NAFB Blog

Rita Frazer (RFD Radio Network, Bloomington, IL) said, “As I prepare to celebrate my 50^th birthday, I am honored to have the opportunity to share a few highlights from the RFD Radio Network’s (RFDRN) 50^th anniversary celebration.” She explains, “The celebration included special features in our monthly newsletter that shared stories about the broadcasters that built the network. Farm broadcasters like Dick Helton and Art Sechrest broke in the microphones at the network, making way for farm voices like Max Armstrong. Armstrong grew up on an Indiana farm before heading to Purdue University. While in college he started his radio career working part-time at WASK (Lafayette, IN), WRAY (Princeton, IN), and WVMC (Mount Carmel, IL).

AG CENTRAL RADIO NETWORK IS ON THE AIR – Mick Kjar reports that the Ag Central Radio Network is on the air. This network covers North and South Dakota and adjacent areas of western Minnesota.  “It’s a little different than your normal or traditional radio network.  Yes, we do farm news; in fact, nine three-minute reports and nine 90-second reports daily,” he said.   “But stations can carry these as they fit into their programming, and not at a regular ‘hit time’ as is usually done on a radio network.” Mick adds, “The same format for weather programming is offered, with five longer version weather analysis programs and hourly 30-second weather forecasts 24 hours a day, and again, stations air the weather programs when it fits into their programming.” 

A lifelong passion for agriculture has brought a Missouri native farm broadcaster to Kansas. Sara Miles joins the Kansas Farm and Ranch Radio team as the Farm Director. Sacha Sanguinetti, General Manager and Vice President of Radio for Rocking M Media, said, “We are constantly looking for new and better ways to pass along the vital information producers need. Sara is an innovative, self-driven, natural-born leader who brings a fresh approach to  ag media.” She grew up on a family farm in northeast Missouri which spans five generations where she developed a passion for agriculture

When John Winfield fully retired in July 2017, Dixon Williams became the fulltime farm director for Telesouth Communications/Supertalk (Jackson, MS). “My interest in radio started while I was in high school at Provine High in Jackson, MS.    I went on to get a broadcast journalism degree at the University of Southern Mississippi. His first job in broadcasting was at WAPF-AM/WCCA (McComb, MS) in 1982.