KOTV Documented In Tulsa Historical Society Archives

The most extensive repository of KOTV's history is in the archives of the Tulsa Historical Society. Executive Director, Michelle Place, loves looking through these boxes. She showed us clippings from the days when Betty Boyd hosted the KOTV Women's Show.

Tuesday, November 26th 2019, 5:20 pm

By: Emory Bryan

KOTV Documented In Tulsa Historical Society Archives

"These are things that she kept, with different newspaper clippings we have in here," says Place.

Boyd was one of the station's stars in the late 1950s. She kept good photos and donated them. The Historical Society uses items to establish the context of events and the people who were part of it.

"And so having this valuable collection from a television station is another research opportunity, another resource for us," Place says. "These are real people, and real lives, people who had hopes and dreams."

The KOTV archive isn't just the collection of one person, and it's not just the history of a long-time business.

"It is Tulsa's history," Place remarks.

She says that with 70 years of broadcasting, KOTV is building the archives of history, while recording the first draft of events.

"The collections or stories that come out of KOTV, they're broadcasting Tulsa's history, recording it for posterity," says Place.

These old KOTV photos establish a history otherwise forgotten, and for Place, they are a reminder of the importance of saving physical objects that mark a moment in history.

"History is not just the 1950's the 1920's or before. History is now, those things are important," Place says. "Don't throw away those prom dresses, even if you're horrified by how they look like now, we want to see them and save them for future generations to look at."

Emory Bryan

Emory Bryan is a general assignment reporter for News On 6. Emory Bryan joined the News On 6 team in 1994.

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