joined Orion at WGN in 1977, and as they spent the next 43 years together on air, they developed a seamless rapport. 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.. 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. These days, Orion is dialing back obligations and busy recovering from back surgery. No ones shared more airtime with Orion than Max, and hes the first to admit he got a lot of spillover from Orions popularity. Madonna. When I started, Orion was so highly regarded by everyone at WGN. The hall of fame broadcaster and Chicago media icon says he'll end his run at the end of the year. 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. Orion Samuelson has 1 sibling. Later, Orion would earn an honorary doctor of letters from the U of I. Join bestselling author Brad Montague in a Flip Live Event that inspires learners worldwide to embrace their creativity. Orions first marriage ended in divorce, and his second wife died of Lou Gehrigs disease. [5], In 2001, Armstrong was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the NAFB. On September 26, 1960, Orion Samuelson joined WGN Radio. There are options, 'Stranger than fiction': Tick bite may cause allergy, How to get out of a payday loan nightmare. Armstrong was full-time with WGN Radio for 32 years until 2009. It wasnt what you would call prime farmland, he says. 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. WGN Radios Orion Samuelson has graced airwaves throughout the heartland in places across the Midwest and beyond. In addition to its syndication run, the show is broadcast on RFD-TV. 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. 'It's been quite a career': Samuelson retires after 60 - AgriNews 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. Everyone loved him the engineers and everyone behind the scenes, he describes. Once Samuelson started his job at WGN, it didnt take him long to realize that urban people didnt understand farmers or ranchers. 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. In 2001, Samuelson was named a Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and received the Lincoln Medal the highest award bestowed by the State of Illinois. Hell retire from WGN Radio at the end of this month, recording a landmark 60 years on WGN and creating original television programs such as U.S. You listen to the radio. 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. 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. Thank you . He broadcasts live from the show, then walks around and does reports in front of a video camera. She began her career with Prairie Farmer just before graduating from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications. Samuelsen's wife: 'Thank you for loving Jamie and celebrating the [3], Since August 2005, Armstrong has been co-host and co-founder of This Week in AgriBusiness, owned and produced with Samuelson. Lions head coach Matt Patricia, on his own, called into 97.1 on Monday morning to share his sympathies. Copyright 2022 agrinews-pubs.com. 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. Farm Report in 1975 and. 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. He was cut from the same cloth as Paul Harvey. Samuelson held the same position in the broadcasting industry for 60 consecutive years through 2020,[9] second only to Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network announcer Vin Scully. Sirott: Anyone living in the Midwest over the past six decades knows that great, big, booming voice of yours. Samuelson, 81, veteran agriculture-business. "The Big O," as he's known, will continue to deliver five or six daily business . Richard Samuelson Obituary (1927 - 2021) - Moline, IA - The Rock Island And so even-tempered. 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. Legendary agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson on 60 years From hosting the WGN Radio Barn Dance to breaking the news to Chicagoans of the JFK assassination. One time I was at a White House dinner to honor Norman Borlaug. I can recall the volume going up and our little voices being muted in my grandpas truck when Orion came on. I think Ive made some progress and then Ill get a call or letter from a listener who wants to know how to tell if a watermelon is ripe just by looking at it, he said. [1] He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. 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. Read full biography, Yes, Orion Samuelson is still alive The disease told my father who probably would have passed the farm on to me, but it told him that I couldnt do the heavy work of farming so I better find something else. 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. 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. One newscaster spent a week fathering Orion through three floors of studios, until he knew where to go and when to be there. 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. On the eve of his 60th anniversary as the booming voice of agriculture and business at WGN 720-AM, Orion Samuelson . Both shows aired on 190 Midwest stations[7] via first-run syndication. 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. Samuelson: Well, Ive been pleased obviously, but by the same token, Ive been stunned. She began her career with. Samuelson retires on December 31 after marking more than 60 years with the . Lake Orion man runs marathon for great cause that saved his wife's life Cause I didnt think I was very important and then somebody said 60 years. The scholarship is presented to a college student seeking a career in agricultural communications. But he remembers the first time he spoke competitively: My knees never stopped shaking!. Farm Report in 1975 andThis Week in AgriBusinessin 2005. The manager at WBAY called me in and said, I got a call from WGN, and they want to talk to you. He gave an emotional update last Monday on the air, saying he wasn't saying his goodbyes, but colleagues feared otherwise. Number 8860726. It is the dying refrain of a completed song, the final verse of a finished poem.Andr Maurois (18851967). 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. It makes sense, he says. Dont make a mountain out of this lets wait and see what weve got was his approach to crises large and small. During his over 60 years as a farm broadcaster,. Radio greats like Paul Harvey called on them to explain issues and provide a counterpoint when the latest anti-ag book came out. ORION-Richard Duane Samuelson, 93, of Orion, passed away Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at his home. Please help me find a news bloopers with Orion Samuelson. His early work was based in Wisconsin, at WKLJ in Sparta, WHBY in Appleton, and WBAY-TV/AM in Green Bay. 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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. His early work was based in Wisconsin and he was working in Green Bay when his big break came and he headed south to Chicago in 1960 to work at WGN Radio where he served as head agriculture broadcaster, presenting16 agricultural reports daily. Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. WGN Radio's Orion Samuelson has graced airwaves throughout the heartland in places across the Midwest and beyond. For over 60 years, Orion Samuelson has been the voice on the radio and a trusted member of the farm family. Yet even tragedy has a silver lining, because what do you do when youre confined to your bed in a Wisconsin farmhouse? The number of Americans seeking mental health treatment isalmost twiceas high as it was two decades ago. Wind noise is frequently loud on the tape. And thats OK. 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. [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. "How do you say goodbye to a man who made everyone feel like a friend?". Orion's net worth hovers over $250,000 - $499,999 with a yearly income that's about $175 - 199,999. That was the ticket. When they went on remote broadcasts, he included them in dinners. Enjoy the next phase of your life. He doesnt disagree. 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. Through the years Samuelson has remained active in organization dear to his heart including 4-H and FFA. I just wasn't getting what I wanted, which was broadcasting. "They werent teaching me to be a broadcaster, they were teaching me to be a writer. He traveled with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Prime Minister of India to see the Taj Mahal. Armstrong also hosts a three-minute feature, "Farming America", on the Tribune Radio Network. A. 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? Today, Samuelson and his wife live about 50 miles west of Chicago. The University of Illinois also presented Samuelson with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters. I was the youngest at the radio station by nine years, he recalled. Having trouble filling a prescription? Samuelson considered becoming a Lutheran pastor before deciding on six months of radio school. After high school, Orion headed to the University of Wisconsin on a scholarship, determined to learn how to be a radio announcer. But mainly, hes told agricultures story from downtown Chicago, where he became a media icon and a beloved hall of fame broadcaster. [9], In 2015, Armstrong published his first book, titled "Stories from the Heartland. Kathryn Samuelson, Judith Samuelson, Gloria Samuelson, James Warren and Lois Long, and many others are family members and associates of Orion. It used to be in a compilation of news bloopers from the 70s and/or 80s, but I can't find it anymore. 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 agribusinessand food production in an understandable way. I read about this in the encyclopedia, but now Im standing here looking at it. 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. Bush, who invited me to join him at the White House studio for the interview.. Orions realm is in the city with the movers and shakers.. He was the voice on the radio but part of the farm family. For 60 years, Orion has commanded a room without even stepping into it. Televised "Hometown Heroes" featuring Orion Samuelson to air on NewsNation on Dec. 18. Monticello, Ind., farmer Brian Scott says his grandpa said the same thing after nearly every lunch: Orion said . McDonald now is a TV reporter and anchor at Detroit's PBS station. Sirott: When you were growing up in Wisconsin, did you have ambitions to be a broadcaster? On December 9th 2010 the southwest corner of E. Illinois Street & N. Cityfront Plaza Drive was named 'Orion Samuelson Way' by the city of Chicago. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. Chicago radio legend Orion Samuelson is out of intensive care and recovering from heart-valve replacement surgery, his wife said Wednesday. He went one further when he got Orion into public speaking contests. In 2015, she became only the 10th U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. Please help me find a news bloopers with Orion Samuelson The Republicans were looking for someone to run against Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama. During his over 60 years as a farm broadcaster, Samuelson interviewed nine presidents and traveled to 44 countries. Samuelson was born on a dairy farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, near LaCrosse. 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. 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. 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. At 86, his voice is as strong and deep and rich as its always been. First, Orion won the section, and then he went to state, and then he placed second in all of Wisconsin. Whats been your reaction to this outpouring of love for you? Like regular Orion, Air Orion will retire soon, too. CHICAGO Becoming a successful broadcaster requires the ability to be a good listener. Get an exclusive peek behind the scenes of The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Well known ag broadcaster Orion Samuelson will retire this month after 60 years in the field. Max Armstrong (born June 13, 1953, Owensville, Indiana) is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois. He drove home every weekend to be a polka music disc jockey. The result: casts, wheelchairs and crutches. 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.. An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. Reverence, always. You arent alone. Armstrong was a member of NAFB for 40 years before being elected president. Copyright 2023. 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]. Over the past six decades, Samuelson said, he has worked with some of the greatest broadcast people, including Wally Phillips, Bob Collins and Spike ODell. Orion Samuelson was born on a dairy farm in Ontario, Wisconsin, near LaCrosse. Max Armstrong joined Orion at WGN in 1977, and as they spent the next 43 years together on air, they developed a seamless rapport. The engineers, stage hands and people on the air liked Orion, so it was much easier for me being the kid coming on board to slide right in because I was welcomed just by working with Orion.. In 2017, Max Armstrong was elected President of the NAFB. He has has served on the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees and in 2017 began working with the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation to raise $500,000 to support livestock programming. "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?. I would, I would like that a lot. Sirott: Orion, judging by all the listeners whove been calling us in the morning, people dont care how old you are. Ag broadcaster Orion Samuelson will sign off after 60-year career That's because he'd dropped out as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin at Madison after only three months.