Derry Brownfield Show Going “More” Independent
I’ve been asked a few times lately what the story is with The Derry Brownfield Show and Learfield Communications but was waiting to write about it until I had more information. Here’s Derry enjoying a great party out at his cabin last weekend.
Probably most of you know that Derry Brownfield and Clyde Lear started Learfield Communications many moons ago. I joined the team as manager of the Brownfield Network after Clyde had bought Derry’s interest in the company. It was while I was there that we started Derry’s talk show. In fact, Cindy gets credit for the idea and I worked out the formatting and helped get the first list of affiliated radio stations. I’m planning to do an interview with Derry soon so we can reminisce about those good old days.
Apparently Learfield Communications will no longer be supporting the talk show and I really don’t know anything more than you can read online. You can read about it directly on Clyde’s company blog.
His last show will be in the middle of May. The “Common Sense Coalition” grinds to a halt on our system, but likely will continue with a new ownership group.
Today I was pointed to some more information you can find on a website I’m not familiar with called AgLine News. It was written by (AlterNet.com) Russell Mokhiber and was first posted on Corporate Crime Reporter.
I’m fairly certain that Brownfield Network clients know that Derry’s show has been independent of the farm radio network. However, the public perception has always been different. Derry has always been very outspoken and opinionated. In fact, he’s a self described mean spirited, politically incorrect, cantankerous old so and so. But he’s a good friend and one of my favorite people to hang out with. I love how it says in the “AgLine News” article that other people at Learfield were afraid to talk to him. I always found Derry open and easy to talk with.
Derry is an industry icon and one that has many more years of service to give. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and I’m betting you’ll be able to find out here soon.
Digital cattle news pioneer, Rob Cook, is now working for Vance Publishing after the company acquired CattleNetwork.com.
2 Comments
Laura
It’s a small world and I too used to work for Learfield, though that was after Chuck had come and gone. I just want to comment about the AgLine News comment that other people at Learfield were afraid to talk to Derry. That is simply untrue as I saw it. Derry and I shared cheerful greetings every time we crossed paths and he was always full of questions of how things were working out for me. I also visited Derry’s office on several occasions for quick little chats. And, as far as I could tell, many of my colleagues shared the same friendly interaction with Derry that I did.
Jenne
I agree with Laura. My office was right by the kitchen and every morning I would hear Derry running water for ice cubes (I’m pretty sure he was the only person who refilled the ice cube trays.) Of course, I would run in and lecture him about conserving water and we would have a friendly debate about the water situation in the world. I don’t think there were many people there who were as different from Derry as I am, but we always had great chats. I feel sad that someone would say people were afraid to talk to him, because I know as the lowest person on the totem pole there, he was always friendly and respectful to me.
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