Jim Maurice (WWJO-FM, St. Cloud, Minnesota) grew up across the road from farming. He is a lifelong Minnesotan, born and raised in the small west central Minnesota town of Maynard (population around 500).
“Growing up with my backyard facing the town’s large grain elevator where my father worked for over 30 years, I was exposed to farm life at a very young age. Any local farmer who showed up at the elevator who needed a farm hand for picking rocks, walking bean fields (and later riding the bean bar), baling hay, and probably many other odd jobs, my dad just sent them over to the house and had them pick me up. It was hard work, but I loved it,” Maurice said.
“As an adult, I’ve had the good fortune of spending my entire career in radio broadcasting. First, I worked at KDMA (Montevideo, Minnesota) primarily as their sports director. Later, I moved on and had a 10-year run at KLGR (Redwood Falls, Minnesota), mostly as the station’s program director. A highlight for us at that station every year was our coverage of FarmFest, just down the road. It was three full days of wall-to-wall coverage of everything farm related. My career has landed me in St. Cloud, Minnesota, for the past 16 years as the station’s news director.
“But, when the company wanted to add more farm programming, it seemed like a natural fit for me to fill that role, as well. With my previous experience filling in for the other stations’ farm directors, combined with my love for our rural farm communities, I’m excited and ready to tell the important stories of the farmers and the farming industry and how they are related to the overall economy of greater Minnesota,” Maurice concluded.
