Early years
The dormant UHF channel 23 allocation was contested by two applicants seeking a construction permit. Wilson Communications, owned by Detroit businessman and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 7, 1978.[3] Tulsa 23, Ltd., which filed on September 5, was led by Benjamin F. Boddie. The group included prominent local business leaders such as Helmerich & Payne CEO Walter H. Helmerich II and Williams Companies executives John H. and Charles P. Williams.[4] The FCC awarded the license to Tulsa 23 on December 12, 1979.[5][6]
KOKI-TV signed on October 26, 1980, as the market's first independent station,[7] It was also the first UHF television station to operate in Tulsa since KCEB. becoming Tulsa's first new commercial television station since 1954, and the market's first independent station. Branded as "Tulsa 23", it operated from studios on East 46th Place in southeast Tulsa, using second-hand equipment. The station ran on a lean budget, airing a mix of classic sitcoms, westerns and drama series, cartoons, feature films, and a limited number of sports events and religious programs aimed largely at older and rural audiences.[8] Its transmitter facility was located near Coweta in Wagoner County, utilizing a 1392 ft tower.[9]
KOKI gained competition on March 18, 1981, when KGCT-TV began broadcasting on channel 41.[10] KOKI outdistanced KGCT in the ratings; KOKI-TV had obtained a 5% share of television viewing in Tulsa as of the May 1981 Arbitron ratings, while KGCT was not registering viewers.[11] A 1983 Ogilvy & Mather study found KOKI was the only Tulsa station to increase viewership from May 1981 to May 1983, posting significant gains in early-evening, prime time, and late-night slots, while the three network affiliates saw declines in those same dayparts. Its strongest window was the 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. slot known as "early fringe", where it had an audience share of 19 percent.[12]
The slogan used to promote KOKI's film offerings, "Oklahoma's Movie Star", became the subject of a federal trademark infringement lawsuit filed in October 1982 against Home Box Office Inc. over Cinemax's "We Are Your Movie Star" campaign. In November 1983, U.S. District Judge James Ellison issued an injunction against HBO, a decision upheld by the Tenth Circuit on December 9, forcing Cinemax to abandon the campaign.[13][14]
Fox affiliation and Clear Channel purchase
When the Fox network launched in October 1986, it had no affiliate in Tulsa, discussing possible terms of affiliation with KOKI and KGCT. Even though KGCT's manager had sent over what he thought was an affiliation contract, Fox claimed it was only a sample agreement. Fox's vice president of affiliate relations, Bob Mariano, spoke highly of a possible affiliation with KOKI and told the Tulsa World that the network had one major concern with channel 41: "Our problem at the moment with KGCT is that it is not carried on Tulsa Cable."[15] In August 1987, Fox agreed to affiliate with KOKI.[16] KOKI absorbed some of KGCT's programming after that station left the air in March 1989.[17]
Tulsa 23 agreed to sell KOKI-TV to San Antonio–based Clear Channel Television for $6.075 million on March 6, 1989. It was the third station to be owned by Clear Channel, whose radio division had expanded into Tulsa in 1974.[18][19]
Starting a news department
As early as 1994, Fox expressed interest in KOKI starting a local news department. General manager Hal Capron was skeptical that the market could absorb more local news or that the outlay in setting up a news operation would be worth it.[28] Though Capron announced that a newscast might debut by August 1997,[29] plans were delayed.[30] Coinciding with Fox's airing of Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997, channel 23 debuted an in-house weather service including a five-minute weather forecast to air at 10 p.m. nightly.[31] Capron announced in August 2001 that the station would begin airing an hour-long 9 p.m. newscast in January 2002, timed to Super Bowl XXXVI, which would air on Fox.[32] The news director came to the station from Clear Channel's WFTC in Minneapolis.
Newport, Cox, and Imagicomm ownership
On April 20, 2007, following its $18.7 billion buyout by private equity firms Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, Clear Channel agreed to sell its television stations to Providence Equity Partners for $1.2 billion.[43][44][45] The FCC approved the deal on December 1, 2007, and it was finalized on March 14, 2008. Providence formed Newport Television to manage the stations.[46][47][48][49]
Sale to Rincon and Fox affiliation sale to Sinclair
On April 3, 2025, Imagicomm announced that it would sell seven stations, including KOKI-TV, to Rincon Broadcasting Group;[73] the deal was completed on July 18.[74]
Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of KTUL, acquired the Fox affiliation from Rincon in February 2026. On February 9, KOKI's main channel schedule and Fox affiliation moved to KTUL 8.2, with a simulcast on 23.1 continuing until March 1, when KOKI's main channel switched to airing Roar.[75] On February 20, Sinclair filed to buy KMYT-TV directly from Rincon for $4.125 million.[76]
