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OETA completes transmitter upgrades, asks for $612,000 to adjust salary bands after market study
Summary
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority said it will have updated transmitters statewide by the end of the fiscal year and asked the subcommittee for a $612,000 appropriation adjustment to raise pay bands after an OMES market study found agency pay below market.
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education that it has substantially modernized broadcast infrastructure and is requesting an appropriation adjustment to align staff pay with market rates identified in an OMES compensation study.
Director Jim Anderson (testifying as Director Anderson) said the agency has replaced low-power and full-power transmitters in multiple locations and expects all 18 transmitters to be less than five years old by the end of the fiscal year after funding approved last year. He said the equipment is next-generation-TV ready, will extend useful life (25–30 years), and improves the state’s emergency-alerting footprint in areas not served by commercial broadcasters.
Anderson said the agency’s transmitters provide WARN (Warning Alert and Response Network) distribution in parts of Oklahoma that have limited commercial-station coverage and asserted the statewide transmitter network extends emergency-alert reach.
OETA’s FY 2026 personnel request cites an OMES salary-comparison report indicating OETA pay bands have not been adjusted since 2021 and that some positions are roughly 21% below market when compared with similar broadcast and technical roles. OETA asked the Legislature for an appropriation adjustment — shown in testimony as $612,000 — to adjust pay bands and help retain staff the agency said it is losing to private employers offering higher pay and remote-work options.
Anderson said replacing older transmitters also reduces electricity and cooling costs; the agency cited a previously realized energy savings of about $16,000 annually for one full‑power transmitter replacement and said savings scale for other full-power transmitters.
Why it matters: OETA’s request is primarily a personnel-market adjustment meant to preserve technical staff and maintain broadcast and emergency-alerting capacity; the agency emphasized statewide emergency-alert coverage and long-lived capital investments in broadcasting equipment.
