Oklahoma City television station breaks ground on new facility
By OKCBusiness Staff - 8/11/2008

Okahoma City television network KSBI-TV/DT broke ground today on a new broadcast facility.

Currently located on SE 82nd St., the new facility will be built on North Morgan Rd. in Oklahoma City.

Precision Construction Group is building the 13,000-square foot facility which will include a state-of-the-art studio, production suites, news room, business offices and a workout room for staff.

“With our growing news department, production staff, and sales staff, we have completely run out of space at the existing location,” Brady Brus, president and general manager, said in a statement. “We finally found the location we were looking for, and after the investment from our new partners about a year ago, we were ready to move forward. Our new location will be the most visible television station in the city, as it will sit right off the Kilpatrick Turnpike.”

The independent television network is owned by Family Broadcasting Group. In January 2007, the group announced Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward, invested in it as shareholders.

Family Broadcasting Group’s statement said the funds would be used to retire current debt and provide capital to relocate and equip a new state-of-the-art broadcast facility. Family Broadcasting Group has owned KSBI-TV/DT, KXOC-LP and 12 television translators across Oklahoma, north Texas and southern Kansas for more than three years.

McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy, and Ward, chairman and CEO of SandRidge Group, together ranked 215th on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list in Sept. 2006 with a reported $1.6 billion net worth.

Impressive! There's nothing like being friends with a billionaire. I can see it now, when Amy McRee goes off contract, KSBI will snatch her up and we'll all be watching KSBI each night. Remember friends, you heard it here first. ;-)

That's all it would take to get that station on the map, new facilities and a popular anchor.

...Our new location will be the most visible television station in the city ...

Really? Because I always thought as a television station you were more worried about the people watching on the air, not that see your building... I guess I have it all wrong.

Really? Because I always thought as a television station you were more worried about the people watching on the air, not that see your building... I guess I have it all wrong.


And I guess that also means there will be a antenna located outside of the antenna farm? That's cool.

With a backing of those two CEOs would it be safe to say we might see this station go to HD before anyone else? Not likely, but it would be interesting to say the least!

Really? Because I always thought as a television station you were more worried about the people watching on the air, not that see your building... I guess I have it all wrong.

I think Oklahoma City is a little unusual in that most of its stations are located far from the center of town. Back in the fifties, when WKY-TV and KWTV located where they did, that area was actually out in the country. In most places I've been, the stations, especially the three affiliates of the original networks, are downtown or near downtown.

Really? Because I always thought as a television station you were more worried about the people watching on the air, not that see your building... I guess I have it all wrong.

Hey man, don't quote me as if it was my quote, I simply pasted the article from the media.

And I guess that also means there will be a antenna located outside of the antenna farm? That's cool.

With a backing of those two CEOs would it be safe to say we might see this station go to HD before anyone else? Not likely, but it would be interesting to say the least!

I thought KFOR already had an HD channel, in fact I'm positive. I think you mean 100% HD though. Ironically Lifechurch.tv has a completely HD digital studio, one of only 3 in the world like it, the company that makes the equipment has another, and I think the other is in Europe. NBC, CBS' national people have come to train on it and check it out. A church has beaten out local media by far in media/HD capabilities.

oops, sorry metro, I forgot to clear you off that... my apologies

I thought KFOR already had an HD channel, in fact I'm positive. I think you mean 100% HD though. Ironically Lifechurch.tv has a completely HD digital studio, one of only 3 in the world like it, the company that makes the equipment has another, and I think the other is in Europe. NBC, CBS' national people have come to train on it and check it out. A church has beaten out local media by far in media/HD capabilities.

Yeah, because a church buys one, A tv station needs 15. Everyone can't edit in the same room, tv stations have 12-15 photographers, and they each need their own camera.

Ironically Lifechurch.tv has a completely HD digital studio, one of only 3 in the world like it, the company that makes the equipment has another, and I think the other is in Europe. NBC, CBS' national people have come to train on it and check it out. A church has beaten out local media by far in media/HD capabilities

That says more about the church than any TV station. High Definition studios at the local house of worship? Sheesh. God's money at work.

I guess I misread the Sermon On The Mount....Luke 18:22 -- New International Version:
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

Oh, never mind, wrong translation. Here it is....Luke 18:22 -- Craig Groeschel Study Bible:
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and buy for yourself a high defintion TV studio, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

That says more about the church than any TV station. High Definition studios at the local house of worship? Sheesh. God's money at work.

I guess I misread the Sermon On The Mount....Luke 18:22 -- New International Version:
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

Oh, never mind, wrong translation. Here it is....Luke 18:22 -- Craig Groeschel Study Bible:
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and buy for yourself a high defintion TV studio, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

You have to remember that the goal of any church is to get the message out about Christ to as many people as possible. In this case, the church invested in the same equipment everyone else is doing or about to do, only they did it sooner. Digital TV is here to stay and sounds like they are prepared. Why send out a non-HD signal when 5 years from now everyone will have an HD set?

Solitude, have you ever stepped foot into a Life Church experience? It is really somethign to see. There are a lot of parallels with broadcast news/media. Everyone uses the same technology and production, only one does it for God, the other does it for profit.

I would be careful about posting ads from okcbusiness.com. They get kind of pissy when use cut and paste without thier persmission.

Solitude, have you ever stepped foot into a Life Church experience? It is really somethign to see. There are a lot of parallels with broadcast news/media.

You say that as if it were a good thing.

I would be careful about posting ads from okcbusiness.com. They get kind of pissy when use cut and paste without thier persmission.

OKCTalk has their permission as well as JR and Oklahoman