Press Release
July 15, 2024
Contact: Jillian Helsley
Oklahoma History Center Museum, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5820
jillian.helsley@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
New Exhibit at Oklahoma History Center Museum to Showcase 75 Years of Television in the State
OKLAHOMA CITY — A new exhibit, “75 Years of Television in Oklahoma,” opens on Thursday, July 25, at the Oklahoma History Center Museum in Oklahoma City. The exhibit will feature images showcasing WKY-TV, Oklahoma’s first television station.
E.K. Gaylord submitted a permit application in 1948. Two months later, he was granted the first station in Oklahoma. WKY-TV went on the air for the first time on June 6, 1949. At the time, television was a new medium, touted as a “modern miracle” by The Daily Oklahoman.
As Oklahoma began the new venture, the invention of television became a real turning point in American culture, effectively improving the economy and creating a paradigm shift in how people experienced entertainment and shared information. When television was in its infancy in the state, programming sometimes ended at 7 p.m. due to the limited programming. The new trend brought entertainment to life in people’s living rooms with moving pictures. Singers, entertainers, and performances were suddenly brought to life on the small screen that could only previously be seen in an auditorium or heard on the radio.
Technicians, engineers, programmers, writers, art directors, and costume designers collaborated to popularize locally generated personalities of the 1950s and 60s, such as Foreman Scotty, 3-D Danny, The Tom Paxton Show, the Bud Wilkinson Football show and many other local favorites.
The public is invited to a free reception to celebrate the exhibit’s opening on Thursday, July 25, from 5-7 p.m. No RSVP is needed. Light refreshments will be served. Gene Allen, author of “The Vision and the Dream: WKY-TV Comes to Oklahoma,” will be in attendance to sign copies of his book, which will also be available for purchase from the Museum Store. The new exhibit will be the only one open for viewing during the event.
The Oklahoma History Center Museum is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. It is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Please call 405-522-0765 or visit www.okhistory.org/historycenter for admission costs and group rates.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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