I think that a lot of people recognize that without agricultural trade, we would be in far worse condition because our farmers produce so much more than we can consume. [15], On September 23, 2020, Samuelson announced his retirement from WGN Radio. "He loved a wicked joke, a good game & a strong gimlet. Robert Feder, a lifelong Chicagoan, covered the media beat in his hometown from 1980 until his retirement in 2022. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. [3] He considered becoming a Lutheran pastor before deciding on six months of radio school. As a kid, Orion served as "that voice on the radio" that I became . He currently co-hosts (with associate Max Armstrong) the Morning Show on Saturdays. McDonalds is now offering its Big Mac sauce in prepackaged dipping cups but it aint free. And while Orion has covered 19 different secretaries of agriculture and eight presidents, and even dined at the White House, he nearly became a candidate himself for about four days back in 2007. The bronze plaque is in the sidewalk outside the Tribune Tower studios at 435 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. On the eve of his 60th anniversary as the booming voice of agriculture and business at WGN 720-AM, Orion Samuelson says it's time to retire from the Nexstar Media Group news/talk station. But he remembers the first time he spoke competitively: My knees never stopped shaking!. That is unheard of in this industry., Field Editor's Blog @AgNews_Doran: Best wishes to Orion in his retirement https://t.co/abTEj8w1v7. Samuelson was working at WBAY in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when Norm Kraft, WGN farm director resigned on the air. Samuelson received a custom-engraved Norwegian horse plaque to commemorate the occasion from presidents of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, the Wisconsin Soybean Association, the Wisconsin Agri-Services Association and the Wisconsin Pork Association. In addition to that, Ive interviewed nine presidents, including George H.W. Garth. American agricultural broadcast journalist, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Christmas Eve air check from Radio Hall of Fame, "Robservations: WGN Radio names Steve Alexander to succeed Orion Samuelson - Robert Feder", "Legendary agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson on 60 years", "President Trump makes surprise phone call during Decatur Farm Progress Show", "Radio Hall of Fame - Orion Samuelson, Farm Broadcaster", "WGN's Orion Samuelson to have heart surgery", "Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation Board of Directors", "CME Group and NAFB Foundation to Award First-Ever Orion Samuelson Scholarship for Agricultural Communications", "Orion Samuelson to retire after 60 years at WGN Radio", "Laureates by Year - The Lincoln Academy of Illinois", Legendary agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson on 60 years, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orion_Samuelson&oldid=1105630782, Short description is different from Wikidata, BLP articles lacking sources from May 2008, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Orion Samuelson was inducted as a Laureate of, This page was last edited on 21 August 2022, at 02:59. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. [8], On This Week in Agribusiness, Armstrong has a segment "Max's Tractor Shed," which features vintage tractors sent in by viewers. For over 60 years, Orion Samuelson has been the voice on the radio and a trusted member of the farm family. They plan to divide their time between homes in west suburban Huntley and Scottsdale, Arizona. After a few years, audiences finally began to wane, and the program ceased live performances after 1957. . [14], In 2014 the CME Group and the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Foundation announced the inaugural recipient of the Orion Samuelson Scholarship ($5,000) for a senior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Sirott: I imagine you still milking cows while youre in broadcasting. Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Prairie Farmer owned WLS, airing farm and rural programming such as the National Barn Dance and more. His grandparents were Norwegian immigrants, and the first time Orion made his way to Norway, the spot his grandparents chose to homestead made more sense: steep hills with buildings carved into them. WGN Radio personality Bob Sirott sat down with Samuelson for a trip down memory lane. We would talk about trade with China. He met McDonald when she worked at Fox 2 and was producing for Bill Bonds, and the couple had three children,Caroline, 16, Josh, 14, and Catherine, 11. He served as master of ceremonies for thousands of shows and crowned dozens of queens, using his own plane to travel efficiently. Its not for nothing that Orion is known as The Voice of Agriculture. Together, these two farm boys sat down every day in a studio in Chicago and talked about agriculture with a 50,000-watt transmitter and hundreds of networked stations, explaining pork bellies and beef demand to suburban housewives. That was the latest tribute to Samuelsen, whose death made news outlets across the country, and drew sympathies from many dignitaries in the sports community, including all four Detroit major sports teams. Autobiography of Orion "Big O" Samuelson, radio broadcaster on WGN in Chicago for over 50 years. Not even Earl Butz had this kind of name recognition. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. He doesnt disagree. You listen to the radio. We would talk about the European Community and the blocks that were put up against our products. [13], On November 1, 2012, Samuelson published his autobiography "You Cant Dream Big Enough" was published by Bantry Bay Media. In May 1960, one of Mr. Samuelson's first assignments for WGN was to emcee the National Barn Dance, a long running program that WGN had just acquired when WLS radio discontinued its association with Prairie Farmer magazine. In those early years at WGN, on both radio and live television, Orion honed his craft and his on-air work, including his signature pronunciation of the word ag-er-a-cul-ture, with a few extra syllables. The lesson I share with young people is in order to make a living talking you have got to be a good listener, said Orion Samuelson, farm broadcaster at WGN Radio. "We will celebrate his life, but are taking time to figure out the best way. Other people hear it differently than I do, thank God! It took me about two weeks to decide to accept the WGN job and it scares me to think it took that long to join a station like WGN, said Samuelson, who retired from WGN on Dec. 31. In addition, Samuelson hosts a three-minute daily "National Farm Report", and a weekly commentary, "Samuelson Sez"; both are syndicated to various stations across the country through Tribune Broadcasting's Tribune Radio Network. The winner of more awards and inductee in more halls of fame than he can count, Samuelson said one of the honors he cherishes most is the honorary doctor of letters degree he received from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001. Get an exclusive peek behind the scenes of The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Sirott: You had to be pinching yourself at times along the way? Samuelson has spent over 60 years perfecting this talent, first at radio stations in Wisconsin before starting his job at Chicagos WGN Radio in September 1960. Reliable and true., And quotable. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. From hosting the WGN Radio Barn Dance to breaking the news to Chicagoans of the JFK assassination. His early work was based in Wisconsin, at WKLJ in Sparta, WHBY in Appleton, and WBAY-TV/AM in Green Bay. During his over 60 years as a farm broadcaster, Samuelson interviewed nine presidents and traveled to 44 countries. CHICAGO (September 24, 2020) - WGN Radio announced that legendary agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson will retire on December 31, shortly after celebrating his 60th anniversary with the station. We collect into a small bunch the flowers, the few flowers, which brought sweetness into a life, and present it as an offering to an accomplished destiny. The Republicans were looking for someone to run against Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama. And he championed the farmers cause. Televised "Hometown Heroes" featuring Orion Samuelson to air on NewsNation on Dec. 18. Orion tuned in for Bert Wilson calling Cubs games, and he listened to the National Barn Dance every Saturday night on WLS what was then the Prairie Farmer station to hear stars like Gene Autry. As host of "The U.S. Farm Report" (now "This Week in AgriBusiness" with longtime partner Max Armstrong), he became the best-known voice of agriculture in America. The manager at WBAY called me in and said, I got a call from WGN, and they want to talk to you. It was devastating. Samuelson: The biggest change, besides technology, it would be the fact that agriculture is international because when I started in the business, South America, Brazil, wasnt even in the soybean situation. In 1954, he moved to WHBY in Appleton, Wis., to be the nighttime announcer, and by 1956, Orion had secured his first position as a farm broadcaster at WBAY in Green Bay, Wis. At WBAY, he crossed paths with a fellow ag communicator named Jim Evans, who would go on to found the agricultural communications program at the University of Illinois. Related:Orion Samuelson: Explaining agriculture to ChicagoHow Orion became beloved in agricultureWhat Orion means on the farmMax on Orion: Champion for the American farmer. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. These days, Orion is dialing back obligations and busy recovering from back surgery. But even 60 years later, you can hear awe in his familiar baritone. He was honored at the 2010 Wisconsin Corn/Soy Expo in Wisconsin Dells. Max Armstrong was named an Honorary Master Farmer in 2018 by Prairie Farmer Magazine. The scholarship is presented to a college student seeking a career in agricultural communications. I can recall the volume going up and our little voices being muted in my grandpas truck when Orion came on. But mainly, hes told agricultures story from downtown Chicago, where he became a media icon and a beloved hall of fame broadcaster. Thank you . Orion Samuelson (/rin/ OR-ee-n; born March 31, 1934) is a retired American broadcaster, known for his agriculture broadcasts and his ability to explain agribusiness and food production in an understandable way. Cause I didnt think I was very important and then somebody said 60 years. Plant-based product fixes nitrogen for corn, Report provides rangeland carbon market insight, Kansas State University veterinarian shares tips to prepare cattle for summer, Commodity Classic offers look at latest in ag equipment, tech, Orion Samuelson: Explaining agriculture to Chicago, Max on Orion: Champion for the American farmer. McDonald posted to Twitter on Monday afternoon, her first post since Samuelsen went on the air a week ago and announced his diagnosis and that he'd been battling the disease for 19 months. The money-saving move of starting at a community college rarely works as planned. Jim was very professional, and I learned several things from him that I still use, Orion says. Serving on a three-member board, he hires and promotes full-time firefighters and paramedics for one of the highest-rated (ISO 1) fire service organizations in the United States, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District.[11]. They dont want you to retire. Orion immediately set to work shaping WGNs farm programming after he aired up his tires and mastered the elevators, of course. [7] The induction ceremony took place on May 27, 2016, where Armstrong was honored along with 6 others. That mildly understated assessment launched the phenomenally successful WGN career that Orion is now retiring from, 60 years later. Then I realize weve got more work to do., The question Samuelson has been asked the most is, What is a frozen pork belly?. Celebrating 60 Years of Orion SamuelsonAudio|Video|PhotosEmail|Voicemail|Scholarship. It is the dying refrain of a completed song, the final verse of a finished poem.Andr Maurois (18851967). Truman. When I started, Orion was so highly regarded by everyone at WGN. He spoke with the president of the United States just as easily as he spoke with a Chinese farmer in a rice paddy or with the kid whod just won champion steer at the state fair. Kathryn Samuelson, Judith Samuelson, Gloria Samuelson, James Warren and Lois Long, and many others are family members and associates of Orion. "How do you say goodbye to a man who made everyone feel like a friend?". On the lighter side, Samuelson and a studio group dubbed the "Uff da Band" once recorded covers of Yogi Yorgesson's novelty songs I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas and Yingle Bells. I tend to wait until tomorrow, but she said, Look at this now, because we dont wait, Orion recalls. Since July 2009, Armstrong has been director of broadcasting for Farm Progress. They had a lot of misconceptions about the role food producers play in our economy and our society, Samuelson said. That teacher, Robert Gehring, went far out of his way to help a kid who really needed to catch a break. And then you start dreaming. I sat at a table with Glen Campbell and Bob Dole and we became good friends., Subscribe to receive top agriculture news, Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters. Gloria took the sensible route, thinking it too taxing to campaign following a recent throat surgery. He was the voice on the radio but part of the farm family. Samuelsen missed significant time over the last month as the diagnosis got worse. CHICAGO (December 17, 2020) - WGN Radio announced that reporter Steve Alexander will assume responsibilities from agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson beginning in January. [1] He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Famein 2003. When Armstrong started at WGN, he was surrounded by announcers and personalities who were significantly older. Orion's spirits are high and he is looking forward to returning to the airwaves as soon as he gets the 'go ahead. . We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Particularly when I, on a Sunday, went with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Prime Minister of India to see the Taj Mahal. Today, Samuelson and his wife live about 50 miles west of Chicago. Gloria Samuelson may get the biggest credit of all: saving Orions life. He drove home every weekend to be a polka music disc jockey. Samuelson is a 2003 National Radio Hall of Fame inductee. A new coronavirus subvariant is starting to spread in the U.S. and, according to health experts, it could be causing an annoying symptom to return.
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