"When I made the drive in my 1949 blue Chrysler New Yorker 60 years ago, I was very uncertain about what I was getting into, because I was a farm kid [thinking], What will I do in the big city?. Wellman farmer Clint Whetstine stands in front of destroyed pens and barns from tornado. 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. The new routes will shave off 40,000 miles and 6,000 minutes of travel time annually, according to the FAA. 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. From 1977 to 2009, Armstrong was the agri-business broadcaster for WGN Radio[2] before the program transitioned to a weekly Saturday morning show and accompanying podcast entitled The Morning Show with Orion and Max. He is best known for his association with WGN Radio in Chicago, serving as the station's head agriculture broadcaster since 1960. The rest of the tape follows Orion Samuelson (who created and hosted U.S. Farm Report for WGN Radio AM-720), at the 1991 Farm Progress Show in Dalton City, IL. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. Orion Samuelson was honored at the 2010 Wisconsin Corn/Soy Expo in Wisconsin Dells. From Eddie Hubbard, Wally Phillips, Bob Collins and Spike O'Dell to Steve Cochran and Bob Sirott, Samuelson has been rising with WGN's morning stars and their listeners for an amazing six decades. A montage of photos of the life and career of WGN Radio legend Orion Samuelson.For more, visit wgnradio.com/orion. Orion is currently the host, along with Max Armstrong, of This Week in AgriBusiness - www.agbizweek.com, Read more about this topic: Orion Samuelson, Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.Rebecca West [Cicily Isabel Fairfield] (18921983), Had Dr. Johnson written his own life, in conformity with the opinion which he has given, that every mans life may be best written by himself; had he employed in the preservation of his own history, that clearness of narration and elegance of language in which he has embalmed so many eminent persons, the world would probably have had the most perfect example of biography that was ever exhibited.James Boswell (174095), A great biography should, like the close of a great drama, leave behind it a feeling of serenity. And for all of the listeners and for all of us who have had the great fortune to work with you here, we thank you. 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. In the world of agriculture, Orion Samuelson is a rock star, and to Orion tonight we say, "Happy Birthday!" Orion has been on WGN Radio for more than 53 of his 80 years, so WGN's Steve. Chicago radio legend Orion Samuelson is out of intensive care and recovering from heart-valve replacement surgery, his wife said Wednesday. Since July 2009, Armstrong has been director of broadcasting for Farm Progress. She spotted early signs of a serious illness one day in 2004, during a television broadcast. 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. There were host farms in northern Illinois that opened on Sundays for consumers to visit, Armstrong said. Sirott: I imagine you still milking cows while youre in broadcasting. Samuelson: Thats probably one of the biggest compliments I get from city listeners in Chicago or suburbs or other cities who say, I didnt know what soybeans were. He gave an emotional update last Monday on the air, saying he wasn't saying his goodbyes, but colleagues feared otherwise. An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. His early work was based in Wisconsin, at WKLJ in Sparta, WHBY in Appleton, and WBAY-TV/AM in Green Bay. Cause I didnt think I was very important and then somebody said 60 years. And it, I think, became pretty well known to most people that agriculture was indeed a contributor to the nations income. The Tigers on Sunday held a moment of silence. [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. I read about this in the encyclopedia, but now Im standing here looking at it. The farm broadcaster duo also assisted with Farm Visit Sundays which was organized by the University of Illinois Extension. Farm Report in 1975 and. It wasnt what you would call prime farmland, he says. Thats why I titled my book, You Cant Dream Big Enough, Samuelson said about his book published in 2012. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. His early work was based in Wisconsin, at WKLJ in Sparta, WHBY in Appleton, and WBAY-TV/AM in Green Bay. WGN Radio personality Bob Sirott sat down with Samuelson for a trip down memory lane. Lions head coach Matt Patricia, on his own, called into 97.1 on Monday morning to share his sympathies. ), I dont know what happened to the guy who came in first, Orion says, laughing. [1] He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Famein 2003. WGN Radio's Orion Samuelson has graced airwaves throughout the heartland in places across the Midwest and beyond. Orion Samuelson and his wife, Gloria, were kind enough to allow me to introduce myself and even pose for a quick picture. 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. Both shows aired on 190 Midwest stations[7] via first-run syndication. Thats what I did and it took me a couple of weeks to convince Max to make the move from Bloomington to Chicago. After high school, Orion headed to the University of Wisconsin on a scholarship, determined to learn how to be a radio announcer. 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. Her guest asked her, if she didn't read them, how did she know how left-wing they were? All rights reserved. CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) One of the most famous voices in radio will end a remarkable 60-year career later this month. Autobiography of Orion "Big O" Samuelson, radio broadcaster on WGN in Chicago for over 50 years. The bronze plaque is in the sidewalk outside the Tribune Tower studios at 435 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Max Armstrong (born June 13, 1953, Owensville, Indiana) is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois. Orion Samuelson was born on a dairy farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, near LaCrosse. "They werent teaching me to be a broadcaster, they were teaching me to be a writer. Dont make a mountain out of this lets wait and see what weve got was his approach to crises large and small. Madonna. That was the ticket. But, this is like the time when the conspiracy theory came true. said one researcher. I think I should be able to, he quipped last week. According to the website, the country's best known ag broadcaster had deep roots in Wisconsin, with his first 4-H project being a Guernsey heifer calf. Autobiography of Orion "Big O" Samuelson, radio broadcaster on WGN in Chicago for over 50 years. All rights reserved. Orion Samuelsons decades of agriculture reporting has helped farmers understand the latest Washington policies and he has also helped all audiences appreciate the importance of agriculture to our communities and to the economy.. The University of Illinois presented Samuelson with the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. 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. There are options, 'Stranger than fiction': Tick bite may cause allergy, How to get out of a payday loan nightmare. 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. He served as master of ceremonies for thousands of shows and crowned dozens of queens, using his own plane to travel efficiently. Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Prairie Farmer owned WLS, airing farm and rural programming such as the National Barn Dance and more. Radio greats like Paul Harvey called on them to explain issues and provide a counterpoint when the latest anti-ag book came out. In some ways, Orion Samuelsons life sounds like a fairy tale: Farm boy makes it big in the big city, travels the world and meets presidents. [1], Armstrong's first job out of college was for the Illinois Farm Bureau as a Broadcast Editor, which was where he met Orion Samuelson. They plan to divide their time between homes in west suburban Huntley and Scottsdale, Arizona. She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. And trust. Monticello, Ind., farmer Brian Scott says his grandpa said the same thing after nearly every lunch: Orion said . "I couldn't believe it was happening," he says today. Why? All rights reserved. Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazines coverage. Well known ag broadcaster Orion Samuelson will retire this month after 60 years in the field. The feeling is mutual. [9], In 2015, Armstrong published his first book, titled "Stories from the Heartland. The show moved to Chicago's WGN-AM, with Orion Samuelson as the show's host, until it finally left the air in 1968. Gloria says those are among the traits that have made him successful that and being generous with his time and talents, especially with young people. 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. Luckily for farmers, Samuelson had once considered becoming a Lutheran pastor before heading off to radio school. 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. Samuelson received a specially 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. Good health and happiness to you and to Gloria. 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. Jim was very professional, and I learned several things from him that I still use, Orion says. [1] He produces and hosts the Farm Progress America and Max Armstrongs Midwest Digest daily radio programs. According to his impressive resume, Samuelson is the only broadcaster to receive two Oscars in Agriculture from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. The surgeon commented that Orion is further along than patients half his age. In addition to that, Ive interviewed nine presidents, including George H.W. Sid and Mona Samuelson made a good life for Orion and his younger sister, Norma. At age 26, Samuelson got the call to join 50,000-watt powerhouse WGN, where he began as farm director on September 26, 1960. FAIRY TALE? "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." He traveled with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Prime Minister of India to see the Taj Mahal. Politically, Samuelson is a significant supporter of the use of ethanol fuel as derived from corn, as he feels its use will help American farmers. In fact, it might be what they like about him best. Parent PLUS loans offer limited relief options but some borrowers can still access lower monthly payments, loan forgiveness and more. He will retire from WGNs airwaves on Dec. 31. On December 9, 2010, the southwest corner of E. Illinois Street & N. Cityfront Plaza Drive was named 'Orion Samuelson Way' by the city of Chicago. He went one further when he got Orion into public speaking contests. A beloved hall of fame broadcaster and Chicago media icon if there ever was one, Samuelson, 86, informed his bosses hell bow out at the end of the year. 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. Ontario, Wis., looked like home. In addition to working with farmers and ranchers, Orion Samuelson has also been involved with activities outside of the agricultural industry, including emceeing at the Tournament of Roses Parade with co-host Pam Minick.