RFD-TV is an American

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons. Production and uplinking facilities for RFD-TV are located at 49 Music Square West,

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. RFD-TV's sister radio channel is Rural Radio on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

. RFD-TV also owns a theater in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...

where some variety shows that air on RFD-TV are filmed, as well as the Imus Ranch in

Ribera, New Mexico Ribera is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Miguel County, New Mexico. Located in the northern part of the state, it is at the foot of Rowe Mesa and along the Pecos River, southeast of Santa Fe. Geography The tow ...

. RFD-TV is the flagship network for Rural Media Group. Launched in December 2000, RFD-TV is the nation's first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on the agribusiness, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. As of 2017, RFD-TV operates on a full-service format. Mornings and the early part of daytime feature syndicated newsmagazines and a five-hour block of news, weather (forecasting services on the network are outsourced to

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather foreca ...

) and agricultural commodity market prices, in the basic format of an American cable news outlet. An additional newscast airs during the evening hours. The remainder of the daytime and evening schedule consists of horse-related magazines, coverage of

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

and other Western sports, rural lifestyle programs,

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

s of classic television programs with rural appeal, and music programs centered around

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The te ...

, and

Southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

Infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

s, which were previously publicly banned from the network, appear during the overnight hours. The network also features brokered programming in the form of its call-in program ''Rural America Live'', and brokered televangelism from

Charles Stanley Charles Frazier Stanley (born 1932) is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, after serving as senior pastor for 49 years. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries, which widely broadcasts his sermons through t ...

David Jeremiah David Jeremiah is an American evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, California, a suburb of ...

and

John Hagee John Charles Hagee (born April 12, 1940) is an American pastor and televangelist. The founder of John Hagee Ministries, his ministry is telecast to the United States and Canada. Hagee is also the founder and chairman of the Christian-Zionist org ...

. As of February 2015, RFD-TV is available to approximately 52 million pay television households (44.8% of households with television) in the United States. It is currently carried by satellite providers

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling ...

and

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

and their associated streaming services (

Sling TV Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor a ...

and

DirecTV Stream DirecTV Stream is a family of streaming multichannel television services offered in the United States by DirecTV. The brand encompasses three separate services sharing similar infrastructure and software. DirecTV Stream, launched nationally as A ...

, respectively), as well as through cable providers such as Mediacom,

Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum. With over 32 million customers in 41 states, it is the second-largest cable operator in the United States by subscribe ...

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...

and

Armstrong Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong, ...

. It is not available in most

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

markets; Comcast dropped the channel in many of its Western markets in 2013. In addition to its subscription coverage, RFD-TV is offered as an

Internet television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ...

feed; the feed is currently

paywall A paywall is a method of restricting access to content, with a purchase or a paid subscription, especially news. Beginning in the mid-2010s, newspapers started implementing paywalls on their websites as a way to increase revenue after years of ...

ed and requires a paying subscription. In March 2020, RFD-TV launched a streaming app RFD-TV Now, making RFD-TV programming available on tablets, phones, and connected TVs. It was added to

on April 4, 2017 as part of the "Heartland Extra" add-on service. With an average of 136,000 viewers in 2016, RFD-TV has some of the highest viewership relative to availability compared to other "ultra-niche" networks with similar or wider distribution owned by major corporations.

History

RFD-TV (Rural Free Delivery Television) was launched in 1988 by Patrick Gottsch. However, the channel was not picked up by any carriers. This attempt ended in bankruptcy. Another attempt was made in the 1990s, but could not get funding. Gottsch continued to look for programming. Beginning in 2000, the channel was a non-profit. RFD-TV was finally picked up by Dish Network in December 2000 then DirecTV in 2002. In 2007, the channel converted to for-profit status after the Federal Communications Commission ruled that the commercial nature of RFD-TV's programming disqualified it from treatment by carriers as a programmer for noncommercial programming of an educational or informational nature. The company then rented a Nashville studio and hired experienced TV executives including Ed Frazier, former Liberty Sports CEO. A TV simulcast of

Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, '' Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various sta ...

’s radio show was arranged which got RFD-TV picked up by Comcast and Time Warner. RFD-HD, a high definition feed of RFD-TV that broadcasts in the

1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scree ...

resolution format, first began broadcasting in high definition in the fall of 2007. In mid-2009, the channel gained carriage on Cox Cable. RFD began a rural news department in late 2009 with bureaus in London and Washington, DC. Rural Media contracted with Sony Pictures Television in September 2013 to handle RFD-TV's and other properties' national ad sale. By August 2014, Rural Media Group began moving its Northstar Studio/RFD-TV staff and some of its Omaha, Nebraska staff into subleased office space at 49 Music Square West,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. The rest of the Omaha staff would follow in 2015 except Gottsch. In the 2016 presidential election, the Trump campaign purchased all possible advertising spots in the last two weeks before the election. By January 2017, the channel opened a bureau in Sao Paulo, Brazil to cover

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

's growing agriculture industry, which is heavily interconnected to the United States through companies like Brazil's JBS. A Canadian version of the channel was launched on February 1, 2020, on Shaw Direct television systems through a partnership with Rural Media.

Programming

''Imus in the Morning''

When

returned to radio in late 2007 Imus had also struck a deal to simulcast '' Imus in the Morning'' on RFD-TV after moving to WABC for the rest of his career. The program was broadcast on the channel from 6 to 9 a.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small ...

on weekdays, along with a primetime telecast of the program on its high definition simulcast channel RFD-HD. During much of the show's run, a news ticker was shown with the day's news, similar to that featuring when ''Imus in the Morning'' was simulcast on

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

. The video simulcast of the program ended its run on RFD-TV on August 28, 2009, and moved to

Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...

several weeks later. After Imus's retirement, RFD-TV owner Patrick Gottsch purchased Imus's 3,000-acre ranch.

''The Big Joe Polka Show''

One of the first programs to be aired on RFD-TV was ''The Big Joe Polka Show'', a

and dance variety program hosted by Omaha resident Joseph "Big Joe" Siedlik, which continued to be popular among the network's estimated (approximately) 40 million+ available households until it ended its run on January 1, 2011. In 2010, litigation commenced between RFD-TV and ''The Big Joe Polka Show''s creators/producers of Polka Cassettes of Nebraska, involving several lawsuits and countersuits (mostly over a contractual dispute). RFD-TV contends that it had an option to air the program until December 31, 2010, while Polka Cassettes of Nebraska contends that the show was being aired against their wishes, and after cessation of the effectiveness of the previous contract, which expired on December 31, 2009. In August 2010, a multimillion-dollar "slander and defamation" suit was brought against Polka Cassettes of Nebraska by RFD-TV. In 2011, the court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissed RFD-TV's lawsuit as being without merit. In January 2015, Joseph "Big Joe" Siedlik died. The show was replaced by ''The RFD-TV Polka Fest'' on January 5, 2011, and aired during the same timeslots. ''RFD-TV Polka Fest'' was later replaced by ''Mollie B Polka Party'', hosted by Mollie Busta in July 2011. Wednesday afternoons, starting in September 2015 featured selected reruns of the ''Big Joe Polka Show'' under the name ''Big Joe Polka Classics''. Other programs added in Winter 2007-2008 included a revival of ''

Crook & Chase ''Crook & Chase'' is an American television talk show hosted by Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase, focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on country music. The pair had first worked together on the weekly syndicated program "This Week In Coun ...

'' (which returned to TNN

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization ...

] upon its relaunch in 2012) and ''Bluegrass & Backroads''.

"Machinery Pete"

Greg Peterson "Machinery Pete" half-hour show averages 125,000+ viewers weekly on RFD-TV. "Machinery Pete" is the brand name to the business of Greg Peterson. who is now an expert on data within researching and tracking machinery auction prices since 1989. Expertise within the farmers and dealers to look at and estimate the value on used farm equipment and the real value at auction. Greg Peterson was recently quoted in November 2021 in

Bloomberg news Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...

regarding how much over the estimate a sale went.

Crain's Chicago Business ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is a weekly business newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, IL. It is owned by Detroit-based Crain Communications Inc., Crain Communications, a privately held publishing company with more than 30 magazines, including ''Adve ...

also referenced "Machinery Pete" on the booming records in Farm Machinery Auction Pricing in 2021 as did the

Watertown Daily Times The ''Watertown Daily Times'' is a newspaper published six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, in Watertown, New York. It provides coverage of Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County and Oswego County. It was founded in 1861 and ...

and The Packer. "As harvest ends, we will see farmers at equipment auctions, not for the machinery - but for parts," Peterson said. "We're already hearing from guys talking about buying a second planter or sprayer, just for parts."Machinery Pete" Greg Peterson as quoted in

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

in October 2021. As of November 2021, Machinery Pete has 47,100 subscribers on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. Greg Peterson is from Benson, Minnesota and attended

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its name ...

St. Peter, Minnesota St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. It is 10 miles north of the Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area. The population was 12,066 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. St. ...

. starting "Machinery Pete" back in 1989 out of his basement in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

buying a small company for $2,600 that had a subscription service for prices that followed auction prices. A traditional book mailed out four times a year to a customer base before the age of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

. Later on "Machinery Pete" used computers to compile Used Values Index reports. These reports painted a larger and complete picture of the value of farm and construction equipment. "Machinery Pete" launched his

Website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...

over 20 years ago machinerypete.com, followed by a

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

page for a global audience since for the last 25 plus years "Machinery Pete" has been covering farm equipment auctions for various industry magazines and trade journals. In 2021 "Machinery Pete" has over 40 Apple Podcasts. Greg Peterson has been covering farm equipment auctions for various industry magazines for more than 25 years and did the same during six seasons of RFD's "Machinery Show." Now Peterson has his own show, which shares its title with his nickname: "Machinery Pete." Each episode features Peterson traveling to a farm machinery auction, where he meets some of the people who attend the sales where items like tractors and skid steers are sold. He also provides his analysis of current and historical trends in the used equipment market and answers viewers' questions about what their equipment is worth in the Ask Machinery Pete segment. Peterson's show, ''Machinery Pete TV'', is offered in syndication through Farm Journal (also syndicator of ''

AgDay ''AgDay'' is a syndicated daily half-hour television program presented in magazine format focusing on agriculture news, agribusiness, and country living. It generally airs in early morning timeslots on stations throughout the country and also ai ...

'' and ''

U.S. Farm Report The ''U.S. Farm Report'' (''USFR'') is a weekly syndicated United States television news program, presented in magazine format, which has a focus on agriculture and agribusiness. ''USFR'' is currently hosted by Tyne Morgan and is based in South ...

'') in addition to its RFD run; he also contributes to those shows as an interviewee.

Current programming

20171025-OSEC-PJK-267 TONED (37937429451)

*''Cow Guy Close'' (commodity markets news hosted by Scott Shellady, a.k.a. the "Cow Guy") *''Training Mules and Donkeys'' (equine) *''Big Joe Polka Show'' (entertainment) * ''Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Classroom'' (lifestyle) * ''Gentle Giants'' * ''Best of America by Horseback'' * ''Corn Warriors'' * '' Red Steagall is Somewhere West of Wall Street'' * ''Reno's Old-Time Country Music'' (hosted by Ronnie Reno, son of

Don Reno Donald Wesley Reno (February 21, 1926Trischka, Tony, "Don Reno", ''Banjo Song Book'', Oak Publications, 1977, – October 16, 1984) was an American bluegrass and country musician, best known as a pioneering banjo and guitar player who pa ...

) * ''Larry's Country Diner'' * '' The Jimmy Sturr Show'' * '' Debbe Dunning's Dude Ranch Roundup'' * ''The Duttons Through the Years'' * ''Heart to Heart Classics'' with Stan Hitchcock * ''Hidden Heritage'' (hosted by Paul LaRoche) * ''Midwest Country'' * '' Gaither Gospel Hour'' * ''The Penny Gilley Show'' * ''The Merlin Gene Show'' * ''

WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour The '' WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour'' is a radio program created, produced, and hosted by folksinger Michael Johnathon. Background WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour is a live audience celebration of grassroots music and the artists who make it. ...

'' * ''Country's Family Reunion'' (and its variants) * ''Presleys' County Jubilee'' * ''Rural Town Hall'' ( public affairs/news) * ''Rural Heritage'' * ''

Small Town Big Deal ''Small Town Big Deal'' is an American television news magazine that runs in first-run syndication with a focus on human interest stories in rural America. The TV program is co-hosted by Rodney K. Miller and Jann Carl. Together, they travel the ...

'' * ''

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings " Everything Is Beautiful" and " Misty", as well as novel ...

' Cabaray Nashville'' * '' Little Britches Rodeo'' * '' Little Britches on the Road'' * '' PRCA

National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event. The NFR is held each year in the fi ...

* ''The American Rancher'' * ''I Love Toy Trains'' * ''Trains & Locomotives'' * '' Texas Country Reporter'' * '' This Week in Louisiana Agriculture'' * ''Farm Report Georgia'' * ''California Bountiful'' * ''Voices of Agriculture'' (Virginia) * ''This Week in Agribusiness'' with

Orion Samuelson Orion Samuelson ( ; born March 31, 1934) is a retired American broadcaster, known for his agriculture broadcasts and his ability to explain agribusiness and food production in an understandable way. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in ...

and

Max Armstrong Max Armstrong (born June 13, 1953, Owensville, Indiana) is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois. Broadcast History Armstrong's first job out of college was for the Illinois Farm Bureau as a Broadcast Editor, which was where ...

* ''

'' * ''Market Day Report'' * ''Rural Evening News'' * ''

'' * ''Ag PhD'' * ''Machinery Pete TV'' * ''Mecum Auctions: Gone Farmin' '' * '' Positively Paula'' * ''

America's Heartland ''America's Heartland'' is a television program in the United States airing on public television since 2005. Produced by KVIE Sacramento, ''America's Heartland'' reporters and crews have brought in stories from all across the United States as w ...

'' *'' NTPA Tractor Pull'' *''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...

'' *''

The Porter Wagoner Show Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The ...

'' *'' The Wilburn Brothers Show'' *''The Daniel O'Donnell Show'' *''

Wild Kingdom ''Wild Kingdom'', also known as ''Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'', is an American documentary television program that features wildlife and nature. It was originally produced from 1963 until 1988, and it was revived in 2002. The show's second ...

'' * '' In Touch'' * '' Turning Point'' * ''Pathway to Victory'' with

Robert Jeffress Robert James Jeffress Jr. (born November 29, 1955) is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, radio host, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas and is a Fox News ...

Former programming

The following programs were aired on RFD-TV at one point, but are no longer listed on the official website. * '' The Lone Ranger'' * '' Ralph Emery'' * ''

'' * ''The

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

Happy Trails Theatre''/'' The Roy Rogers Show'' * ''The Joey Canyon Show'' * ''UK Extension'' (Agriculture) * ''Richard Winters'' (Equine) * ''Lynn Palm'' (Equine) * ''Richard Shrake'' (Equine) * ''Monty Roberts'' (Equine) * ''RV Today'' (Rural Lifestyle) * ''Turnin' To Country'' (Travel / Lifestyle) * ''Country Carnival'' * ''Showcase Jubilee'' * '' Imus in the Morning'' (2007-August 2009) Entertainment * '' Live from Daryl's House'' (Music and entertainment) * ''RFD-TV The Theatre'' (

) * ''Out There With

Baxter Black Baxter Black (January 10, 1945 – June 10, 2022) was an American cowboy poet and veterinarian. He wrote over 30 books of poetry, fiction—both novels and children's literature—and commentary, selling over two million books, CDs, and DVDs. ...

'' * '' The Shotgun Red Variety Show'' * ''Cumberland Highlanders'' * '' Tim Farmer's Country Kitchen'' * ''

Campfire Cafe A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

'' * ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

Rural Media Group

Rural Media Group is a media holding company owned by Patrick Gottsch. RFD-TV (Rural Free Delivery Television) was launched in 1988 by Patrick Gottsch but was not picked up until 2000. The group expanded with the RFD-TV: The Magazine in 2003 then RFD HD in 2008. Rural Media Group bought the Country Tonite/Ray Stevens Theater with 2000 seats in Branson and renamed the RFD-TV Theatre on March 24, 2007. A British version, Rural TV, was launched in 2008 followed by a US launch on February 15, 2012 on Dish. Rural focused on news and international programming. In October 2012, Rural Media purchased from Interactive Television and Gaming Networks (formerly Comstar Media) FamilyNet. The two channels would combine on January 1, 2013. Rural Media contracted with Sony Pictures Television in September 2013 to handle national ad sales for RFD-TV, Rural TV and Rural Radio. By August 2014, Rural Media Group began moving its Northstar Studio staff and some of its Omaha, Nebraska staff into subleased office space at 49 Music Square West,

. The rest of the Omaha staff would follow in 2015 except Gottsch. At the same time, RMG Events LLC was formed and headed by RMG CEO Randy Bernard to run RMG events like RFD-TV's The American rodeo. FamilyNet was changed over to a western lifestyle channel on July 1, 2017, tapping RFD-TV programming to start. This was the original plan for FamilyNet, but seeming limited programming and interest, Gottsch held off. With RFD-TV drawing more viewers for its western programming and events like rodeos, the switch was made. Rural Media Group in early 2018 purchased the Imus Ranch, near Santa Fe, as a television production base for its two TV channels' programs. ''Best of America by Horseback'', ''Debbie Dunning’s Dude Ranch Round-Up'', and ''Gentle Giants'' were programs selected to film there starting in March 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rfd-Tv Television networks in the United States Television channels and stations established in 2000 Rural culture in the United States Agricultural television stations English-language television stations in the United States Companies based in Omaha, Nebraska