The Rural Voice, 1981-10, Page 6FARM REPORTERS
Bridging the rural / urban gap
Farm reporting, Part I. A look at the people in charge of farm news coverage
Agricultural writers, reporters and commentators are a breed apart when it comes to the media in this
country. Usually they are people with specialized training and backgrounds (in most cases farm related), and
they communicate in a specialized language.
Though this seems to be changing, their subject matter is not terribly interesting to many of the people who
read the urban -based publications or listen to the broadcast stations for which they work. In a lot of ways their
roles and their work are not understood even by their city editors and colleagues. Departments and department
personnel that are not understood often are not well -funded.
No doubt some ag writers and commentators are on staff because somebody convinced their bosses that the
farming community is simply too big to ignore.
All of this places these writers and commentators in what could be places of significant influence. For the
most part they are left on their own when it comes to convering events, or not covering them. After all, their
superiors generally don't know what's going on or what the issues are when it comes to cows and corn. This
special band of journalists may not be able to shape the agricultural industry but they can, and surely do, decide
what parts of it most of us are going to read or hear about. In this issue of The Rural Voice we profile some of
those connected with the broadcast industry. Next month you will meet some of their counterparts in the print
business.
by Dean Robinson
Less than six years ago Roy Maxwell
was a research technician in the land
resource science department at the
University of Guelph.
Today, as a member of CBC's Radio
Noon team, he has the highest profile of
any agricultural commentator in the
country.
Maxwell, a 30 -year-old Oakville native
and resident, downplays his place of
prominence and he's quick to point out
that any spotlight on him is also on Carol
Giangrande, his broadcasting partner.
In fact Maxwell gives a nod to the entire
Radio Noon team, including host Bruce
Rogers Abd a couple of others.
Delivering agricultural news to
hundreds of thousands of listeners (70,000
in the hotly -contested Toronto market
alone) each noon hour Monday through
Friday is right up Maxwell's alley.
In his high school days he was torn
between chasing a career in agriculture or
in the media. On weekends for six years
and for two summers he earned spending
money working on a large-scale horse
farm near his home. He'd had no practical
farm experience before (or since) then. yet
it was enough to instill a deep-seated
interest. The media was more of an
unknown but it was more glamorous.
When decision -time arrived the enrol-
ment fees went to the agriculture college
at the U of G. While earning a Bachelor of
Science Degree (majoring in resources
management), Maxwell worked a bit for
the campus radio station, and in the
Ministry of Agriculture and Food's
recording studio.
l'hrough the latter of those sidelights he
was offered a job with Central Ontario
Television (CKCO-TV, CFCA-FM and
CKKW-AM) in Kitchener. COT wanted to
expand its agricultural coverage and in
February 1976 Maxwell was given the
mandate to do it.
The following summer he received a
telephone call at work from George
Atkins. the s iegenoary tarm show
announcer. Atkins came directly to the
point: he was going on a twelve -to -fifteen
month sabbatical to study world climate
and the corporation needed somebody to
fill in. "The job is yours if you'll take it,"
said Atkins. "But we need somebody right
away."
Maxwell couldn't believe his ears. He
jumped at the chance, though the
long-range outlook was somewhat
clouded. It was a contract position with no
guarantees. But the gamble paid off
because when Barbara Peacock left
Toronto to join Radio Noon in Regina,
Maxwell became a CBC staffer. Atkins
never returned to his CBC post.
For Maxwell, Giangrande and the rest
of the Radio Noon team the day is not
necessarily long but it's solid. Story
meetings, phone interviews, writing,
editing, rewriting, presenting. There are
no official coffee breaks and lunch, if there
is any, is eaten on the run.
PG. 4 THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1981