Griffin Communications Donates Archives To Historical Society

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“Weather Girl” Lola Hall was the state’s first female television weather forecaster.

The Oklahoma Historical Society has received a donation from Oklahoma’s own Griffin Communications that contains video, film and other artifacts documenting the nearly 50 years of significant news and events coverage by the company. The donation was accepted by the OKPOP staff Wednesday, March 27 in a ceremony at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

The collection includes more than 34,000 tapes with images that illustrate Oklahoma history from the 1950s to the 1990s.

“The addition of television news archives is extremely valuable in helping us preserve and share the history of our state,” said Dr. Bob L. Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. “The fact that the Griffin family understands the importance of preserving this collection speaks volumes about their commitment to Oklahoma.”

Most of the footage featured in the collection was produced by News 9 broadcast journalists in Oklahoma City and News on 6 journalists in Tulsa, but it also contains archives from other media entities owned or operated by the Griffin family from the past 50 years. This footage represents a real-time, eyewitness account of important historic events as they were unfolding across the state. To preserve the images and create a finder’s guide to individual scenes, the Oklahoma Historical Society will transfer the tapes to digital format and create systems where museum visitors can interact and view the collection.

kwtv1“Our family has been involved in the Oklahoma broadcasting business since the beginning. First, when my father launched KTUL radio in Tulsa, and then when he purchased KOMA radio in Oklahoma City,” said David Griffin, chairman and CEO of Griffin Communications. “With the launch of KWTV in 1953, he continued to be an Oklahoma broadcast pioneer. We grew up with a sense of history instilled in us at a very young age and feel very strongly about the donation of our archives to the historical society and OKPOP.”

KOTV was the19th television station to be built in America and the second in Oklahoma, having signed on the air on Oct. 15, 1949. With the recent construction and relocation of KOTV to the Brady Arts District, just a short distance from where the OKPOP will be built, this announcement is another sign of the renaissance of the historic arts district in Tulsa.

“The Griffin Communications donation is one everyone can be excited about in the Brady District and across our state. This is exciting because it documents Oklahoma’s history through the eyes of the state’s most trusted television personalities.” said Ken Levit, executive director of George Kaiser Family Foundation. “We look forward to the day when the public can access and enjoy this collection at the OKPOP Museum.” 

The OKPOP Museum will be a 75,000-square-foot, four-story building dedicated to the creative spirit of Oklahoma’s people and the influence of Oklahoma artists on popular culture around the world. The underlying theme of this innovative and interactive museum will be “Crossroads of Creativity,” whether it is in the field of music, film, television, theatre, pop art, comic books, literature or humor.

With approval of at $42.5 million bond issue by the Oklahoma Legislature, the OKPOP Museum could open as early as 2017.

To see a selection of video clips from the Griffin Communications donation, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7-2YDLx0QE.


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