1. United States
2. Okla.
3. Letter

Override Governor Stitt's veto of SB 1461 before July 1. OETA is not a luxury — it's critical infrastructure. It's the sole statewide provider for emergency alerts, transmitting over 230 tornado, flood, and wildfire warnings a year across all 77 counties. Shutting it down doesn't just cancel TV. It cuts off the emergency communication system that Oklahomans depend on to survive. The governor calls public broadcasting a non-essential government function, but the numbers tell a different story. The state's $2.95 million appropriation unlocks over $7 million in private support and sustains the eighth most-watched public TV station in the country. More than 3 million households rely on it annually. One in eight Oklahoma City households watches children's programming on OETA every week. The state just invested $3 million in infrastructure upgrades built to last 20 years — walking away from that now is fiscal recklessness, not fiscal responsibility. The House voted unanimously to override the veto of HB 3320. The Senate needs to do the same. This isn't a partisan issue — Sen. Bergstrom and Rep. Kendrix, both Republicans, authored SB 1461. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. warned the veto "would effectively destroy public television in our state." He's right. Vote to override.