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.

Comments

[Joyce Riley]

What is Learfield thinking? Derry Brownfield is one of the best talk show hosts in the country. I can remember in 1997 I was working with Gulf War veterans across the country who were sick as a result of Desert Storm. His scheduler called and said Derry was concerned about the sick vets, would I come on the program?

I couldn't believe it, THE DERRY BROWNFIELD called me and I was thrilled to be on the show!. He is without a doubt the most forthright and honest person I can imagine to be on Learfield. If Derry is not there, he will be sorely missed by thousands of listeners who depend on his daily rendition of the "Common Sense News."

Clyde, you say that you learned to drink Scotch from Derry. If that is all that stands out in your mind, you missed learning from one of the best. Please tell me it ain't so that Derry will be leaving...I don't think the American truthseeker, farmer and rancher can deal with the silence.
Thank you for reading this,
Joyce Riley, R.N.
Versailles, MO.

[Buck Mallard.(tim in Texas)]

Learfield,
Have ya'll lost your mind.Mr.Brownfield has been the only radio talkshow worth listening to for YEARS.There are literally THOUSANDS of us out here that DEPEND on Mr.Brownfield's show for our daily news.I haven't missed a show in almost 8 YEARS.He and his staff have become what I can call friends.I truely love and respect them all.
Whatever the problem is that is making Learfield push Mr.Brownfield out the door I think it would be a good idea for you to reconsider.Without his"Common Sense Coalition"Learfield will not go far.And I can honestly say IF this happens I hope it doesn't.Ya'll are making a TERRIBLE mistake.
PLEASE reconsider.
At this point-one aggrivated ol Texas boy and one of Mr.Brownfield's most loyal fans and friends,
Tim Barron,aka: www.buckmallard.com
Red Rock,Texas

[Joyce Morrison]

I am in shock at the announcement that Derry Brownfield is being "let go" from Learfield. The good news is, "this will not keep Brownfield quiet" - and his dismissal from Learfield could be a blessing in disguise. In Brownfield's new ventures, he may reach an even larger audience.
Learfield should take pride over the past years in having Derry Brownfield to uphold the farmer - the people who made Learfield a success. Yes - Derry has pointed his finger at the Global world of Agri-business when he saw they were no longer for the farmer...but were fulfilling their Global agenda. Brownfield has educated people on many issues including alerting us to harmful legislation, problems in our schools, and the numerous attacks on rural America. He has upheld the Constitution of the United States of America...because at age 76 he understands the importance and the value of the Constitution. Do we no longer want to hear the truth?
Good luck Derry. We will still be tuning in to hear you.

[Tim Nordell Sedan, Ks]

Darn it. Clyde just remember what goes around comes around.

[tomgstanek]

From: tomgstanek@bellsouth.net [mailto:tomgstanek@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 12:13 PM
To: Mike Callicrate
Subject: RE: Monsanto did what? Monsanto and their turkeys...

Talk about good news/bad news/bad news... Nice to see Mr. Stokes again if only in name. And, not knowing Mr. Brownfield but suspecting from what I've read (and like about him), unless he's married - wife or lover - to a big lady, and she sings, it probably isn't over yet.

[David Hannes]

Clyde,

You know very well that Monsanto and the USDA are in bed together. They will be the downfall of us all. Derry takes them to task and you fire him? It seems you are being disingenuous when calling him your friend. With friends like you, who needs enemies? Shame on you and your multi-national agriterrorist advertisers. All of your credibility is gone.

David Hannes
Mountain Grove, Mo.

[John Crabtree, Dougherty, Iowa]

Mr. Lear, How do you reconcile holding Derry Brownfield to a standard that you have not and will not hold yourself or your network to? Seeking balance relative to Monsanto? When was the last time any media syndicate sought balance when dealing with Monsanto, least of all yours? Stop worrying about the speck in Mr. Brownfield's eye and worry about the boulder in your own.

[JD]

Well, we know where your values are. Money over the freedom to discuss ideas and criticize corporations. Corporations over people. Over farmers. Shame on you Learfield.

[K. Harvey]

I can't tell you how sad this news makes me, but I CAN tell you I am as mad as HELL! What are you thinking, Clyde? You claim Derry is a "dear friend" - Wow! With friends like that, who needs enemies? You claim that Derry did not give balance on the Monsanto story. Derry IS the balance! You will not find anyone telling the truth in our "esteemed media". They are bought and paid for by just such corporations as Monsanto through advertising. Letting go of his program, and Derry himself, whom we all know to be a man of integrity, just proves he is right. The big companies (Monsanto) with big money pull the strings. Well - Derry won't jump, and neither will we. We love you Derry and crew, and we support you no matter how this shakes out! Kris

[W. Doyle Taber]

Apparently we only "thought" speech was free on the air waves..DT....KFRU listener.

[Ben Roberts]

Mr. Clyde Lear,

Derry and I were talking one-day about people selling out to the corporate giants, and what their price would be. Derry, ask me what my price was. This is what I told him my price would be. I would sell myself to hell, if I were guaranteed peace and harmony in the world for eternity. So, now I ask you Mr. Lear, how does it feel to be such a cheap prostitute to a corporate giant? You are only helping to destory American agriculture and the family farmers that support your sports network, you have failed your listeners, but remember, you live in this great country because, this great country stands on the shoulders of men and women like Derry Brownfield.

Best Regards
Ben Roberts

[Rick]

Derry Brownfield is a mainstay to Missouri broadcasting. Removing him from the air for any reason is not good enough, especially not when the situation portrayed by his interview on Monsanto was accurate and factual.

Why should anyone be punished for telling the truth?

[Clyde]

Whoa, friends.

You've got this all wrong.

Derry and his program through the Common Sense Coalition (of which I own 49 percent) isn't journalism at all. It is entertainment. Without Learfield's stipend, the program would have gone away years ago. We pay for studio time, for a producer, for the satellite channel, for telephone lines, and offices, all without reimbursement. I'm close to retirement and have given over day-to-day responsibilities--and financial success--to younger executives. They feel these freebees need to stop. So that's the main reason. But, you're right, Monsanto is part of it. So let me talk about responsible reporting.

These comments imply that what we do in the hundreds of other programs produced by the staff for Brownfield Ag News every week – on air and on line – are not balanced. John Raines and crew at Monsanto know very well that the professional agricultural journalists reporting news for Brownfield will cover all sides of a story, whether it makes Monsanto look good or bad. They don’t always like what we say, but they respect us for telling the truth.

If we broadcast or print anything that is commentary or editorial in nature, we identify it as such and always have facts to back up the opinions being voiced. Cyndi Young's Issues program is a good example of that. There are a whole lot of people out there who disagree with what she has to say, but they will never question her integrity because she uses facts to back it up and always identifies an opinion as an opinion.

Some seem to think the reason Derry is leaving is because Monsanto threatened to stop advertising if we didn’t put a gag on him. If that were the only reason Derry was asked to leave, then I can see why they think we are selling out. We've parted ways because accusations being made about not only advertisers, but individuals, corporations, government, (fill in the blank) were based on fear and lies with absolutely no truth to back them up. I abhor radio talk shows like Rush Limbaugh...and Derry Brownfield where half-truths are articulated. I won't be a part of them. And, that's MY right.

Finally, I'm working with Derry to find alternative distribution means and ways to keep his entertaining show going. But I'm afraid I can no longer be associated with it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

--clyde

[H. Clay Daulton]

I'm a Californian interested in antitrust issues. We have them here too, amongst not just my industry - cattle - but also within most of the other 300 different crops grown in California. I was on one of Derry's shows once. He took pains to keep us polite and fair.

Formal complaints should be made to the FCC. I believe that honest and broadspectrum reporting is required over government licensed commercial frequencies. Or did big business manage to get that put out of the law too.

HCD

[Henwhisperer]

Lear, you have sold your soul to the devil, that's what you have done. Monsanto IS EVIL. You love money more than you want to do what is right. Shame on you. Putting a studio is Derry's home is not the same as siding with him against Monsanto.

You have sold your soul to the devil.

[Bill]

Mr. Lear: You mentioned half truths but didn't elaborate. Could you, please?

Here's the Vanity Fair piece:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805

[CL]

Whoa, comparing a man with the courage to stand up to Monsanto - who else on the air is doing that? And for the sake of farmers in deep trouble because of Monsanto - to Rush Limbaugh who makes a living through bombast and anger and twisted facts, is strange. I thought Mr. Brownfield was your friend.

You seem to be having trouble dealing with how beloved Mr. Brownfield is for his honesty and courage. Getting rid of a man for telling the truth - and not just any ole truth but HUGE and badly needed ones - is a hard thing to look at.

People who really know Monsanto use stronger words than "goons" and Gestapo.

Watch this and see what word for Monsanto you come up with: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-842180934463681887

You and the others there caved for money. That's the long and short of it. But if we are going to turn this country around, we gotta stop doing that. Other things have to come first. All that matters in life, really, has to come first, since it ain't about money or selling out to a corporation, especially not one taking control of everything like Monsanto is.

[Jacob Freeze]

Now we know which side you're on, between farmers and Monsanto. What's your excuse?

Forget it! I'm sure you're got a million excuses.

But don't forget...

Now you're on the side that's destroying the way of life of American farmers.

Aren't you ashamed to face your children?

[EddieW]

Why should Learfield have to foot the bill for Mr. Brownfield? If he's so omnipresent, can't he stand on his own two feet? All of you who think he's so great should start writing checks and build this man his own studio and radio network.

I don't have a dog in this fight. I don't work for this company nor Monsanto. But I do think a lot of people are missing the point.

If Derry Brownfield isn't willing to heed the requests of his managers, he's at risk of getting the boot. He wasn't making them any money and wasn't doing himself any favors.

Learfield is a company. I'm not sure how big. But I'm sure there's a whole other staff of people to pay. Why carry him as such a huge liability for the sake of all these other people who depend on you?

I've heard his show. I used to listen a lot. He thinks he's bigger than a lot of things. But he obviously wasn't big enough to maintain his own facilities. I guess there's a lesson here that Derry himself could find on the farm: don't bite the hand that feeds you.

No one was complaining to Derry about working from a studio paid for with Monsanto advertising? Ironic, huh.

[Jacob Freeze]

I have to say that even though I think Learfield is totally wrong to fire Derry Brownfield, it's still very admirable of them to publish so much criticism of this decision on their blog, including my own really angry post a few entries below this.

The real problem here is the power of Monsanto and other mega-corporations, with a zillion dollars to drag Learfield into court and keep suing until they break anybody who criticizes them.

Learfield sustained criticism of Monsanto on their network for years, and if they choose not to go all the way into bankruptcy with the criticism, let's wait until NBC or CBS or ABC gives as much air time to a real friend of farmers like Derry Brownfield before we completely condemn Brownfield for "only" doing as much as they have done.

[Bill]

Enjoy your thirty pieces of silver, the price of your soul. How you can live with yourself is beyond me. You were given a choice between a life long friendship and goodness and money and evil, you chose the money and evil. Good luck with that in the long run.

[BC]

Monsanto is dangerous. Any one who points out the insidious nature of its profiteering, at the expense of present and future human misery, is a hero. Monsanto's death seeds are launched throughout the world, and in the belly of most of us, who are, by now, digesting foreign proteins our body's DNA is not equipped to recognize. We are guinea pigs to their vast experiment, supported by the FDA and aided and abetted by Washington's politicians. The only counter is the growing voices of informed individuals like Brownfield. Monsanto disguises its strategic hand through altruistic "support" and funding of programs people enjoy and trust, and by doing so attempts to win trust via benign propaganda.

If they are truly benign, why do you think they seek to eliminate and bully those who challenge them?

[Wanda Benton]

Hey Clyde...

So Derry is controversial...so what. We all know how good that is for ratings, listeners and advertising don't we. Had it not been for Derry's show, we would not have had the information from such as the distinguished Henry Lamb of Ecologic who provided Missouri citizens with the ammunition (dare I say that naughty word here...?)to help defeat an international biosphere reserve which was to take in over three million acres of private property in parts of four states, including and especially Missouri. His well-documented information has lead the way to educating folks all over the country about dozens of prospective land grabs. Now we are hearing from Dr. Jerome Corsi about the grandaddy of all land grabs in progress. Sure don't hear about this from Limbaugh. Without this type of information, the Federal government and/or the radical environmentalists would now own or control more than half of Missouri, instead of just 7% of it. This show is indispensable to maintaining our property rights in this country. Derry makes diligent attempts to document his startling and sometimes earthshaking statements, instead of just reading and reporting the political headlines and ranting and raving about them, as such as Limbaugh, O'Reily and Hannity do. Anyone could do their job...all they need are a few newspapers and and a big, loud mouth. Did I mention rudeness? That appears to be prerequisite for these people also.

People need Derry and his show...we are going to lose our lands and many of our freedoms without him. Are you sure that you aren't making a bad decision?

Wanda Benton
Salem Missouri

[(name withheld by request)]

Mr. Learfield,

I sent you a message on this blog yesterday and now I see that my name and email address (above) was not removed. I also sent the blog url out to others so that they could comment. To me, it seems that since my name and email address appears to be a permanent fixture on this blog, others could use them to send you comments.

This is to alert you that I have sent only one comment and I expect it to remain that way. Should you receive others with the above name and address, they have not come from me.

(Name withheld by request)