A recent study by psychologists at Australia’s University of Linz (http://on.msnbc.com/iGAzkB) suggests that, through something called “media priming,” the things we listen to, read and watch on television have a stronger influence on our behavior and emotional state than we realize. In essence, if you watch something stupid, it will make you dumber. It’s ironic that the same week this study was released; OETA was forced to cut the Oklahoma News Report (ONR) from a nightly newscast down to one hour a week effective July 15. This means, Oklahoma television just lost some IQ points.

Now, we do have solid news reporting in Oklahoma. I’ve worked with television media across the state (yes, there is TV news outside the metro) and I’ve met some of the most professional and ethical journalists in Oklahoma television. They do a great job of keeping us informed. But, ONR does something that no one else does; it focuses on Oklahoma state government like a laser. If you want to know what happened at the State Capitol, ONR is the newscast to watch. By cutting their budget by 9 percent, we have shut the door on the voters of Oklahoma.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “An enlightened citizenry is indepsensable for the proper functioning of a republic.” These words are just as true today when we live in an age where we are hit with more information from more sources than we can process.

The loss of a nightly newscast like ONR leaves a big hole in the Oklahoma television news landscape. And what happens next year if budgets are cut even more? Will we lose the one hour of television that informs us about our state government better than anyone? And what about the rest of OETA, are we willing to trade great shows like Nova and Fantastic Tulsa Films for more shows about New Jersey?

If we’re going to cut OETA, and threaten to cut great radio like NPR, I have a suggestion. Since the Food and Drug Administration has released graphic new warning labels for cigarettes (http://huff.to/lWJOQ2), why not show a graphic warning of rotting brains before anyone can watch the Kardashians, Donald Trump or anything on VH1? Or, we can pick up a pen or a laptop and write the decision makers and tell them to bring back ONR and protect our public television, while we can still see what they’re doing and who they are.