Presidential Hopefuls Coming to RFD-TV's Rural Town Hall

Part of the problem has to do with who is asking the questions, according to Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of Rural Media Group, which includes RFD-TV. The tagline is “Rural America’s Most Important Network.”

“The urban media that follow these candidates around in Iowa rarely ask any questions that are important to rural folks and agriculture. I’m not being critical of them, they just don’t understand the issues. They’re not involved with it on a daily basis,” Gottsch tells Modern Farmer in a phone interview.

Gottsch, who was born and raised on a farm and cattle operation in Elkhorn, Nebraska, wants to change this. His television network, RFD-TV, seen in 48 million homes via cable and satellite, is launching a new weekly program in July called “Rural Town Hall.” The one-on-one, hourlong show will feature presidential hopefuls who will be asked questions on issues specific to agriculture, rural education, development and health care, among other areas.

Gottsch, pointing out that “rural America votes in big numbers,” says he felt there was a need for a national media outlet to address these issues that “are important to people who live in small towns, who grow food and raise livestock. The Rural Town Hall is only going to focus on those issues. We hope to at least get the conversation started, and maybe there will be some follow-up after that on a lot of these issues.”

The questions will come from viewers and organizations representing various agricultural industries, as well as the Future Farmers of America and 4-H. Gottsch is encouraging farmers, ranchers and folks from small towns to send in questions on issues that concern them, which will then be organized and presented to the candidates.

The invitations to the presidential hopefuls went out earlier this week. Gottsch says there has been great response from various candidates and that the network is currently working on scheduling them for the show. He says he wants the program “to be a really positive and constructive atmosphere to raise the awareness on rural and agricultural issues.”

“What’s really important to us is that no one perceives us as having a pony in this race. We’re not Republican, we’re not Democrat. We’re not liberal, we’re not conservative. We’re rural Americans and we’re asking the questions that are important to rural America,” he says.

For more information about the program, including when it will be airing, click here.

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