Northeast Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Oklahoma's First Television Station Channel 4

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

1. Oklahoma's First Television Station Channel 4 Marker

Inscription. Engineering pioneers launched the first television broadcast in Oklahoma on June 6, 1949. Prior to the premiere of WKY-TV (Channel 4) on this date, citizens were limited to newspapers and radio to stay informed. Sporadic entertainment programming and news updates filled the early broadcast days on WKY-TV. Images were black-and-white until 1954, when Channel 4 became the first locally owned television station in the nation to transmit its own programs in color. At one time, the station broadcast more hours of color programming than all national networks combined. Channel 4 became known for innovation. In 1950, the station was the first in the nation to use a mobile unit to produce live broadcasts from the field. In 1952, the weather department issued what is now considered the first live on-air tornado warning. The station continued to break new ground in 1999 by transmitting Oklahoma's first digital television signal. Channel 4 has operated under the call signs WKY-TV, KTVY and KFOR. Since its inception, the station has been recognized nationally and honored for excellence in broadcasting.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in this topic list: Communications. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1949.

Location. 35° 33.864′ N, 97° 30.421′ W. Marker is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in Oklahoma County. It is in Northeast Oklahoma City. It can be reached from the intersection of East Britton Road and 444 East, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 444 E Britton Rd, Oklahoma City OK 73114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Loading Pens and Chute (approx. 2.4 miles away); Adobe Casita (approx. 2.4 miles away); We Are The Virtuous, Peaceful People (approx. 2.4 miles away); The Village (approx.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

2. Oklahoma's First Television Station Channel 4 Marker

Marker (right) is at the entrance to KFOR-TV's new media center, which was built in 2024 and designed to be tornado-resistant. It also houses sister station KAUT-TV.

2.4 miles away); Hopi (approx. 2.4 miles away); Train Depot (approx. 2.4 miles away); Diné Bikéyah (approx. 2.4 miles away); Sod House (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oklahoma City.

Also see . . .
1. KFOR Station History, a rich legacy. The switch was flipped, power flowed to the transmitter and a tiny screen flickered to life. Television had arrived in Oklahoma. WKY-TV became the first television station in the state —beginning a decades-long tradition of making broadcasting history. (KFOR-TV) (Submitted on July 30, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. KFOR 75th Anniversary Special – The Visionaries (YouTube). Channel 4 chronicles Oklahoma history from its first day of broadcasting on June 6, 1949 through the decades. (Uploaded July 22, 2025) (Submitted on July 30, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. wky. A new technology called television came on the scene in the late 1930s. In November 1939 RCA (Radio Corporation of America) conducted a WKY–sponsored demonstration of the new medium in the new

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Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium. [Station owner Edward K.] Gaylord promised to make television available to Oklahoma City as soon as possible. World War II slowed progress, but true to Gaylord's word, WKY-TV went on the air in June 1949. (Bill Moore, for The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society) (Submitted on July 30, 2025.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 162 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.