ALAN JARAND
Director of Radio

Alan J. Jarand has been director of radio for the Illinois Farm Bureau since April 1979.

As director of radio, Alan is responsible for the management and administration of the RFD Radio Network. He also is responsible for maintaining affiliate relations with over 70 radio stations throughout Illinois. He is one of the primary radio voices for the network and does public speaking on behalf of the Illinois Farm Bureau and the RFD Radio Network.

Prior to his present position, Alan served as IFB's broadcast editor since joining the IFB in 1978.

Alan is a native of Moultrie County and a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. He is a member of National Association of Farm Broadcasters, Radio-TV News Directors Association, and Illinois News Broadcasters Association.

He and his wife, Marjorie, live in Normal.



CHRIS RECK
Radio Network Business Manager

Chris Reck is the radio network business manager for the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Chris is the national advertising accounts manager. She also assists in maintaining affiliate relations with over 70 radio stations throughout Illinois. Her duties include trafficking functions of IFB Radio Network and all budget, accounting and billing for the radio operation.

Reck joined the IFB staff in the finance division in 1986, transferred to news and communications in 1992, and became radio business manager in 1997.

She attended Michigan State University and now lives in Bloomington.




RITA FRAZER
Network Anchor/Broadcast Editor

Rita Frazer became Network Anchor/Broadcast Editor with the RFD Illinois Radio Network in December, 2011. She serves as an on-air personality, joining Alan Jarand in producing and distributing more than a dozen programs each weekday for use by more than 75 Illinois radio stations.

Rita was an award-winning farm broadcaster and 22-year employee with WSMI radio in Litchfield, a major affiliate of the RFD Network. She also produced farm programming for soybean farmers for an ad-hoc network of stations, and produced the RFD Livestock Report under contact to IFB and the Illinois Livestock Development Group. Rita is a voting member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.




JIM TAYLOR
Morning Markets & Business Reporter

Jim Taylor has served as News Director at WRMJ in Aledo since 1990. His reporting on rural and agricultural issues has garnered him twelve Silver Dome Awards from the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Taylor has also been recognized for his broadcast work with rural schools--being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame in the Media Category in 2007 and he received the Friends of Athletics Award from the Illinois Athletic Directors Association in 2008. His reporting on rural crime led WRMJ to receive the Illinois Crime Stoppers Media Organization of the Year Award in 2004 and he received the Illinois Friend of MADD Award in 2000 from the Illinois Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization for his media coverage of drunk driving prevention efforts on rural roads. Taylor is also a contributing writer for the Quad City Times and has also worked for WOC radio in Davenport, Iowa.


JARED WHITE
Field reporter

Jared White is Farm Director at WHOW in Clinton.  As an major RFD Radio Network affiliate, Jared reports on events throughout Central Illinois for the network.  Listen for his report in our daily news programming.





MARY KOBBEMAN
RFD Today Radio Producer

Mary helps produce the RFD Today show, which includes scheduling guests, providing background information, assisting with remotes and providing support for the RFD Network crew. 

Prior to coming to the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2006 I worked for AAA Entertainment  Radio Group, in Bloomington.  She have a degree in Political Science and Public Relation from Illinois State University.

Mary and her husband Jeremy and two children reside in Bloomington.