The Kansas City Times, September 9, 1986
By Gene Meyer Economics Writer
CENTERTOWN, MO – Urban people who wander into radio range of farm broadcaster Derry Brownfield’s broad Missouri voice might think that he’s rattling off his rapid mix of agricultural prices and homespun philosophy from a cow pasture somewhere.
They would be right. But it’s a pretty sophisticated cow pasture. At the pasture’s edge are two farmhouses, one of which has a nearly 30-foot satellite dish outside. The dish is connected to a broadcast studio, two taping booths and a maze of electronic equipment, all of which is one of the nerve centers of Learfield Communications, Inc. the first totally satellite-linked radio network in the United States.
From 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. each weekday, in 27 reports a day, Mr. Brownfield and two other broadcasters carefully weave market information fresh from US Agriculture Department and news service computers with sometimes deceptively simple business and advice to as many as 2 1/2 million listeners.
“When your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep becomes your downfall” is a typical offering by Mr. Brownfield. More pretentious analysts usually take more time, spend more words and use charts to make the same point on asset-liability management.
About 150 stations subscribe to the service, which is called the Brownfield Network and is one of Learfield’s operational mainstays. A Missouri news service Learfield offers has 60 stations as subscribers, and 350 more take programs from which Learfield is a distributor.
Add the signal-swapping possible with similar systems nationwide, and the system has the potential to expand to about 3,500 stations, the company says.
In downtown Jefferson City, in two row houses on McCarty Street, Mr. Brownfield’s partner, Clyde Lear, tends the company’s other nerve center, where more than three dozen people run more the type of operation visitors might expect to see.
The McCarty Street operation is the home of Missourinet, which the company says is the largest radio news network in the state. It’s also a sports broadcasting operation that carries half the Big Eight Conference’s football and basketball games, and is the national distributor for two ABC radio networks, broadcasts of St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football by KMOX in St. Louis, And it offers Paul Harvey commentaries and as many other diverse enterprises as Learfield’s marketing department can sign.
The operation will bring in revenues in excess of one million this year. Profits in the closely held organization aren’t disclosed.
Mr. Lear and Mr. Brownfield like to point out another feature of their closely held 14-year-old enterprise. They say Learfield may be one of the last communications systems that could have been started on a $50,000 shoestring, as Learfield was in 1972.
“Even we couldn’t do it if we had to start over,” Mr. Brownfield said.
Learfield’s corporate history reflects some occasionally startling changes that have swept regional broadcasting the last few years.
The company’s basic business notion, establishing a successful specialty network, has captivated broadcasters for years. Mr. Lear even sketched an outline of Missourinet when he was a University of Missouri graduate student.
When Learfield formed its initial network, the Brownfield Network, it joined the ranks of about a dozen farm broadcast networks. That group includes the oldest in the nation, the Tobacco Radio Network of Raleigh, N.C., which went on the air in 1946.
But then the industry exploded.
Of the 43 such networks today, 17 were formed from 1975 through 1980, and 13 have been formed since.
Mr. Brownfield and Mr. Lear and most other broadcasters attribute the industry’s rapid growth to a combination of economics and technology.
“Every Midwestern radio station had a farm director and maybe one or two farm reporters during the 1950’s,” Mr. Brownfield recalled. “By 1966, they were gone.”
Economic forces are the chief reason that happened, he said. Declining numbers of farmers made it difficult to attract sponsors for farm broadcasts, so station executives cut the operations.
But the stations clinged to a notion, backed by market research, that their farm listeners still preferred radio to other sources for such things as weather and market news. So where there were networks to provide these things, the stations used them.
“But things really took off in 1972, when we started,” Mr. Brownfield said. “You had to remember what was going on then.”
What was going on then was President Richard M. Nixon’s price freezes, high inflation and “housewives rioting in the supermarkets.”
“Farmers and farm stations suddenly demanded news,” he said. The early 1970s were the years farm networks flourished most, Mr. Brownfield said. Even so, the economically slow years left some lasting changes. Half-hour or longer broadcasts with farmer interviews are increasingly harder to find on any network. Most, like Brownfield, broadcast bursts of one, three or five minutes of market information, with some 10-minute, more detailed market summaries and features later in the day.
A quirk in communications regulations in Learfield’s early years also helped the company expand, he said. Brownfield and the nation’s other networks, back in those pre-satellite years, leased telephone lines to get their signal from their studios to stations that carried their programming. And for a while in the early 1970s, it was cheaper to lease lines that crossed state borders than those that did not. So Brownfield, and other networks, began crossing those borders to offer all their affiliates competitive programming rates.
Later regulatory changes wiped out those advantages, leading to some lean years until satellite capability virtually opened the heavens to broadcasters. Now any station with a receiving dish can sign up with any network with a sending dish. Learfield switched its last land lines over to satellite transmission in August 1983.
But the added flexibility is costly. By industry estimates, a single top-quality sending dish and the equipment to make it work costs $150,000 to $200,000. Receiving dishes, which network owners usually supply in exchange for an affiliate’s long-run loyalty, cost about $10,000.
History of Learfield: Derry sells his shares
It was the summer of 1985. Ronald Reagan was President. Interest rates for all of us — not just credit card interest, but home loans, business loans, car loans — were well above 12 percent; some nearly 20 percent. The economy was on the skids. Money was tight. And Derry Brownfield, my beloved partner for 13 years, was struggling under his farm debt. He came to me one day and asked if I'd buy his stock. He needed the cash to avoid the Federal Land Bank taking all of his land–what he'd accumulated over a lifetime. We had no way to value the company without a formal valuation. So, he set the asking price at exactly what he needed to pay off his land debt: a half-million dollars. Might as well have been Ten Million dollars because I didn't have any money; and the company couldn't borrow five-thousand, let alone $500-thousand! So, we prayed about it.
Two years prior, 1983, we built the Kansas City Royals distribution system (some 125 points) for the rights holder, Stauffer Communications of Topeka; back-hauling the baseball broadcasts to Jefferson City and sending them out from here. Stauffer's chief engineer wanted control of his own network and had begun considering building his own up-link facility in Topeka. Our agreement with Stauffer had a buy-out clause. Guess what the amount was? $500,000!
I went to Stauffer soon after Derry came to me and inquired if they wanted to purchase the complete system–a little earlier than scheduled. They did. Yet, I had another problem: The equipment was subject to a lien held by Harris Corporation, the manufacturer. We'd paid on the debt for two years–never missing a payment, but there were many years to go. So, I went to the guy I'd done the purchase deal with at Harris, Larry Boudre', and told him what was happening–the whole story.
Amazingly, Boudre' did the unthinkable: he released us from the lien. So I sold the system to Stauffer, continued to make monthly payments to Harris, gave Derry a check for $500,000 and transferred all of Derry's shares to Learfield as treasury stock.
Again, relationships played a big part in bringing all the elements together; strong, honest, open, relationships with Derry, Stauffer, Harris, and Boudre'. Everyone trusted each other. The objectives were honest and realistic. The deal came together in less than two weeks. In fact, I remember going to Topeka, signing the agreement and wire-transferring the cash (fairly unusual in those days) back to our Jefferson City bank. I'd previously written a check to Derry and on the afternoon of the day of foreclosure he stunned the officials at the Federal Land Bank by walking in with a check to pay off the entire loan.
Derry is loyal and honest. He continued to work hard for us for twenty-three years. Just recently he moved his daily program to independent studios near his home. His sale back to Learfield made me the sole shareholder of the company.
–clyde
History of Learfield: Roger Gardner
Roger Gardner was in Future Farmers of America while in high school over in Harrisonville, where his dad taught vocational agriculture. In February, 1982, Derry hired him to drive over from Mizzou to do farm reports, especially the early ones when Derry had returned late the night before from a speaking engagement. Roger went full time in May of '83, after graduating from MU with an Ag-Education degree. Naturally, I saw Roger as a strong addition to our farm broadcasting staff and the eventual successor to Derry.
Until he came to me with an odd question in early 1984: "How do you see my future here?" he asked. I told him my vision. "Well, I don't see myself being a farm broadcaster." he told me. Eeeek! Now what was I going to do? I liked the guy, but… So, I asked him if he'd move to Des Moines and along with Greg Brown run that new property (Iowa State). He was only 22 and newly engaged. Here's what he says today about revealing the news to his fiance', Cheri:
Read more
History
Derry Brownfield started out teaching vocational agriculture. Before long he was doing markets by telephone for some radio stations while working at the state agriculture department. Clyde Lear was a pre-dental major at Central Methodist College until a frustrated professor suggested he try something else. They both wound up working at radio station KLIK in Jefferson City, Missouri. Clyde was working as a reporter at the station when Derry learned that Clyde had done his master’s degree thesis on broadcasting and how to set up a statewide radio network. Just what Derry had always wanted to do. Clyde worked the afternoon shift at the radio station and spent his mornings at a local coffee shop with Buell Baclesse (a local businessman) and Derry. On one occasion Clyde told Buell he was thinking about starting a radio network. Buell offered to help. On October 18, 1972, Clyde presented Buell with a proposal. Buell said, “Let’s do it.” Word got back to Stan Grieve, the manager of KLIK, that Clyde and Derry were planning to start the network. They had hoped to make KLIK the flagship station. It was not to be. One cold Sunday night in November, Stan and Clyde met under a corner streetlight to talk. The next day, Derry Brownfield was fired as farm director at KLIK. The following day he went on the payroll of Missouri Network, Incorporated.
The network went on the air at the beginning of 1973, broadcasting from a building next door to Buell Baclesse’s lumberyard. There were nine affiliates. The few items of studio equipment they had had been wired together by Clyde. A snowstorm came across the Midwest and Derry knew at six o’clock in the morning that Omaha and St. Joe and Kansas City were being snowed in. He told listeners they should get their hogs to market if they could. The market went up three or four dollars that day and one farmer sent Derry a check for a hundred dollars. As advertising revenue came in, Derry and Clyde hired some help. Jim Lipsey, Don Osborn and a couple of college kids named David Pearce and Roger Gardner. The original network spread beyond Missouri and was renamed The Brownfield Network, a reflection of the important role Derry’s personality played in the early success of the network.
On January 2nd, 1975, a news network was created to complement the farm network. The Missourinet began with a staff of three: Bob Priddy, Jeff Smith –who had started his radio career with Bob and Jim Lipsey at KLIK– and Charles Morris. Early in the Missourinet’s history, a job application came from a young announcer at KLEX in Lexington, Missouri. Bob Priddy took it to Clyde and recommended they hire the young man to do sports. His name was John Rooney. And that led to Missouri Tiger basketball with Norm Stewart and for one season, the broadcast team of Rooney and Bob Costas. Throughout the years, outstanding sports broadcasters have worked for Learfield Communications: Dan Kelly, Bob Star, Jack Buck, Tom Dore, Kevin Harlan and Mike Kelly. Missouri Athletic Director Dave Hart cancelled the network’s contract in 1979 and rebid it. Learfield lost the broadcast rights to a company in St. Louis before regaining the rights two years later making history and national headlines when it bid six million dollars for five years of broadcast rights at Mizzou.For most of the first decade, Learfield was like all of the other networks: linked to its affiliates by telephone lines but in the early 1980’s, Learfield began up-linking programming via satellite from Derry’s farm. What started as two friends providing markets and farm news to nine radio stations has grown to become one of the country’s most successful multi-media companies. And they’re still having fun.
For two years in the mid-eighties (84-85), PBS aired a series on technology called New Tech Times. In the spring of 1984 they aired a segment on Learfield Communications.
The video runs about 5 minutes and offers an interesting look at where the company was twenty years ago. Much of the focus was on our move to satellite distribution and our location in a small, midwestern city.
You’ll find more on the history of Learfield at Clyde’s blog , GrowLearfield.com and on our flickr photostream.
About Us
- Our People – Learfield Communications started with just a few people and now there’s a bunch of us, working in offices and newsrooms throughout the country. Images of our corporate headquarters in Jefferson City, MO.
- Our Mission and Values – Build the Team. Grow the Company. Have Fun. These ideas express the spirit and values of Learfield Communications.
- Our History – Derry Brownfield started out teaching vocational agriculture. Clyde Lear was a pre-dental major at Central Methodist College. They wound up working together at a radio station in Jefferson City…
- Our Image – Guidelines for use of Learfield logos (PDF). If you have questions regarding use of the Learfield logo, please contact us.
History of Learfield: Our “Learfield” name
We incorporated as "Missouri Network, Inc." in November of 1972; never expecting to grow beyond the boundaries of the state. We’d outgrown the state of Missouri for our Ag Network with affiliates in bordering Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas. So, we used the "Missourinet" name for our new news network covering Missouri, and took Derry Brownfield’s name for our ag network. But what name should we use for the Corporation?
What makes a good name? Distinctiveness–will it be remembered? Is it dissimilar from all the others? Can it be easily "cleared" legally; that is: are there other products or services with names too similar? Can it last for years or can it become dated? And finally, what attitude does the name conjure when first heard by an average customer?
To accomplish this, I used the "Q-Sort" methodology developed by Missouri professor, William Stephenson. I collected hundreds of name ideas for our company from employees, friends and customers and put each on a card and then had these same people rate the names from best to worst; the winning name was "Learfield Communications".
I still have those cards someplace. Some of the ideas were terrible; many were trendy, but would quickly grow out of date. And some would have proved impossible to clear as a nationally-used service mark because others were using it or something similar. Of course, "Learfield" is a combination of "Lear" and the -field from Derry’s last name. Interestingly, there aren’t any others similar out there; it has proved easily clearable; google-it if you don’t believe me. It’s a top-notch name.
–clyde
Derry Leaves Us in May
Derry Brownfield is a radioman. He’s been talking to farmers, city people, and “Constitutional Americans” for 35 years with me…and for a number of years before 1973. He’s good. And, he’s a dear friend.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.
Eight or ten years ago Derry quit doing his market shows on the network which bears his name and started a new, daily, hour-long talk show. It was home-spun humor that lifted up Constitutional values on some 80 radio stations across the country. Most of his listeners loved him as did his affiliates. He didn’t mind controversy or taking on giants like the Monsanto Corporation. He thought they were bad for farmers, too big for their britches and generally bad for America. Increasingly he’s been saying so, without seeking balance, in my opinion.
Nothing has made me prouder than my association with Derry. He taught me how to drink Scotch and so much more. If you’ve been reading our history in this space, you’re aware of that. He’s a gentleman in every way. His wife, Verni; and children, Joy, Jay, Jon and Jim are a credit to him. He turned 76 in January I think. His legacy is huge. His name is the moniker for America’s largest Agricultural network; the “field” of his last name is forever in our corporate name. We love you, Derry; don’t be a stranger.
–Clyde
UPDATE: Thanks for your comments. I am not going to continue to post comments similar to those submitted or posts from those who’ve already submitted.
Clarice’s 30th Year at Learfield
Clarice Brown has been at Learfield 30 years! She’s now over accounts payable and financial reporting, but through her 30 years she’s been a secretary, receptionist and in charge of traffic. It was that traffic function where she really proved her worth handling all logs and billing too for all networks. She learned and operated our first computer — an Apple. Ask her about that!
Clarice grew up in Jamestown, MO. She is the daughter of Harold and Marie Gentzsch who still farm those rich Missouri River bottom lands. She was married at 19 to Mike who died of a sudden coronary in 1997; they have two boys: Thomas, 23, and Jason, 20. Clarice still lives near Jamestown with her friend, Jesse Emmons, on a delightful farm complete with a lake and lots of flowers. Gardening is her passion — particularly day lilies.
Right out of high school she went to work for the Missouri Public School Retirement System and two years later –at age 20– joined us. When she started April 17, 1978, she was the 12th person on our staff joining me, Derry, Jim Lipsey, Dan Coons, Verni Brownfield, Beryl Rosenmiller, Jeff Smith and Matt Jarrett at the farm office and Bob Priddy, Ken MacNevin, and one other in Jefferson City.
Needless to say, Clarice is a big part of our family. Call her at 573-556-1207 or drop her an e-mail at cbrown@learfield.com to congratulate her.
–clyde
Steve Curren
My first real job
I began my career at MissouriNet/Brownfield in the spring of 1975. I was hired as a clerk and I worked in Centertown. When I started, there was only Clyde, Derry, Don Osborn, Verni and Jim Lipsey out at the Farm.
Driving Mr. Brownfield
Clyde was not quite sure what to do with me so it was suggested that I accompany Derry to his speaking engagements. I was amazed–these farmers worshiped Derry! We would eat dinner and he would speak and then we would have to socialize a bit. Actually, I just waited around while Derry tossed back a few (way more than a few) and then I was his driver. I was a designated driver before designated driving became cool.
Derry would lie down in the back set of this huge Chrysler and would talk, argue to himself, sing and then fall into a snoring slumber as I drove the “Prince of Farm Broadcasting” back to Centertown.
I think it was Derry who suggested that I call auction houses and auctioneers about running a “Special Brownfield Auction Schedule”. I can’t remember how much we charged, but I sold a lot of them and this was my first introduction into radio sales and the reason I became Learfield’s 2nd Salesperson.
State radio conventions
NASRN meetings were great fun for me and I have some really great stories from those trips. One time we had gathered in the hotel bar and Rick Parish of Oklahoma and I wanted to play a joke on Clyde so we asked him what room he was in and he gave us his room number. Well, Rick and I went out and hired two “ladies of the evening” to come back to the hotel with us. I went up to the front desk, gave them my room number, and asked for a replacement key because I’d left mine in the room. This was before security was such a big deal and you did not have to show ID. So, Rick, our two “escorts” and I marched up and into Clyde’s room. Problem was it WASN’T Clyde’s room! The guy who occupied the room did not think we were funny at all. Clyde later told us that he thought something was up and gave us the wrong room number on purpose.
A salesman is born
After selling a bunch of ads to auctioneers, Clyde decided to let me sell to advertising agencies in Kansas City. This was pretty exciting, considering I had just turned 20 and was very young to be a salesman calling on agencies. I sold a lot of ads and made a ton of money. However, there were some downsides. One time at a “three martini lunch” when the bill came the waiter asked to see my ID. The jig was up and the client had to pay. Another time, Clyde and I were at some event and we were having lunch with a bunch of clients–there must have been 6-8 of us at a big round table.
Clyde thought it would be fun to play the game: how old do you think Curran is? Of course, everyone thought I was well over 21. Well, this tickled Clyde very much and he decided to let everyone know that I was only 20. Everyone looked at me like an interloper and I felt like I should be holding a big lollipop. I was embarrassed and was miserable, but old Clyde sure thought it was funny.
It was a great time
I am so thankful for my experience in Jefferson City. I have remained friends with Clyde and Sue and watched their kids grow up. I have enjoyed watching the growth of Learfield during the last 30+ years.
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