WTMJ, a major metropolitan radio station, added the hour-long Mid-West Farm Report to its show lineup.
Pam Jahnke, farm director for Mid-West Farm Report, says the morning show is farm-centered and focused on providing a high-energy atmosphere.
“We like to be very interactive with our audience by using our talk/text line to ask them for everything from rainfall reports to spring planting updates to county fair highlights,” Jahnke said. “We always want to have a dialogue with our audience while the show is going on because our farmers are our number one priority.”
While the show’s primary goal is to provide reliable information to farmers, Jahnke says the show also targets other audiences.
“We try to make sure that we’re explaining to consumers who are listening why that information is important,” Jahnke said. “We want them to know where it comes from, why it’s important, and how it drives decisions. We work really hard to make sure anybody that’s listening learns something new about Wisconsin agriculture.”
WTMJ reaches over 560,000 people in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and has the state’s strongest signal at 50,000 watts.
“When I started in farm broadcasting, we still had farm broadcasters in major metropolitan radio stations,” Jahnke said. “These big markets had a farm presence every day of the week, but the radio trend has evolved away from farm-broadcasting content. For me to have established this relationship with such a major radio station and to help them understand how my team approaches farm news with the urban consumer in mind is phenomenal.”
Overall, it is an encouraging sign for farm broadcasting, Jahnke says.
“It makes me feel really good to see a major market still appreciates and understands what farm broadcasters and their content can bring to their audiences,” Jahnke said. “It’s taken me almost ten years to build this relationship with WTMJ. It’s amazing for them to commit one hour daily, which is a lot of content.”
