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“This
Week in Louisiana Agriculture”
Before grilling machines, get-rich-
quick real estate programs and
swimsuit model hawking dozens of
exercise and weight loss gadgets,
early morning television in
Louisiana was dominated by farm
programming.
On Sept. 22, 1981 “This Week in
Louisiana Agriculture” signed on
the air with CBS affiliate WAFB-
TV 9 in Baton Rouge. It aired at
5:30 a.m., immediately following
the national anthem, which was
preceded by the test pattern.
Within a year the 30-minute farm
program, produced by the public relations department of the
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, would be on three more
stations, KNOE-TV 8 in Monroe, KALB-TV 5 in Alexandria
and KATC-TV 3 in Lafayette. By 1984 Shreveport station
KTAL-TV 6 picked up the program, followed by KPLC-TV 7
in 1986.
Today TWILA, the creation of former Louisiana Farm Bureau
PR Director and TWILA host Regnal Wallace, is seen on five
broadcast stations, three cable affiliates, a webcast (at
www.cenlaweather.com) and on RFD-TV on the Dish Network
and Direct TV. The program is one of the longest-running
television programs produced in Louisiana. Next year TWILA
celebrates its 25th anniversary.
“Our program has changed over the years but the mission has
remained the same,” said Michael Danna, host of TWILA. “We
want viewers to know how important agriculture is in their daily
lives. Even if you’re not a farmer our program probably has
something that will interest you.” Produced at its studios at the
Louisiana Farm Bureau state office in Baton Rouge, TWILA airs
52 weeks a year. Weekly topics include regular features like its
“ISG,” or in-studio guest segment, weekly crop production
updates and livestock prices.
Each week producers Bill Sherman, A.J. Sabine, along with host
Michael Danna, travel the state seeking out farm news.
Sherman and Sabine both came to TWILA from secular news,
while Danna got his start as a newspaper reporter.
“We’re pretty much one-man-bands,” said Sherman, who edits
the show each Thursday. “We each go out and shoot, write and
edit our own packages. With just three of us working on the
program we’ve each got to be somewhere in the state getting
news each week.
“As the name implies, we work hard to get as many Louisiana packages in the program as possible
each week,” he continued. “Good
shows are when we have three
packages with maybe a VO or
VOSOT thrown in.”
Over the years the show’s content
has moved beyond just row crop
production updates to include
environmental, legislative and
consumer issues. The program was
cited recently by a member of the
state’s Senate Ag Committee as a
“video lesson on the importance of
agriculture.”
Recently the program has become
somewhat international in scope with a month-long series on
the agriculture of South America, which ran in spring 2004 and
another month-long series on the agriculture of the Middle East.
“Traveling to Chile, Argentina and to Israel I found that farmers
are pretty much the same the world over,” said Danna. “They
all worry about the same things, face the same challenges and
generally have the same problems. However, the farmers in the
Gaza Strip do have to worry about rocket and mortar attacks.”
A.J. Sabine joined the TWILA staff two years ago and admits he
knew literally nothing about agriculture. Having worked as a
news photographer and reporter in Columbia, S.C., Lafayette,
La. and Baton Rouge, the NPPA certified shooter said he had a
lot to learn.
“I joked with my former news buddies that I went from
shooting cops to shooting crops,” Sabine laughed. “But having
more time to shoot news stories, features and vignettes really lets
me use all my creative skills. I know farm news isn’t as exciting
as corrupt politicians running from cameras, or watching
criminals make the “perp walk,” but farmscapes offer visuals, I
think, that rival run and gun television. And farmers have some
great stories.
“I’ve learned how important farming is,” Sabine continued.
“That’s why I do my best to tell their stories accurately and
fairly.”
Please contact us at:
This Week In Louisiana Agriculture
Louisiana Farm Bureau
9516 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
225-922-6200
www.lfbf.org
bills@lfbf.org |
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| On Now |
Julie Goodnight/Horse Master |
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| Followed By |
Farm Bureau Today |
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