The Rural Voice, 1999-07, Page 16Dead air
Loss of two long-time voices in farm
broadcasting causes concern over future of
farm coverage
By Ralph Pearce
Tell two people from different
walks of life the same piece of
news and they're bound to
react differently. Such is the. way of
human nature and perhaps it is
exhibited in no more striking a
contrast than in comparing reactions
on the farm against those in the city.
In the city, news of continued sun
and hot temperatures brings thoughts
of trips to the beach, backyard
barbecues or picnics in the park. In
the country, that same news_ is
greeted with a sense of worry, even
despair for some, over another
droughty summer.
12 THE RURAL VOICE
With the retirement
of Murray Gaunt
(seen top left with
Kevin Stewart on
the set of their
since -cancelled
show The Family
Farmer) and the
career change of
Ross Daily (left, on
his business show)
farmers are worried
about the future of
agricultural news
on radio and TV.
A similar contrast in reactions has
come with the announced retirement
of well-known radio personality
Murray Gaunt, the farm director at
CKNX in Wingham and the
resignation of television producer and
host Ross Daily of CFPL-TV in
London. Certainly better-known in
the country than they are in the towns
and cities, their departures have
struck sadness, perhaps even a sense
of loss in the hearts of many farm
listeners and viewers. To some, it's
been like losing a trusted friend or an
uncle.
But instead of taking time out to
grieve their loss, many in the farming
community are wondering what is to
become of the farm broadcasting
sector now that two of its longest -
serving members are about to depart.
In the fall of 1995, CKCO-TV's
David Imrie lost his position as host
of the station's farm program; he now
provides live reporting for the news
department. Until Imrie's departure
from the farm news scene, the three
were arguably a powerful trio,
covering farm news and views across
what is widely regarded as the most
lucrative farm region in the country.
Daily covered the London -Sarnia -
Windsor district with additional
coverage on CKNX-TV, Imrie
covered all of Southwestern and
Central Ontario (from Huntsville to
Hamilton and Orangeville to Sarnia)
while Gaunt's reports covered an area
bounded by Owen Sound, Exeter,
Shelburne and Arthur.
Jn fact, at the April meeting of the
Perth County Federation of
Agriculture, one producer went so
far as to voice his concern with the
amount of news content on radio and
television. His question was, in
effect, "What can be done to ensure
there are other broadcasters waiting
in the wings for the time when people
like Murray Gaunt and Ross Daily
aren't there?" The answer was, "not
much!" with an added reference to
David Imrie's situation.
But what will happen when Daily
and Gaunt depart their respective
places? Is it the end of an era, as
some might fear? Or will radio and
television re -tool and revise this vital
aspect of broadcasting, helping it to
evolve into something else?
Shortly after his resignation was
announced, Ross Daily theorized that
perhaps the day in which farm
directors delivered the markets on
television (and perhaps even on
radio) were numbered; that maybe
producers — via the internet, a
desktop information service like DTN
or through their local elevator
operators — have greater, more -
timely access to those numbers.
Furthermore, Daily theorized that
now may be the time for television
(and again, perhaps, on radio, too) to
turn its collective attention to the
even -larger segment of society served
by producers — the consumers, and
try to build a programming segment