When I was growing up in Kentucky, the current prices for agricultural commodities would be announced on the radio and television each morning.
Every damn morning when we were getting ready for school, eating breakfast or sitting in the back of Mr. Maguire’s station wagon, we would would hear a report a lot like what I’ve tried to recreate here.
I presume farmers get this information online now, but despite that, using the internet to find an old video or audio clip to use as a reference for recording this episode was virtually impossible.
I eventually found a clip from WAGM-TV in Presque Island, Maine, which was surprisingly similar to what I remembered from my childhood in Louisville. I’m suspecting that the report John Logan was reading in that video – and that I borrowed phrasing extensively from – came from a wire service and every local station simply read the same thing.
I hope you enjoy my tribute to the forgotten crossroads of agriculture and broadcasting.
➸ Here’s the Tower is possible only with your support.
Get extra content and personalized rewards, while helping me make better episodes with more actors and musicians. Sign up at patreon.com/tower.
