Oklahoma Voices: OETA's John McCarroll Retiring (Jun 25, 2012)

The Oklahoma Legislature was the first in the nation to approve a resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission to reserve TV channels for educational purposes. That was in 1951. In 2009, the economic downturn led to a nearly $1,000,000 cut to OETA. In 2010, another round of budget cuts meant the elimination of personnel and reductions in programming.

This year, lawmakers almost killed OETA, before narrowly passing a bill allowing the network to live on as a state agency. OETA Executive Director John McCarroll, who guided the Oklahoma Network through the legislative waters and a transition to digital during his tenure, announced his retirement after the legislative session came to a close. KGOU talked with McCarroll at OETA about his tenure and the future of the network.

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Part #2