By Julie Tomascik
Editor
The new ratings are in, and the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network was once again named the top network in farmer and rancher all-day listening for Texas counties surveyed through the 2021 AMR Farm Radio Listening Study.
This is the sixth survey in a row for the TFB Radio Network to receive the top ranking. The survey is conducted every two years to learn more about agricultural producers’ preferences for radio content.
“I think the multi-year run as the number one farm radio network in Texas shows that Texas Farm Bureau has a lot of loyalty and credibility with farmers and ranchers in our state,” Carey Martin, radio network manager, said. “They know they can trust what we put on the air, and we have built a reputation as a reliable source of information for them. It also shows the commitment that Texas Farm Bureau has made to the radio network in the form of resources that are needed to maintain that credibility.”
AMR surveyed over 800 Texas farmers and ranchers who have at least $50,000 a year in farm sales. The study covered all commodities, but the majority of respondents had beef cattle, cotton, corn, grain sorghum or wheat.
“The survey gives us a good idea of which radio stations farmers are listening to and at what times of the day they are listening,” Martin said.
Results of the survey also help the TFB Radio Network track progress.
“In the last study two years ago, the Panhandle was probably the weakest area of the state for us. We hardly had any radio stations there. As a result, we only had about 23% of the Panhandle producers listening to us,” he said. “Over the past two years, we worked hard to add stations in that part of the state, and now we have 83% of farmers and ranchers there listening.”
Research conducted by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting shows that radio remains an important daily information source for farmers and ranchers. And TFB continues to provide quality content to affiliate stations across the state.
The TFB Radio Network now features over 120 affiliate stations, the largest number of affiliates in the network’s 19-year history.
“We’ve doubled the number of stations in the last two years,” he said. “Radio is a relationship business, so we’ve spent the last two years building those relationships with radio station managers. We’ve also adjusted our advertising model to incentivize more stations to affiliate with us.”
The TFB Radio Network has the largest and most-experienced farm news team in the Lone Star State, anchored by Martin, TFB Senior Network Producer Tom Nicolette and TFB Multimedia Reporter Jessica Domel. New reporter additions strengthened the programming lineup, including Texas Panhandle reporter James Hunt and livestock auction market reporter Larry Marble.
The network specializes in programming for the agricultural audience, covering state legislative and regulatory issues, crop and livestock conditions, market information and analysis and national policy issues from Washington, D.C.
The network airs 11 daily programs and one weekly program. The TFB Radio Network also launched a podcast, Texas Ag Today, last year that many radio stations air as a long-form morning ag news program.
“We are one of the largest and most-listened to farm radio networks in the nation, and that’s something to be proud of,” Martin said.
To view the complete list of radio stations or listen to one of the many programs aired on the TFB Radio Network, visit texasfarmbureau.org/radio.