Veto override to save OETA fails in Oklahoma Senate

This article was first published by Oklahoma Voice and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

OKLAHOMA CITY — An attempt to override a governor’s veto of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority has failed, putting the state’s public broadcaster on track to close.

The state Senate fell short of the necessary 32 votes for a veto override Thursday, the final day of the 2026 legislative session, with 18 Republicans voting against it. Without it first passing the Senate, the House didn’t have the opportunity to vote on the override.

Senate Bill 1461 would have extended OETA’s existence as a state-funded entity for another five years. Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed the bill May 5 over objections to the public having to fund TV broadcasting. 

He said advertisers and viewers should support OETA, not taxpayers.

Failing to extend the station’s expiration date means it will have to begin closing July 1. It will have a year to wind down operations.

Stitt also vetoed House Bill 3320, which would have permanently encoded the public broadcasting station in state law with no expiration date. Although the House unanimously overrode the veto, the Senate adjourned without considering it.

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said lawmakers could have another opportunity next year to extend the broadcaster before its final closure.

“That’ll be conversations that I am certain are going to be held with whomever the next governor is of where their priorities are because legislation could be considered next year,” Hilbert said. “That’s going to be part of the conversation, I’m sure, on the campaign trail as candidates are seeking that office.”

Stitt will be term-limited this year after eight years in office. The state legislature has twice overridden him on OETA-related vetoes in previous years.

SB 1461’s author, Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, said OETA’s broadcast towers provide critical infrastructure for severe weather warnings, Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts.

“We need to remember [that if] the cellular networks [or] broadband goes down, old-fashioned broadcasting is still going to be able to reach Oklahoma citizens in all 77 counties,” Bergstrom said on the Senate floor before the failed vote.

OETA is the state’s PBS affiliate. According to the network, it is the eighth–most-watched public TV station in the country, with more than 650,000 weekly viewers. 

OETA cannot operate long term without legislative authorization because its FCC broadcast licenses are held through the state, the station said in a statement.

At this time, it is continuing normal operations and services.

“We remain focused on understanding the path forward and working closely with state leaders, legal counsel and stakeholders as more information becomes available,” the station said. “We are deeply grateful to the viewers, educators, families, community partners, lawmakers, donors and supporters across Oklahoma who have reached out with encouragement and support. For more than 70 years, OETA has served the state through educational programming, public safety communications, local storytelling and lifelong learning, and we are thankful for the trust Oklahomans have placed in us throughout that time.”