TV Memories
Plus more Oklahoma history, a newsletter update, and a markdown monster.
When I was growing up, we didn't have hundreds of cable channels or streaming services. We had five. That's it. Five TV channels: NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, and an Independent. All picked up over the air from an antenna mounted high on a pole next to the house.
Yes, cable TV was around at this time. Both my grandparents had cable TV. And it was always fun to watch what was on when we visited. I got my first taste of Nickelodeon, WGN, WTBS, and HBO then. But growing up in rural Oklahoma, we had the antenna.
This was a time when you had to schedule what you wanted to watch. The TV guide would come out in the Sunday paper. I can remember reading through it, especially when the new fall schedule would come out. You got to know when the new Saturday morning cartoons were on.
We usually watched as a family, so what my parents (mostly Mom) wanted to watch was what we watched. So I got to grow up with a steady diet of MASH, Dallas, Falcon's Crest, Hotel, Dynasty, The Love Boat, and countless sitcoms. Every once and a while us kids got to pick, but I think Mom and Dad wanted to watch them too. Shows like BJ and the Bear, The Six Million Dollar Man, the A-Team, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Battlestar Galactica.
If you were part of an antenna generation, do you remember your favorite shows? Do you recall the weekly anticipation for the next show or the excitement of a new season every fall? Do you remember the last time you were excited about a new show?
More later. Time to dig out that Buck Rogers DVD box set.
In Oklahoma History
On Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 1958, Clara Luper and a group of NAACP Youth Council members entered the segregated Katz drugstore in downtown Oklahoma City, took seats, and refused to leave until they were served. A few days later, Katz corporate management in Kansas City desegregated its lunch counters in three states.
Read More: Katz Drug Store sit-in, Sit-in Movement, Civil Rights Movement, and Oklahoma: Civil Rights Movement.
Back To School Reminder
Oklahoma schools are back in session. Please remember to slow down in school zones and stop when you see a school bus flashing red lights.
Markdown Monster
I've finally made the move to Markdown Monster from MarkdownPad 2. I should have done it back in April, but I was stubborn. I just liked how MarkdownPad 2 worked (even with its annoying errors), and I didn't want to disrupt my workflow. Well, Markdown Monster does the same thing and much more.
Markdown Monster is an easy-to-use dedicated markdown editor for Windows. You can download and use it fully featured for free to evaluate it. However, a license must be purchased for continued use. Plus, it supports the developers.
It works great when used with Obsidian (See last newsletter). I can easily copy and paste between the two apps. It made quick work of putting together this edition of the newsletter.
Newsletter Update
Speaking of the newsletter. As you might have noticed, I've updated the newsletter format. Things were getting stale and a little bit unfocused. I've rolled in more Oklahoma centric content and combined some of the previous features. I hope you like the changes. Your feedback is always welcome. You'll find contact information at the end.
In The News
A look at some of the latest headlines from around our Oklahoma and beyond.
Staffing Oklahoma's fire departments is particularly challenging in rural areas | KOSU
What a State Business Decision Means For Veterans in Talihina | Oklahoma Watch
Reboot: Oklahoma Broadband Office discards ARPA list, starts new process | Nondoc
New signs about the dangers of tobacco are showing up at Tulsa stores | Public Radio Tulsa
Oklahoma solider killed during Korean War remains are accounted for nearly 72 years later | KOKH
Could a new passenger train be chugging your way? Potential new Oklahoma routes identified | KOSU
About Oklahoma: Adair County
Adair County, situated in east-northeast Oklahoma, shares its border with the state of Arkansas. The county was established at statehood in 1907. It was formed from the Going Snake and Flint districts of the Cherokee Nation. The county was named after the influential Cherokee Adair family. Stilwell, Oklahoma, is the county seat, the county's largest city, and is in the south-central part of the county, approximately 6 miles west of the Arkansas border. Other notable towns in the county include Watts, Oklahoma, in the northeastern part of the county near the Arkansas border, and Westville, Oklahoma, just south of Watts.
Here is some more information about Adair County:
Established: 1907
County Seat: Stilwell, Oklahoma 74960
Nation: Cherokee
Map: Google Maps
Area: 576 mi2 (1,492 km2)
Population: 19,495 (2020 Census)
Time Zone: UTC−6 (Central), DST observed
Area Code: 918
Congressional District: 2
State House District: 86
State Senate District: 4
Weather: NWS Tulsa
Tourism Region: Green Country
History: Oklahoma Historical Society
Historic Places: Exploring Oklahoma History
More Information: Wikipedia
Extras
Here are some more things I hope you'll find interesting.
EU Just Changed Smartphones Forever | ColdFusion
SCARY PIRATE ANIMATRONIC Halloween Skeleton DIY | Wicked Makers
18 Workshop HACKS (these actually work) | Colinfurze
The Big Guy | Dimension 20: Mentopolis [Full Episode]
Album: Death Wish Blues by Samantha Fish, Jesse Dayton (2023) | Spotify
Playlist: Blog Oklahoma Bonus | Spotify
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a comment on Substrack, email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net, or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us.
Have a great week.
– K.
In Ponca in the '50s, we got WKY and nothing else. Once we visited relatives in OKC who had a superfancy UHF TV, which brought in 25. At that time it was an educational station. I watched the Friendly Giant for a few days, and still remember its theme song.