WEIS Radio General Manager Jerry Baker Wins Broadcast Communications Award For Excellence In AG Journalism

Pictured here are Cherokee County Farmers Federation President John Bert East, WEIS Radio Asst. General Manager Shelia Richardson and General Manager Jerry Baker.

WEIS Station Owner and General Manager Jerry Baker received the Broadcast Communications Award from the Alabama Farmers Federation during the organization’s 96th annual meeting in downtown Montgomery Dec. 3-4. During the event’s second general session the morning of Dec. 4, Federation Director of Communications Jeff Helms thanked Baker for his commitment to sharing agriculture news over the airwaves and on the station’s website. “In this day and age, most local radio stations have cut staff jobs and turned to syndicated radio programs to fill air time — but not WEIS,” Helms said. “The station’s programming is 100 percent local.

If you tune your dial to 100.5 FM or 990 AM while driving through Cherokee County, you’re sure to hear news that matters to local folks.” Cherokee County Farmers Federation Reporter Randy Jones nominated Baker for the award, noting his dedication to covering local farm events. In the past few months, the station has covered stories about a local field-to-fork dinner, Congressional efforts to roll back unnecessary federal regulations to help farmers and the USDA disaster declaration for north Alabama counties following Tropical Storm Cindy. Upon receiving the award, Baker said he was truly in “high cotton” to be surrounded by members of the Alabama Farmers Federation.

Broadcast Communications Award winner Jerry Baker, center, with
Cherokee County Farmers Federation Reporter Randy Jones, left, and Alabama
Farmers Federation Director of Communications Jeff Helms.

“It’s people like you who get up every day and make a difference in our communities, and we’re honored to be a part of that to tell others what’s going on in the agriculture industry and with farm families,” Baker said. “What impacts your life, impacts mine. When farmers are doing well, it filters down to the rest of us, including those in the broadcast industry.” WEIS has been the top-rated radio station in its market since 1984.

Twice since 2012, the station has earned the Best in Broadcasting Award for Small Market Radio Website from the Alabama Broadcasters Association. The award presentation was part of the Federation’s two-day annual meeting, which included elections, an annual report, the Young Farmers Discussion Meet, a keynote from Gov. Kay Ivey and other special recognition’s.

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