She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. "But I had a lot of help, thanks to Ward Quaal, [the WGN president and general manager] who hired me, and a lot of the other great names Ive worked with and learned from." From meeting with government officials and dignitaries around the world to serving as a mentor to young men and women preparing for careers in agriculture. Families from the city would spend the weekend on a farm and then the farmers would go into the city for a weekend.. The second is a parody of the poem " A Visit from Saint Nicholas ." 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. Chronology CHICAGO (December 17, 2020) - WGN Radio announced that reporter Steve Alexander will assume responsibilities from agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson beginning in January. At the time, Samuelson credited 4-H with igniting his passion for agriculture and his first experiences with public speaking, ultimately leading to his broadcasting career. I walked into the studio and I thought, Im working with some big names at a big radio station veterans and theyre going to ignore me! But they did just the opposite, he says, laughing. It was devastating. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. [13], On November 1, 2012, Samuelson published his autobiography "You Cant Dream Big Enough" was published by Bantry Bay Media. For 42 years, Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson have partnered together, first on WGN radio, and later on the TV Show U.S. Farm Report, until creating the show This Week in Agribusiness.[1]. Thats a lesson we should all learn, he adds quietly. He also made history by being the first agribusiness broadcaster to be inducted into the National Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame. But even 60 years later, you can hear awe in his familiar baritone. He is best known for his association with WGN Radio in Chicago, serving as the station's head agriculture broadcaster since 1960. The University of Illinois also presented Samuelson with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters. He was born on March 31, 1934 in . The Radio Hall of Famer had said he hoped to be back on WGN in time to celebrate his 55th anniversary with the station September 25. Autobiography of Orion "Big O" Samuelson, radio broadcaster on WGN in Chicago for over 50 years. Thats why I tell young people today to learn everything you can about everything and youll always have a job, Samuelson said. I start speeches generally by saying, who would have thought that a cow milker from Wisconsin would meet nine presidents and any number of secretaries of agriculture and would write a book and would be a broadcaster for all of these years? I think you should do it, Orion recalls. I was the youngest at the radio station by nine years, he recalled. Good health and happiness to you and to Gloria. 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. WGN Radio personality Bob Sirott sat down with Samuelson for a trip down memory lane. Chicago radio legend Orion Samuelson is out of intensive care and recovering from heart-valve replacement surgery, his wife said Wednesday. The Republicans were looking for someone to run against Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. We operate in different ways. I read about this in the encyclopedia, but now Im standing here looking at it. Orion is now single. Well known ag broadcaster Orion Samuelson will retire this month after 60 years in the field. 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Even farmers dont work that long in a lot of cases and here you are still getting up early and doing what youve done for the last well, since 1952. After high school, Orion headed to the University of Wisconsin on a scholarship, determined to learn how to be a radio announcer. Sirott: Anyone living in the Midwest over the past six decades knows that great, big, booming voice of yours. Samuelson: Well, because we were able to talk more than planting corn or soybeans. Young Orion was a tall kid headed for the basketball team the summer before high school when he was afflicted with a rare disease known as Legg-Perthes disease. Read more:Orion Samuelson: Explaining agriculture to ChicagoHow Orion became beloved in agricultureWhat Orion means on the farmMax on Orion: Champion for the American farmer, Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer, Farm Progress. WLS had converted to "The Station With Personality" and started playing rock 'n' roll. Im still amazed at how many people say, I love that voice., They also appreciate his interviews, likely because hes a self-proclaimed better listener than a speaker.. Farm Progress is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. And it, I think, became pretty well known to most people that agriculture was indeed a contributor to the nations income. Today, Samuelson and his wife live about 50 miles west of Chicago. WGN Radios Orion Samuelson has graced airwaves throughout the heartland in places across the Midwest and beyond. Sirott: Why have agriculture news and farm reports survived on WGN Radio in Chicago here long after that kind of broadcasting ended on other stations? David is retired from a career as a trader on the Chicago Board of Trade and has two children of his own, and Katheryn is in the restaurant business. 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"Well go back and forth to Arizona and not have to worry about setting the alarm clock and making sure Im ready for the next report," he said. DePue: I must tell you that I've got a military background. You listen to the radio. This would turn out to be his trademark generosity, as he mentored dozens of young broadcasters and interns over the coming decades. I dont like conspiracy theories. Samuelson hosted a similar show, This Week in Agribusiness, along with his longtime collaborator Max Armstrong, until his retirement, and continues to make occasional commentaries on that show with Armstrong as host. 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. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Feder flashback: So you think you know Chicago television. I saw agriculture through the eyes of my TV cameraman and I had the opportunity to shake hands with people like Fidel Castro and Mikhail Gorbachev, Samuelson said. Sid and Mona Samuelson made a good life for Orion and his younger sister, Norma. Few partnerships in agriculture are as easily recognized as that of Max and Orion again, by first names only. 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. I think I should be able to, he quipped last week. Norma 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.. Monticello, Ind., farmer Brian Scott says his grandpa said the same thing after nearly every lunch: Orion said . Armstrong was full-time with WGN Radio for 32 years until 2009. Samuelsen also made regular appearances on Fox 2 and wrote periodically for the Detroit Free Press. 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. U.S. Farm Report continued without Samuelson after his departure. But inside WGN, his new colleagues welcomed him into the family. They still do a one-hour radio show together every Saturday at 5a.m., and they partner on This Week in AgriBusiness, airing on television stations nationwide and on RFD-TV. [1] He produces and hosts the Farm Progress America and Max Armstrongs Midwest Digest daily radio programs. Cause I didnt think I was very important and then somebody said 60 years. TROY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Lake Orion man hit the pavement this weekend to run a marathon for a great cause to give back to Henry Ford Health. From hosting the WGN Radio Barn Dance to breaking the news to Chicagoans of the JFK assassination. [10][11] In 2014 he was awarded the VERITAS award by American Agri-Women (AAW) Organization. Whats been your reaction to this outpouring of love for you? According to his impressive resume, Samuelson is the only broadcaster to receive two Oscars in Agriculture from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Orion got plenty of practice thinking on his feet, as WGN took the show on the road for 40 to 50 remote broadcasts a year to county fairs, the Illinois State Fair, the Farm Progress Show and more. One time I was at a White House dinner to honor Norman Borlaug. Orion Samuelson, 86, informed his bosses he'll retire at the end of the year. April 24, 2023 / 10:16 AM / CBS Detroit. You cant respond to someone until you listen to them, and you cant ask the right questions until you learn where theyre coming from. As a farm boy on a milk stool on a cold January morning in a barn in Wisconsin, I could have never dreamed I would have the opportunity to do what Ive done and meet the people Ive met.. His surgery went well on Monday, he is out of ICU and looking forward to checking out of this luxury hotel (hospital) as soon as he gets a bit more strength back, Samuelsons wife, Gloria, wrote in an email. Samuelson was working at WBAY in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when Norm Kraft, WGN farm director resigned on the air. Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Prairie Farmer owned WLS, airing farm and rural programming such as the National Barn Dance and more. If a story is worth doing, then check your facts and make sure you do it right, Jim would tell me.. Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. Orions high standards of reporting, thought leadership, articulate expression and caring spirit continue to help energize and guide me in my professional interests, and in my life, Evans says. Samuelson: It took me and I still cant believe this, but it took me two weeks to make the decision that I would leave Green Bay and go to Chicago, because Im a country boy. He drove home every weekend to be a polka music disc jockey. After all, I am Norwegian. That is unheard of in this industry., Field Editor's Blog @AgNews_Doran: Best wishes to Orion in his retirement https://t.co/abTEj8w1v7. canceling National Barn Dance outright. 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. More: Wojo:Jamie Samuelsen brought out all the goodness, in radio and in life. Samuelsen worked in the Detroit sports-media landscape since 1994, at a variety of radio stations, but most notable WDFN 1130The Fan and WXYT 97.1 The Ticket. His career led him to have dinner at the White House and travel to 43 countries [4] including Cuba, where he shook hands with Fidel Castro, Moscow where he met with Mikhail Gorbachev, and England to broadcast live from the Royal Agricultural Show (aka Royal Show). On 97.1 on Monday, the station's programming was one long, emotional tribute to Samuelsen, starting with Stone and Heather Park in the morning, and carrying over to Doug Karsch and Scott Anderson in middays. [15], On September 23, 2020, Samuelson announced his retirement from WGN Radio. Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazines coverage. Youve educated a lot of people though, havent you? She currently serves as editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and Executive Editor for Farm Progress, managing editorial staff at six magazines throughout the eastern Corn Belt. The self-described "unknown cow milker from western Wisconsin" was born on a dairy farm near LaCrosse, and got his start on radio stations in Sparta, Appleton and Green Bay. She currently serves on the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, the U of I Agricultural Communications Advisory committee, and is an advisory board member for the U of I College of ACES Research Station at Monmouth. It makes sense, he says. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Orion through his work ethic, knowledge and personality had earned the respect of the people there and that helped me immensely when I came on board, he said. Robert Feder, a lifelong Chicagoan, covered the media beat in his hometown from 1980 until his retirement in 2022. Right away, he suggested bringing the National Barn Dance talent over to WGN, and in doing so, saved a few jobs and found himself working alongside the radio stars he listened to back on the dairy farm. CHICAGO ( NewsNation Now) One of the most famous voices in radio will end a remarkable 60-year career later this month. Orion Samuelson was born on a dairy farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, near LaCrosse.
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