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At least one person is pretty happy with Ohio Farm Bureau's latest effort to build a partnership with consumers. OFBF's new radio show, Town Hall Ohio, airs Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. on 610 WTVN, and the man responsible for building listenership to the station likes what he's heard so far.

"We love having you guys. You're a valuable asset to the community, talking about issues that affect Ohioans, " said WTVN Program Director Bruce Collins. "You've got topics that apply to not just the farming community but society in general."

Making farm issues relevant to the public was the strategy behind the decision to add talk radio to Farm Bureau's communications mix, according to Kurt Ely, OFBF vice president of information, education and community service.

"This fills in another niche in our overall effort to enhance communications. The radio show is a great complement to our print, television and Web-based products," he said.

Ely explained that Town Hall Ohio is a "crossover medium." Through the Our Ohio brand, Farm Bureau is using TV, Web and its magazine to talk to consumers about agriculture. Buckeye Farm News, the OFBF Web site and Ohio Farm and Country on RFD TV are targeted to farmers themselves.

"This radio show is of interest to both audiences. The topics we discuss have relevance to farm families and consumers alike."

To date, Town Hall Ohio has explored property rights and eminent domain law, immigration law reform, avian influenza, the explosion in interest in ethanol and soydiesel and the top issues under discussion at the statehouse. The June 18 program is scheduled to delve into a variety of judicial issues with State Supreme Court Justice Tom Moyer and OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher.

WTVN's Collins said the station's listeners like what they're hearing. He laughed while saying that he usually gets phone calls when listeners have a complaint. But Town Hall Ohio has generated the kinds of calls he likes to get.

"If the show is really high quality, if the content is good and the show is resonating with the listener; they will call and give you a compliment," which is what has happened with each of the Farm Bureau shows aired so far, he said.

Collins believes Farm Bureau's message is a good one for the public to hear.

"I think people forget sometimes how entrenched (in Ohio life) the farming community is, and how life revolves around farmers; we've gotten away from some of the grassroots values that have made this country as strong as it is. It's sad, but I think we sometimes forget where our bread's buttered."

Listen live or on your schedule via the Web
The Town Hall Ohio Web site lets you listen to live streaming audio of each broadcast or allows you to listen or download past programs at your convenience. The address is www.townhallohio.org.

To listen live, Sundays at 7 a.m., go to "affiliated radio stations", click on the WTVN logo then click "listen live." To hear past programs at townhallohio.org, click "listen to the shows."

The site also allows you to provide feedback to what you hear. You can record voicemail comments or drop us an e-mail by visiting "contact information" on the site's front page.

Caption: WTVN General Manager Tom Thon (left) and OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher recently visited at the station’s studios. Farm Bureau’s new radio program Town Hall Ohio debuted April 30 and can be heard on WTVN in more than 70 Ohio counties. Photo by Seth Teter