Legacy Left Behind By Former KOTV Anchors

As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of KOTV, we're taking time to reflect on both the heart and the face of this television station. Over the course of seven decades, many talented journalists have occupied these anchor chairs.

Bob Hower launched KOTV's first newscast in 1949, followed by long-time favorite Cy Tuma.

"We bid you a hearty welcome tonight as always," reported Tuma.

Some KOTV news anchors went on to national fame. Bob Losure at CNN, Bob Brown at ABC and Jim Hartz at NBC's Today show, where he was paired with Barbara Walters.

"Without the years I spent at KOTV, I probably couldn't have had the success I had," Hartz said.

But no one helped shaped the Channel 6 newsroom, and mold its legacy, more than anchorman Clayton Vaughn.

"You have to remember that some of us go back so far in the '60s and '70s, when local TV news was evolving. We were trying all kinds of things," remembers Vaughn.

After retiring, Vaughn worked for the Historical Society. He still makes his home in Tulsa. He, along with former anchors Glenda Silvey, Beth Rengel, Scott Thompson, and Lisa Jones, joined Terry Hood to reflect on their glory years at News On 6.

"I think we learned so much from you Clayton," says Rengel. "Everything had to go through Clayton, any script had to go through Clayton. Sometimes we would disagree, but I learned something every day from you."

"To me, it was all about excellence in journalism and the relationships I made here," Silvey says. Journalism with a capital J directed by Clayton. We did learn from him. But, I remember the journalists and photojournalists who were so talented and committed. It was a wonderful experience."

Lisa Jones remembers traveling the world to tell the stories of Northeast Oklahoma.

"Any connection that Oklahomans had outside this community, they wanted us to tell those stories," remembers Jones.

No one has covered more miles than Oklahoma Traveler Scott Thompson.

"I saw the world here Terry. They sent me all over the world and said go tell stories. Imagine being given that honor," Thompson says. "And then later to be the face of this place with you. That meant so much to me. I was so proud of this place and the people who came before us. I always preached, we're no better than the people who came before us. Now we stand on their shoulders."

"There were a lot of people who passed through these doors who contributed a great deal to the success of this station," Vaughn says.

"Since this interview, I have joined the ranks of former KOTV news anchors. I'm starting a new chapter of life in Oklahoma City, but I'll always carry her 32 years at Channel 6 here in my heart," Hood says. "I will always be Oklahoma's Own."

More 70-Year Anniversary Stories: 

News On 6 Celebrates The Legacy Of Lewis Meyer