Frank Mitchell, the chief meteorologist at Tulsa ABC-affiliate KTUL, has announced that he is leaving the station next month for a job as a financial adviser.

“As anyone that works evenings can tell you, it can be hard to take on that shift with a family at home,” Mitchell said in a statement. “I really look forward to being more involved with my kids’ activities, maybe even coaching a little baseball.”

Mitchell was hired as a weekend meteorologist by KTUL in the early 1990s. He will sign off from the station on September 18.

A wildfire in Oklahoma has destroyed the home of KTUL morning anchor Keith Taylor, the Tulsa ABC-affiliate says.

Taylor was interviewed by KTUL reporter Burt Mummalo. The Mannford wildfire covered nearly 100 square miles near Tulsa and has burned more than 120 structures, including dozens of homes, according to the AP.

“You know, you see it on the news all the time and you don’t realize how emotional it is,” Taylor said tearfully. Watch KTUL’s report on Taylor’s home inside… Read more

The RTDNA has announced the winners of the 2012 Regional Edward R. Murrow awards.

Radio, television and online winners, divided into small and large markets, were selected from more than 3,500 entries. The RTDNA says this year is “one of the most competitive Edward R. Murrow Awards seasons in RTDNA history.”

Large market overall excellence winners were KING in Seattle, KTVU in Oakland, KMGH in Denver, KARE in Minneapolis, KMBC in Kansas City, KHOU in Houston, WTHR in Indianapolis, WLKY in Louisville, WIAT in Birmingham, WCVB in Boston, KDKA in Pittsburgh, WSB in Atlanta and CIVT in Vancouver. Read more

A man suspected of taking part in an execution-style double homicide was interviewed by a KTUL photojournalist just hours before he was arrested yesterday.

“I think it’s real crazy,” Darren Price told KTUL reporter Latoya Silmon (video above). “I bring my kids out here to play. You gotta raise the question, is it safe to even walk around this town?” Read more

KTUL is making major changes to their evening anchor lineup, replacing all three anchors who are veteran faces of primetime at the Tulsa station.

The anchor changes come as veteran Carole Lambert, who has been an anchor at the Tulsa ABC affiliate since 1992, signed off last Thursday. Lambert’s co-anchor, Charles Ely (pictured), will get new hours,  leaving the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. broadcasts for a new, half-hour show that will air at 4 p.m. beginning next week.

“It will be his own new-formatted show,” KTUL president and general manager Pat Baldwin told The Tulsa World. “It will be news but it will be different than the other evening newscasts we do.”

Lambert and Ely will be replaced by morning anchor Kristin Dickerson and 5 p.m. anchor Mark Bradshaw beginning Monday. Bradshaw will anchor the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. broadcasts in addition to his normal hours; Baldwin is searching for a replacement for Dickerson in the mornings.

Read more

RTDNA has officially announced the winners of the 2011 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

KUSA (Denver), KARE (Minneapolis-St. Paul), KRDO (Colorado Springs), and WGRZ (Buffalo) had especially impressive showings this year, dominating their respective divisions in addition to winning Overall Excellence.

In a show of vindication for KARE’s departing VP of News Tom Lindner, the NBC-affiliate won 7 of the 12 categories in its division.

KTUL (Tulsa) and WVUE (New Orleans) also garnered a significant amount of awards, with their call signs showing up more than any other station in their individual divisions.

List of winners inside… Read more

Betty Boyd, who became known as the “Queen of Tulsa TV” during her 25-year broadcasting career, died on Thursday from complications stemming from a recent stroke.

A Tulsa native, Boyd began her TV career in 1955 with KOTV, where she went on to host and produce original series centering on social issues, including “Women’s Page” and “Boyd’s Eye View.”   She left KOTV in 1965 to join KTUL and launched “The Betty Boyd Show,” which at the time helped make the ABC-affiliate the most watched local station among female viewers.

Boyd leveraged her local TV popularity during a successful run for the state Legislature in 1990, where she served for ten years.

In 1996, Boyd was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and two years later she received an American Women in Radio and Television Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more