Action Line (Tulsa World)
- Publication: Tulsa World
- Date: 1987-12-09
- Author:
- Page: A5
- Language: English
At a time when state leaders have been trying to promote tourism in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority acted to hamper a media event that would have brought several hundred people to the state.
The result was the "Dr. Who Celebration and Tour" only brought 430 in-state residents to Tulsa instead of a projected 1,000 state residents and at least 500 out-of-state visitors. This event was the weekend of Oct. 31 through Nov. 1.
OETA would not help with this event; it was the only PBS station out of 70 contacted by Lionhart International to refuse to have anything to do with the Dr. Who tour. Every other PBS station contacted by the tour organizers lent some support to it; some cities (Chicago for one) built major events around the tour to promote their cities.
I have also heard OETA will not show the Dr. Who shows featuring William Hartnell (Dr. Who No. 1) or Patrick Troughton (Dr. Who No. 2) only because they are in black and white. This cannot be a valid excuse.
I have been trying to get an explanation from OETA for its actions since mid-September. I sent this certified letter to them in hopes of finding out why they failed to sponsor the tour in Oklahoma. They have not responded. L.F.S., Tulsa.
Malcolm Wall, deputy director of OETA, responded to L.F.S. Nov. 25:
"Regarding the 'Doctor Who Celebration and Tour, '87-88:' when the tour was first announced, the Doctor Who tour promoters requested that OETA perform several commercial ventures for them. As a public television station, this is outside our policies.
"Two years ago we declined to support promoters of The Victory Garden when its star was visiting Oklahoma. We did, however, request further written tour information in order to, perhaps, offer some other assistance, and certainly, we encouraged the tour to exhibit in Oklahoma.
"We did not ignore Doctor Who or its fans when we declined to engage in a commercial venture.
"In regards to the black and white versus color quality, when selecting programs for viewing, you're absolutely correct; this is not a criterion for us when selecting programs for airing, since many of our finest programs have been in black and white. Our decision not to air the Doctor Whos 1 and 2 is based on the fact that viewer letters and phone calls indicate a preference for seeing the later Doctor Who stars, and we do everything possible to accommodate our viewing audience.
"We realize Doctor Who fans are loyal and avidly support both the program and OETA. However, with the dollars we receive each year, we feel it's important that we honor the wishes of those supporters who indicate their preferences with calls and contributions. Thank you for your letters and interest."
(Those readers wishing to do so should write OETA, P.O. Box 14190, Oklahoma City, 73113.)
Spelling correction: Lionheart
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: (1987-12-09). Action Line (Tulsa World). Tulsa World p. A5.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Action Line (Tulsa World)." Tulsa World [add city] 1987-12-09, A5. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Action Line (Tulsa World)." Tulsa World, edition, sec., 1987-12-09
- Turabian: "Action Line (Tulsa World)." Tulsa World, 1987-12-09, section, A5 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Action Line (Tulsa World) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Action_Line_(Tulsa_World) | work=Tulsa World | pages=A5 | date=1987-12-09 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=5 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Action Line (Tulsa World) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Action_Line_(Tulsa_World) | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=5 May 2025}}</ref>
