OETA should be Med, and AM radio is vital

Among the memories that stand out for me is local late-night TV from Oklahoma City in the 1970s. For those who also recall those days, you could count the number of TV stations on one hand and still have a finger or two left over, so there was not the variety — or quantity — we now enjoy What I recall were live commercials for Alan Merrill Chevrolet. Alan Mer- ~ rill, broad-shouldered and affable as he might have been, had a lisp, but that didn’t stop him from being his dealerships well-known spokesman. He was synonymous with the irritation of commercials that interrupted the late movie, and he knew it. Actually, he embraced it.

He was known for his self-deprecating approach to his commercials, beginning his pitch with “Hello folks. Torture time again,” at which point he would hawk his cars and encourage trade-ins he said he was supplying to the Mexican car market.

Todays column is a takeoff on Alans introduction — soapbox time again.

What’s the governor’s problem with OETA? Because of the PBS affiliate’s cultural programming — like “Antiques Roadshow,” “American Masters” and “Great Performances”; children’s programming like “Sesame Street,” “Curious George” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog”; history and natural sciences shows like “NOVA,” “Nature,” “American Experience” and the OETA-produced “Back in Time”; plus news programs like the “Oklahoma News Report” and “Frontline” — I’ve always referred to it as a poor man’s cable because it was an alternative to the more popular national networks in a time before satellite TV and streaming.

But the state’s chief executive, whose own proposed budget introduced in February included $2.7 million to fund the broadcaster, now questions OETAs long-term value and claims the network “overly sexualizes” children and indoctrinates them.

OETA is the state’s only broadcaster that covers all 77 counties, with 18 antennas across the state. In addition to its educational programming, it serves as an emergency alert alternative, and during the pandemic, it helped broadcast educational content to every county.

Thankfully, Thursday the state House overrode the governor’s veto. The state Senate must also vote to override the veto before July 1 or OETA will be shuttered and its assets disbursed to another state agency. The Senate is expected to vote today.

State appropriations only pay about one-third of OETA’s operating costs, about 70 cents per Oklahoma resident in state funding, while other state networks receive as much as $4.26 per resident to support educational TV operations. Most of OETA’s funding is from Friends of OETA and corporate supporters.

This isn’t the first time public broadcasting has been threatened by politicians. Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” famously spoke to Congress in 1969 about the importance of the government funding non-commercial TV for children. U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich then tried to eliminate funding, Oklahoma U.S. Senator Tom Coburn tried to block appropriations and other state officials tried unsuccessfully to terminate OETA.

What’s more, on the federal level, there are those who want automakers to abolish AM radio from new cars. Supporters of preserving AM radio in cars cite safety concerns, noting AM radio’s historic role in transmitting vital information during emergencies, such as during natural disasters, especially to people in rural areas. And unlike internet-based and satellite radio, broadcast radio is free.

According to national data, more than 80 million people in the U.S. listen to AM radio every month. I’m not one of them, but that doesn’t mean we need to eliminate a broadcast standard that has stood the test of time.

Make sure your elected representatives know where you stand when it comes to quality TV and free local radio.