Oklahoma City (April 6, 2006) -- NEWS 9 now owns SKYNEWS 9 HD, the most technologically advanced news helicopter in the country. SKYNEWS 9 is the only fully high-definition chopper assembled for television newsgathering.

"We're excited about the commitment our owner, David Griffin, has made to both the station and the community by making this type of acquisition,” said NEWS 9’s News Director, Blaise Labbe. “I truly believe the arrival of SKYNEWS 9 will elevate our news and severe weather coverage."

SKYNEWS 9 HD, a powerful 407 Bell Helicopter, is replacing the popular Ranger 9—a Bell Helicopter 206B Jet Ranger III, after 23 years of service. Ranger 9 was the first television helicopter in the Oklahoma City television market.

NEWS 9’s Ranger 9 was the first to broadcast live pictures just moments after the Murrah Building bombing in 1995. Those pictures allowed NEWS 9 to show Oklahoma City, and the world, the magnitude of the destruction. In 1981, NEWS 9 had the first live broadcast of a tornado—and the first ever broadcast of a tornado from a helicopter.

“SKYNEWS 9 HD is the fastest, smoothest, most advanced chopper for a television station out there,” said Greg Ward, News Operations Manager for NEWS 9.

SKYNEWS 9 HD is totally high-definition, from the monitors, to the record decks, to the audio… and most importantly—the high-definition camera. The camera features a 1,140 mm lens—the longest telephoto lens for electronic newsgathering to date. The lens takes viewers closer to the news than ever. It provides a smooth view while in flight because the camera is five-axis gyro stabilized.

SKYNEWS 9 HD’s max cruising speed is 133 knots or about 152 mph., making it the fastest television helicopter in the state. The U.S. government just bought 368 helicopters like it.

In addition to having the fastest, most technologically advanced television helicopter, NEWS 9 is the only station in the Oklahoma City market with access to two helicopters for breaking news and weather coverage. KOTV/The News on 6, NEWS 9’s sister station in Tulsa, will fly SKYNEWS 6. Griffin Communications L.L.C. owns both helicopters.

Wysong Enterprises, Inc. is responsible for the assembly of the electronic newsgathering equipment on the 407 Bell Helicopter. The paint scheme for both helicopters was designed in-house at NEWS 9.

With over 125 Wysong Systems in operation today, they have established themselves as an industry leader in ENG systems worldwide, and have been pioneers in ENG systems in the U.S., and the world, for over 20 years.

SKYNEWS 9 HD has all the bells and whistles for news coverage. “The viewers are going to see a much better picture because it has more of a 3-D depth to it and everything is in focus,” said Steve Wysong, founder of Wysong Enterprises Inc. “The HD signal is 10 times the quality of your standard television signal.”

Wysong also outfitted the helicopter with an auto pilot feature that allows the pilot to be more aware of what’s going on outside. It also has an avoidance system, called a T-Cad, that lets a pilot know when there is an aircraft in the immediate area.

SKYNEWS 9 HD Pilot, Mason Dunn said, “It doesn’t get any better than this. I’m excited to pilot the best newsgathering helicopter in the country.”

Griffin Communications CEO David Griffin said the investment in SKYNEWS 9 HD and SKYNEWS 6 are a reflection of the company’s commitment to cover news, weather, and sports in Oklahoma.

“Griffin Communications’ purchase of two helicopters is part of a larger plan to give our viewers the clearest pictures and most-up-to-date reports from breaking news and weather in Oklahoma,” Griffin said. “The helicopters, along with two satellite trucks, six live trucks and over 350 employees in the state give Griffin Communications an unprecedented competitive advantage in covering Oklahoma.”

“The ability to use two helicopters during severe weather coverage is huge for the viewer at home,” said NEWS 9 Chief Meteorologist, Gary England. “This will allow us more vantage points for tornado spotting. It will only increase warning time for Oklahoma families. This will be the station viewers turn to to get the in-depth coverage.”

NEWS 9’s breaking news coverage will be enhanced with the ability to call on one of the helicopters in a moment’s notice. It will also allow NEWS 9 to expand or split coverage to better inform the viewer.

“Just thinking of the possibilities to alert the viewer of breaking news with a bird’s-eye view in this way is exciting,” said NEWS 9 General Manager, Rob Krier. “We’re locally owned and operated so, to be able to have an advantage like this in such a competitive news market is just amazing.”

Griffin Communications, L.L.C. is Oklahoma owned and operated by David and Kirsten Griffin of Oklahoma City and John and Holly Griffin of Muskogee. The company owns three network affiliated stations in the state—NEWS 9 (KWTV) in Oklahoma City, The News on 6 (KOTV) in Tulsa (both CBS affiliates) and WB-19 (KWBT) also in Tulsa. Combined, the company’s television stations reach 75 percent of Oklahoma households. Griffin also wholly owns KOTV.com and has several strategic partnerships and alliances in the state. It co-owns NewsOK.com with The Oklahoman—a web site with more than 30 million page views per month. Griffin Communications, L.L.C. is partners with Cox Communications in NewsNow 53 both in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. That cable channel repeats News 9 and News on 6 newscasts 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Griffin is also a partner in Sooner Sports Properties with the University of Oklahoma Athletic Department, Learfield Communications and Renda Broadcasting. SSP owns the marketing rights to the University of Oklahoma Athletics. Another business venture is Radio Oklahoma, a network of 26 rural radio stations, which receive news, weather and sports information from Griffin’s television stations’ journalists and meteorologists. Radio Oklahoma is a partnership between Griffin and Quinstar Radio in Enid, Oklahoma.