There are options, 'Stranger than fiction': Tick bite may cause allergy, How to get out of a payday loan nightmare. 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.. Madonna. 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. Memorials may be made to Heartland. This job changed the direction of my career immensely.. Samuelson considered becoming a Lutheran pastor before deciding on six months of radio school. Orion Samuelson, 86, informed his bosses he'll retire at the end of the year. You cant respond to someone until you listen to them, and you cant ask the right questions until you learn where theyre coming from. In the clip the announcer says, "Now, here's Orion Samuelson," but Orion seems not to have heard! The first is a short musical number (in thirty-two-bar form) in which Yogi shops for his wife and, considering buying a nightgown for his wife but not knowing her size, opts to buy her a carpet sweeper as his gift to her. "The American Farmer's Best Friend for Over Sixty Years" tells about his humble beginnings on a Wisconsin dairy farm and how his big dreams led to a Hall of Fame career in broadcasting, travels to 43 countries, dinner at the White House and, most importantly, the trust of the h At WBAY, he crossed paths with a fellow ag communicator named. Televised "Hometown Heroes" featuring Orion Samuelson to air on NewsNation on Dec. 18. Orion and I played a significant role in helping publicize that which happened 45 or 50 years ago., Its a remarkable thing that Orion has been on the air at the same station in a major market in the U.S. for 60 years, Armstrong stressed. 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. Simple country hospitality has always gone a long way, Max says. Chicago radio legend Orion Samuelson is out of intensive care and recovering from heart-valve replacement surgery, his wife said Wednesday. All rights reserved. The hall of fame broadcaster and Chicago media icon says he'll end his run at the end of the year. He was a good guy and a good listener.[3]. I couldnt believe it was happening, he says today. Before the program was over, hed scored a job at WKLJ in Sparta, Wis., less than 20 miles from the home farm. 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.. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Sirott: Orion, judging by all the listeners whove been calling us in the morning, people dont care how old you are. Obviously the highlight of my career is the opportunity to work with farmers, ranchers and food producers because theyre my favorite people, he said. Hes originated broadcasts from all 50 states and 44 countries. That is unheard of in this industry., Field Editor's Blog @AgNews_Doran: Best wishes to Orion in his retirement https://t.co/abTEj8w1v7. [10][11] In 2014 he was awarded the VERITAS award by American Agri-Women (AAW) Organization. He gave an emotional update last Monday on the air, saying he wasn't saying his goodbyes, but colleagues feared otherwise. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Armstrong also hosts a three-minute feature, "Farming America", on the Tribune Radio Network. It was Sept. 26, 1960, and as he headed toward his first day on the job at WGN, a singular thought ran through his head. All rights reserved. First, Orion won the section, and then he went to state, and then he placed second in all of Wisconsin. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. His early work was based in Wisconsin, at WKLJ in Sparta, WHBY in Appleton, and WBAY-TV/AM in Green Bay. CHICAGO ( NewsNation Now) One of the most famous voices in radio will end a remarkable 60-year career later this month. I love being in the countryside and on farms. These stories were also translated into Max Armstrong's Tractor App, launched in 2013. The University of Illinois presented Samuelson with the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. They serve with their local 4-H and FFA programs, their school district, and are active in their church's youth and music ministries. Later, Orion would earn an honorary doctor of letters from the U of I. I would, I would like that a lot. Perfect for elementary students, homeschoolers, and libraries! 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. [3], Since August 2005, Armstrong has been co-host and co-founder of This Week in AgriBusiness, owned and produced with Samuelson. But, this is like the time when the conspiracy theory came true. said one researcher. Orion Samuelson, American broadcaster Country: United States Birthday: March 31, 1934 Age : 89 years old Birth Sign : Aries About Biography Orion Samuelson is an American broadcaster most widely known for hosting U. S. Farm Report. Samuelson now hosts a similar show, This Week in Agribusiness, on RFD-TV, along with Armstrong. WGN Radio's Orion Samuelson has graced airwaves throughout the heartland in places across the Midwest and beyond. Particularly when I, on a Sunday, went with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Prime Minister of India to see the Taj Mahal. Samuelson began his broadcasting career in Wisconsin and will officially sign off from his job at WGN radio in Chicago. It would also be the last first day Orion Samuelson would ever have. On the eve of his 60th anniversary as the booming voice of agriculture and business at WGN 720-AM, Orion Samuelson . I think you should do it, Orion recalls. Her work in agricultural media has been recognized by the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn, Illinois Council on Agricultural Education and MidAmerica Croplife Association. Orions first marriage ended in divorce, and his second wife died of Lou Gehrigs disease. I just wasn't getting what I wanted, which was broadcasting. [1] He produces and hosts the Farm Progress America and Max Armstrongs Midwest Digest daily radio programs. Sirott: Well, Orion congratulations. And we accepted ideas from other people because if you stop learning, you stop living., Orion worked with the Illinois Farm Bureau to put together a farm-city exchange in the early 70s and it was still going in 1977 when I started at WGN, Armstrong said. Today, Samuelson and his wife live about 50 miles west of Chicago. The president of WGN who believed firmly in serving the audience beyond Chicago out into the farmland of the Midwest didnt want a break in the farm broadcast coverage, Samuelson said. Orion was bridging the gap between the farm and the city before anyone else in the country thought about it., The first time I heard Max do the Farm Bureau reports, I said to my producer that if we ever need to get an associate at WGN farm department, Im going to call him, Samuelson recalled. "How do you say goodbye to a man who made everyone feel like a friend?". CHICAGO ( NewsNation Now) One of the most famous voices in radio will end a remarkable 60-year career later this month. [2], Many of those living in the Midwest over the past six decades remember the big, booming voice of Orion Samuelson that explained the business of agriculture and food production in an understandable way. 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. And he championed the farmers cause. Shes a beautiful lady and a beautiful partner, he says. We would talk about trade with China. She also had high praise for his care at University of Chicago. Indeed, entire generations have grown up on the farm conditioned to shush around the table or in the truck or across the milking parlor when Orions voice came on the radio. Copyright 2023. He doesnt disagree. A montage of photos of the life and career of WGN Radio legend Orion Samuelson.For more, visit wgnradio.com/orion. McDonald now is a TV reporter and anchor at Detroit's PBS station. 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. In 2010, the City of Chicago named the corner of Illinois Street and Cityfront Plaza Drive Orion Samuelson Way.. Lions head coach Matt Patricia, on his own, called into 97.1 on Monday morning to share his sympathies. 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. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. Sirott: When you were growing up in Wisconsin, did you have ambitions to be a broadcaster? Reliable and true., And quotable. These days, Orion is dialing back obligations and busy recovering from back surgery. They plan to divide their time between homes in west suburban Huntley and Scottsdale, Arizona. Autobiography of Orion "Big O" Samuelson, radio broadcaster on WGN in Chicago for over 50 years. Orion Samuelson is an American broadcaster most widely known for hosting U. S. Farm Report. I dont ever remember working on a style, he says, but I never took my voice for granted. Armstrong also was awarded an Alum Certificate of Distinction from the College of Agriculture and a Sagamore of the Wabash, given by the Governor of Indiana. There were host farms in northern Illinois that opened on Sundays for consumers to visit, Armstrong said. Few partnerships in agriculture are as easily recognized as that of Max and Orion again, by first names only. His final broadcast on WGN was the noon business report on December 31, 2020.[16][3]. She would never subscribe. The man continues to repeat the introduction until Orion continues. I dont like conspiracy theories. [3] He interviewed and or met every US president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Donald Trump,[5] including John F. Kennedy (when he was still a Senator), Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton,[6][5] and finally, after he was 20 years out of the Oval Office, Harry S. Samuelson: Yeah, without a doubt. From hosting the WGN Radio Barn Dance to breaking the news to Chicagoans of the JFK assassination. That's because he'd dropped out as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin at Madison after only three months. Samuelson retires on December 31 after marking more than 60 years with the . The result: casts, wheelchairs and crutches. Number 8860726. 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. Three years into his tenure at WGN, he was the staffer that read the news of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Jamie Samuelsen's wife, local TV personality Christy McDonald, thanked friends and fans for the significant outpouring of support in the days since Samuelson died from colon cancer. At 97.1, which he joined in 2012, he first co-hosted with News columnist Bob Wojnowski for four years, and since 2016 he has worked with Mike Stone. Max Armstrong (born June 13, 1953, Owensville, Indiana) is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois. [4] The show is a weekly agriculture television show, produced by OMAX Communications, LLC in cooperation with 22 Creative Group and Farm Progress. Manage Settings [5], In 2001, Armstrong was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the NAFB. Chronology We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Kate Sullivan so grateful for CBS 2 run, My childhood dream became the honor of a lifetime, Robservations: Sun-Times moving to Old Post Office; ABC 7 opens weekend anchor slot; Medill tracks local news decline, Robservations: StreetWise raises cover price; Sventoonie takes a break; Friends of Chicago Reporter mark 50. They dont want you to retire. On New Year's Day 2017, Orion will be alongside the Rose Parade route to co-host with Pam Minick RFD-TV's live coverage of the parade on January 1. You can find a comprehensive archive of his material here. announced his diagnosis and that he'd been battling the disease for 19 months, Wojo:Jamie Samuelsen brought out all the goodness, in radio and in life, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Orions stories of growing up on the family dairy in Ontario, Wis., are familiar to listeners: 30 milk cows, six sows, 200 chickens, 200 acres but only 90 tillable. The Wisconsin farm boy got a lot of surprises in Chicago, including flattened tires for parking in the wrong spot and a missed market report or two, thanks to slow elevators in the Tribune Tower. 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. Families from the city would spend the weekend on a farm and then the farmers would go into the city for a weekend.. Orion Samuelson and his wife, Gloria, were kind enough to allow me to introduce myself and even pose for a quick picture. In addition, the farm broadcaster also met several stars including Sophia Loren, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. 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. National Association of Farm Broadcasting ("NAFB"), "The Morning Show with Orion and Max | WGN Radio - 720 AM", "National President Election Profile: Max Armstrong", "Armstrong Earns Plaque On The WGN Radio Walk Of Fame", "Seven honorees named to WGN Radio Walk of Fame", "Max Armstrong's Tractor App Now Available", "Max Armstrong // Purdue College of Liberal Arts", "Max Armstrong Named Honorary Master Farmer", Chicago Radio Spotlight interview with Max Armstrong, Max Armstrong's Tractor App in the Daily Herald, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Max_Armstrong&oldid=1122875638, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.

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