6 On The Move: Saying Goodbye To Frankfort Studio

The lights have never dimmed at Third and Frankfort. Not for 64 years. But on January 18, 2013, we said goodbye to our old station.

Saturday, January 19th 2013, 2:33 pm

By: News On 6

6 On The Move: Saying Goodbye To Frankfort Studio

On October 15, 1949, broadcast television flickered to life, at 302 South Frankfort Avenue in downtown Tulsa. That test pattern was seen in four states, coming from what was then the largest TV studio in the world.

KOTV was Tulsa's first television station, Oklahoma's second and America's 90th.

The men and women who brought Channel 6 to life turned an old International Harvester building into a state-of-the art miracle of moving pictures and sound.

Only a handful of homes had TV sets that night, 64 years ago, and no one could have imagined what was to come. But hasn't it been amazing?

Special Coverage: 6 On The Move

Over all these years, from this building, we've shared your stories - felt your pride and your pain.

And sunk to lows so deep we felt we'd never get back up again.

But we did. We did it together.

Generations of you have invited us into your homes. We hear it all the time: "I grew up watching Channel 6."

"Channel 6 is my station," you tell us still.

For that we're grateful. We've always taken great pride in that.

For what is a television station, really, other than a building filled with wires. It's the people who make it what it is.

The people you come to trust.

Watch Videos From The KOTV Vault

The faces have changed, but it's a trust we never take for granted. And as we move to a new building, for a new era, we may look a little snazzier, and we'll have more room to do our jobs, but it will still be us.

Since that October night in 1949, the lights have always burned at 302 South Frankfort Avenue.

A TV station never closes - not for holidays or weekends. Someone has always been here. Dependable.

The lights have never dimmed at Third and Frankfort. Not for 64 years.

Until now, January 18, 2013. It's time to close her down. Time to extinguish these lights.

So, thank you, again, for making it all possible. Tulsa's first television station remains Tulsa's favorite television station.

We'll see you Saturday, from a new place. Where stories are waiting to be told.

And history's waiting to be made.

Our first newscast is Saturday evening at 5 p.m. We can't wait to show you around, so be sure to look for special reports starting then.