OETA, nationally known as 'America’s most-watched PBS station,' reaches all 77 counties

OETA (known more formally as the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority) is Oklahoma’s statewide PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) station. It is a crown jewel in the PBS system and, moreover, is a state asset that continues to receive broad support as one of Oklahoma’s most trusted institutions.

When I was a child on our family’s peanut farm in northern Caddo County, my family relied on OETA to help expand my horizons and to give me a solid start — my parents and OETA were partners in instilling habits of lifelong learning. Today, my wife and I are delighted to team up with OETA as an invaluable tool in teaching and molding the minds and character of our own young daughters. The skills needed in today’s Oklahoma workforce — critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability — are all imparted to young Oklahomans by OETA’s high-quality educational content, which has been proven, over and over, to help kids learn effectively.

OETA is our state’s biggest classroom. OETA educational programs reach into homes across all 77 counties in Oklahoma, and as the network has adapted and modernized, OETA content is now streamed by viewers in our state over 6 million times each month. During the challenges of 2020, OETA provided free educational curriculum and resources to teachers and students throughout Oklahoma, and tens of thousands of Oklahoma students, parents and teachers regularly connect to PBS Learning Media via OETA for meaningful instruction and information.

Like many state entities in Oklahoma, OETA is a partnership-oriented entity that leverages private donations, federal support and state appropriations to deliver essential public services at great value to donors and to the taxpayers.

More: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt claims PBS, OETA 'overly sexualizes our kids'

OETA brings premium programming to Oklahomans thanks to the generosity of its faithful charitable supporters. OETA’s donors provide the funds needed to produce locally oriented content and the award-winning program, "Oklahoma News Report," the only statewide news program reaching all 77 counties. OETA donors also help to fund annually an entire array of “window to the world” programming from PBS that educates, inspires and entertains Oklahomans from Boise City to Idabel, Miami to Hollis, and everywhere in between.

OETA regularly plays host to members of Oklahoma’s federal delegation in the U.S. Congress, and OETA is nationally known as “America’s most-watched PBS station.” OETA works with fellow PBS networks across all 50 states to distribute needed public information and to help enhance our nation’s civic leadership and civil discussions.

Importantly, local, county, state and federal entities in Oklahoma — including the U.S. Army — rely on the OETA network as the only statewide provider for critical emergency communications coordination and information. In the last year alone, over 230 alerts were transmitted by the OETA network to raise the alarm for tornadoes, flash floods, snow squalls, dust storms, wildfire warnings and evacuations, and missing, endangered or abducted children and adults. This is one of many reasons why the Oklahoma Legislature continues to reauthorize and invest in this vital state infrastructure consistently and on a bipartisan basis.

The enabling legislation that created OETA became law 70 years ago this month. Oklahomans from all walks of life in all Oklahoma communities continue to benefit from the dedicated services OETA provides in education, civic leadership and public safety. We can be grateful to elected and appointed leaders from both major political parties for their longstanding commitment to preserving OETA — a true Oklahoma treasure.

Garrett King, of Weatherford, volunteers as the current board president of Friends Of OETA Inc., OETA’s charitable and advocacy partner organization. He previously served three terms as OETA’s board chair after being appointed to the board by Gov. Mary Fallin. King also serves as a trustee of PBS’s national advocacy organization, America’s Public Television Stations.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest column: OETA is state’s biggest classroom, reaching 77 counties