People In The Know

Ken’s 1980’s Television Adventures with color commentary from Julie Becker

In the 1980's Ken lived in Kansas and joined the staff of KWCH Television.  He was the farm show host and did daily stories on agriculture.  However, the station went through a metamorphosis in a three year period that is still legendary in the industry.
Ken visits with Julie Becker Owens, who was weekend anchor at Channel 12 in that go-go period.  They focus on the people and the big stories of the time.  Both relate their experiences about when four members of a Hutchinson family were taken hostage on TWA Flight 847.  The twists and turns, as well as how Ken was thrust into the story, are colorful.
This is a good news story.  You may laugh and you may not believe how everything came together.  

Gene Millard and Ken Root Old Men and Old Machinery

Ken and Gene Millard discuss the evolution of farm machinery with emphasis on  the 1940’s through the 1990’s. Both men grew up in an era when horse drawn equipment was still around, but it was hooked to tractors.  Ken has one poignant example of his father attempting to scoop up Bermuda grass sod with a “Fresno” dirt mover.  Let’s just say that nine-year-old Ken and his father were both risking their lives in the endeavor.  Caution: there is a lot of laughing and groaning during this story.
Gene Millard is a long-time farmer and farm broadcaster.  He spent his entire half century career in the St Joseph, Missouri area while working for KFEQ television and radio stations.  Millard is a very active board member of several value-added cooperatives and has even served as a board member of the radio and television committee of the National Association of Broadcasting. 
Gene and Ken are not proud of it, but both served as hosts of Agri-Shop, a Saturday morning tradio show heard on a network of stations across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.

Fertilizer Dealer Turned Author

Jake Redmon was a fertilizer dealer from Georgia who spent 35 years working for Sonny Perdue and serving on state and national association boards in support of the fertilizer/agri-chemical retail sector.  Upon retirement, at age seventy-two, Redmon expanded his interest in writing and began to publish books.  They range from practical gardening to humor to children’s fantasy.  He has just released a novel on the founding of Georgia.  “Brier Creek” is delightful and intriguing historical fiction about those who came to the British colony in the seventeenth century.  Redmon speaks with a delightful Georgia drawl and exhibits depth of character as well as his ability to communicate with all generations.  He also explains the process of publishing a book through research, a fertile mind, and a determined spirit.