Griffin’s Tulsa station moves to temp set ahead of debut of new home in fall

KOTV, the Griffin Media-owned CBS affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has migrated to a temporary set as it prepares to debut a new studio in the fall of 2025.

The temporary setup uses a curved anchor desk with room for four set in front of a small curved LED panel. 

On either side are two front-lit panels featuring a geometric take of Tulsa landmarks with a vertical texture.

It appears at least portions of the temporary set may ultimately be headed to the new studio and that that design will likely be similar look to KOTV’s big sister station KWTV in Oklahoma City.

OKC station debuts new set that moves anchors to center of the action

KWTV got a new set in 2024, a look that includes many of the same textures, colors and materials that have been brought in to KOTV’s temporary home, reinforcing the notion that at least some set pieces will ultimately be used beyond the debut of the new set. 

It’s also possible the pieces could be used for some type of ancillary purpose, such as a flash cam, or relegated to a secondary part of the new set, such as an interview or multipurpose area.

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The temporary KOTV set also shares a similar color palette as KWTV, including the use of blue and red in both hard scenic and accent lighting. 

KWTV and KOTV have long shared similar on-air looks — even the stations’ numerical logos are essentially 180-degree rotations of each other, taking advantage that KWTV’s “9” and KOTV’s “6” share the same general shape. KWTV brands on-air as “News 9” while KOTV is known as “News on 6.”

Until KWTV moved from its longtime home to downtown OKC in 2022, the two stations had sets, both designed by FX Design Group, with similar designs, including their signature wood tones and bold colors.

After the move, KWTV got a sleek set upgrade from FX which was eventually replaced by the current look in 2024.

KOTV, however, has remained on its FX-era first installed in 2012, though it did switch to KWTV’s new graphics package, designed by Vivid Zero, the same year.

The station had made updates over the years, including installing more LED panels.

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KOTV is remaining at its Boston Avenue facility in downtown Tulsa, according to a story about the updates on its website, but will be moving to a different part of the building.

The two stations share select programming, including a sports wrap show, so KOTV viewers have already been seeing parts of KWTV’s look. 

It is not clear what KOTV will do with its old set. When KWTV moved in 2022, it donated its entire old building, including its massive set, to Langston University, to use as an educational tool for training future broadcasters.

Image courtesy KOTV.