signal. Supposedly when the cable system moved their "dish farm" to another part of town - this went away mysteriously....

Dumb designs - Frank Rees and Assoc. of OKC do great TV plant designs - they started with hospitals and did several innovative stations in OKC. But they don't understand antennas overhanging areas. The problem at KOCO is that the employee parking lot is partially under the stick and in icy season - cars have been known to get damaged by stuff falling from several hundred feet up. I remember former KOCO Chief Engineer Ted Newcomb having folks (one season) park on the driveway because of falling ice. He was afraid of "death from above" - that someone would be killed by falling ice while parking their car one winter - we had so much icefall!

Speaking of towers and cables - 3 years ago in June or July - Smithsonian magazine had a great article on guys who erect and maintain tall towers.

I can remember when 34 went on air in OKC and the tower was under construction - these guys would ride/rappel down the guy-wires from hundreds of feet up when it was Miller-time.

The down-side of this job is if in Winter and a tower needs maintenance (they AREN'T erected in Winter though) they have to go up in bonechilling cold and wind. Not fun at changing tower lights to meet FAA requirements at 800'! AND TV stations HAVE to report to the FAA any lights out - as a navigational hazard.



Mick Fine - 07/16/99 05:52:49
My URL:http://www.angelfire.com/ok/froghair/index.html
My Email:froghair@busprod.com
Location: Back Bedroom
Favorite Tulsa TV show: All - ok, UFF&CM & Oom-a-gog
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: All - ok, Mazeppa & Lee Woodward & Cy Tuma & John Chick
Stupidest local commercial: Riverside Chevy
How did you find TTM?: Warned to stay away by David Bagsby

Comments:
I wonder if Mazeppa remembers a 10 year old kid following him around Oertles for a couple hours circa 1970? I tried to be cool, I'd ask for an autograph, get it, then shadow him from the next aisle for a few minutes before (surprise!) bumping into him again next to the Popeil Pocket Fisherman display and asking for another autograph. I think I had 20 or 30 of them - I still have the 4 or 5 that I hid under my bed - Mom cleaned out the 'junk-drawer' in the kitchen a couple years later, wiping out the remainder of the autograph collection along with my 2-pound ball of pre-chewed grape "Super-Bubble" bubble gum that took at least 6 months to create.

A year or so after Oertle's, I was crushed - I remember it like yesterday - Dad and I were in his '62 Delta 88 about to climb the hill westbound from 21st and Sheridan (the brand-new McDonalds on our left) when the news came over KRMG's half-hour news break: "Police report that the home of Gailard Sartain was burglarized last night..." Gee, wasn't it great when common burglaries made the big-time radio news? Anyway, I wasn't an entirely stupid kid (at least Mom said I wasn't) and I knew Mazeppa's true identity, (it wasn't hard to figure out when every other scrolling 'credit' after the UFF&CM read, "Gailard Sartain...") but my little world sorta shifted in that moment. I guess part of growing up is realizing that even your heroes (ok, maybe that's a stretch) are really just mortals too.

Of course, I was always impressed by my Dad's careful use of 'swear-words' to force that old maroon Olds over the crest of "21st Street Hill" one more time as well.

Now that I think of it, with all the cursing, it might have been someone else's home that was robbed - in which case, never mind.

-Mick (froghair@busprod.com)


Mick, thank you for the thoughtful and evocative post.



Jim Back - 07/16/99 03:10:35
My Email:jimback@mmcable.com
Location: Edmond

Comments:
I don't know which is worse: The fact that I am sitting here reading all this technical stuff about antennas, or the fact that I actually find it interesting!

Just wondering, though. Could part of that antenna rig at KJRH be left over from when KVOO radio was there?

Also, Denny Delk used to work at KRMG in the early '70s. Talk about your rekindled memories...



John Hillis - 07/16/99 01:40:50
Location: Not really a microwave expert, but can make popcorn

Comments:
Microwaves do funny things, particularly when temperature inversions and cold fronts happen across a path. A lot of STLs (studio to transmitter links) are now on fiber optic cable, with the microwave standing by for when the backhoe cuts the fiber. For long runs, like downtown to Oneta, it keeps the picture clean, no matter what kind of weather.

Don't know about KOKH, but I read a report that during last week's East Coast heat wave, a Fort Smith FM was being received in central New Jersey like a local. The atmosphere sometimes makes ducts that are literally tubes of air hundreds of miles long. Signals just bounce around the tubes like they were enclosed by metal.

Heat inversions are famously weird for this kind of effect.



Mark H. - 07/16/99 01:05:34
My Email:mjh5364@compuserve.com
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Beth Rengel

Comments:
Erick, I checked out the Denny Delk page and played 2 wav.files. His voice sounds the same as the sign-off he did on 6, years ago. Hey, Ken Broo, thanks!! Delk is no longer forgotten.

Yeah!



Erick - 07/15/99 23:29:29
My Email:ericktul@webtv.net
Location: Tulsa

Comments:
Good answers! Okay, last xmitr question...for now. Are microwave signals not disrupted much by weather? I know that's really quite a distance from downtown to Oneta, and 6 rarely looks fuzzy during storms, unless either tower takes a lightning strike. I used to get quite a bit of enjoyment as a child watching OKC's towers take lightning strikes. There's a ton of 'em on that side of town, and it was fun to try and guess which would get hit next.

I lied...I have one more question...

I remember KOKH used to have their antenna atop the Arco (?) building in downtown OKC shortly after they were sold by the school system, and reception was horrendous at best during the heat of the afternoon. Not sure if that was a reason.



John Hillis - 07/15/99 21:15:29
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Channel 6 News at 10, sponsored by Coors, Mid-America Savings, Oklahoma's Pride, and Looboyle
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Jan Berry Scott

Comments:
Redheart Mountain! Been trying to recall the name of the KOTV xmtr site all week. As I remember the TV Factbook coverage maps from back then, the coverage patterns on 2 and 6 were both fairly circular, and the population sprawl was nothing like it is now to the Southeast, so coverage of metro Tulsa wasn't much of an issue. 2 probably had the edge from lower frequency, particularly toward Ponca City, and 8 was a hometown signal in Muskogee and probably a b-contour down close to McAlester, where I think 2 and 6 were probably cable only, unless you had a real high aerial.

Audio on channel 6 shows up at the bottom of the FM dial. I've seen one (WBRC, Birmingham) promote it as a car radio service, which I thought was pretty creative. Other 6's probably do the same as well.

And, yes, towers are supposed to be segmented to fall down onto themselves, though as the people at KTUL can tell you, they leave very large holes in the ground when they do. Owners also tend to buy or lease at least enough land that if it falls to one side or the other, it's not landing on somebody else's property. For a 2,000-foot tower, that's an absolute minimum 289 acre circle. Ice is the major enemy, particularly on the guy wires, as the sticks are generally designed to withstand 100+ mph winds. Ice forms uneven loads, and if the balance is upset, down comes the tower. Same thing if a guy wire is compromised or snaps. It's a particularly unnerving feeling if you're standing at the base of the tower looking straight up and that thought suddenly pops into your head.



Mike Bruchas (Mr. Antenna?) - 07/15/99 21:06:19
Location: That damned East Coast still...
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Teen Town Topics
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Was it Dr. Jan or Dr.Judy????

Comments:
Tulsa towers - KOTV's at Frankfort and the original KOKI stick I think were always microwave towers to shoot to the xmitrs.

The stick at 8 may have been for KCEB-TV the defunct UHF and was used for 8's 2 way radios when I was there - probably is used for news microwave service. A microwave dish fed to Coweta.

As for 2's design - isn't their radar in that tower - it would be too short for any kind of coverage outside of Brookside. KETA in OKC was on the the KWTV tower though not a true candelabra - as was the OETA station in Tulsa at 6's plant though not sure if it was on the same stick.

You want height, brother AND power to kick that signal out!



Erick - 07/15/99 20:28:56
My Email:ericktul@webtv.net
Location: Tulsa

Comments:
Transmitters are quite interesting, indeed! Maybe someone can answer this (Mike Bruchas, this is your cue), did 6 ever transmit from the tower they have at their studio downtown, or is that just a relay tower? Did 2 ever transmit from that "thing" they have at their studios on Peoria? I know it used to have some antennas on top before they put the radar dish up there.

For some reason, I thought OETA (13) in OKC had their transmitter on KWTV's huge tower. I'm not sure if this is true.

6's audio is available at 87.7 fm. They use this to their advantage as a means for people to get severe weather info during power outages. I must admit that this service has come in quite handy to me on more than one occasion. This past May 3rd is a prime example.



Mike Bruchas - 07/15/99 19:23:07

Comments:
Antennas! OKC has them in the NE part of town because that is the highest geographic part of town. In fact the land that 4, 5, 34 are on may have been part of Gaylord Farms - a diary that the Gaylord family had way back when!

In Tulsa since 6 and 2 were first - they picked out Sand Springs on a high hill. KTUL was the late bloomer - remember Coweta was about half way between Tulsa and Muskogee and I am sure land was cheap there too.

The other stations move to Oneta was to give them less trouble with antenna height restrictions in Sand Springs which has houses around all now but also to counter channel switchers to 8. See previous note on the Radio Shack Tulsa antenna. Don't know if 2,6, OETA are on a "candelabra" stick or not - can anyone tell us?

KOTV's sister station in Sacramento and KRON in SFO both were pioneers in putting up 1 big stick and having several TV and radio stations transmit from antennas up top the candelabra. More stations going HD or DTV and still keeping an analog system up may do this. It's also cheaper where land can be very expensive - to share the costs. Interference is usually not a problem.

Hey - can you still get KOTV on the low end of the FM radio band in Tulsa? Always thought THAT was neat - didn't know of any TV stations in any other markets "peaking in" on FM!


Yes, you can.



Erick - 07/15/99 19:07:11
My Email:ericktul@webtv.net
Location: Tulsa

Comments:
I thought the name Denny Delk sounded very familiar, so I did a search, and came up with this website, http://www.ddelk.com
There are some samples there, apparently, if this is the same guy, he's done quite a bit of voiceover work.


Good sleuthing! I just sent Mr. Delk an email. From the sound of his voice samples, he's doing quite well for himself...he promises to pay a visit soon.



M. Ransom - 07/15/99 17:22:05
Location: The Big Town
Favorite Tulsa TV show: Webmasters on Parade
Favorite Tulsa TV personality: Karen Keith

Comments:
A bit of trivia from Downbeat magazine: Mel Torme (at the age of 4) sang with the Joe Sanders Orchestra in Chicago's Blackhawk Restaurant in 1929. This is the Sanders of the Coon-Sanders Blackhawk Orchestra whose music was part of the Mazeppa opening theme.



Erick - 07/15/99 16:02:00
My Email:ericktul@webtv.net
Location: Tulsa

Comments:
I wonder if 2, 6, and 11 had a directional pattern to the east when their towers were in Sand Springs? If it was just a normal pattern, wouldn't their signal interfere with OKC's area of responsibility? And, wouldn't it leave out some of the eastern and southern counties? I know that KOTV had a tower location in Sand Springs as recent as about 1996, because they still had their radar site there. They've since moved it over with their transmitter.

Let's see...KTUL's tower collapsed during the major ice storm in 1987. Did they try to broadcast from their stick on Lookout Mtn? I remember during that time, a couple of the OKC stations would send engineers up their towers with hairdryers to keep them from collapsing.

I remember taking a tour of KWTV when I was in high school. They have a huge 1600 foot tower, and there are some houses in the area, and I was curious about the implications of a tower collapse (BTW, the wires holding that thing up are nearly 2 inches thick!). I was told that the tower is designed to collapse in on itself. I wonder if this was the case with the WKY radio tower which collapsed during the OKC tornado outbreak of '98. It fell over, but I think it was REALLY old.

I always thought it odd that OKC stations have their towers located with the studios in far NE OKC, and their coverage area includes all of western Oklahoma except for the panhandle (Amarillo's area). Of course, OKC covered a lot of this area with LP stations.

Okay, I think I've talked enough! ;)


There is plenty of room in cyberspace for your comments, Erick...thanks.

We have begun Guestbook 15. Erick continues a thread to which John Hillis contributed today...see Guestbook 14 to get up to speed.

John also gave us more background on the "exploding dog" story. We heard from both The Rev. Dr. Menleaux Park and Hoss Chopwright (aka G.Ailard S.Artain)...Ken Broo answered a burning question posed by Mark (answer: Denny Delk).

More new voices: Lowell Burch, who contributed some great comments and remembrances, as well as 2 new G.Ailard S.Artain pictures... Alan Lambert, who worked as news director at KVOO radio for 20 years, and also at TV Channel 2, where he was the star of "Captain Alan and Oom-A-Gog" in 1966-67.

Regulars Mike Bruchas, Jim Back, Mitch Schauer and John Boydston contributed more good stuff. If you just arrived, be sure to go back and check out Guestbook 14 (and 13 and 12...) Remember that you can use the search engine to find specific people or shows on the site.

We also added the Channel 2 photo album, courtesy of Alan Douglas and Jack Frank of KJRH.



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