4-H Television Promotion

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Extension, including 4-H, was beginning to work with local television stations regularly as early as the mid-1950s. As 4-H pushed into urban areas with their programming and recruitment in the 1960s, they often found friends at the local TV stations interested in helping with their quest. One example of this is the major push with urban 4-H programming in Indianapolis. Station WLWI (now WTHR) created a weekly Saturday morning show called "Clover Power" which included many interviews with 4-H'ers about their projects... the show host was David Letterman. This is but one example.

Even some of the network shows often featured 4-H – Arthur Godfrey and Lawrence Welk... when Willard Scott was on NBC's the Today Show he often interviewed 4-H'ers.

At the national level, the National 4-H Service Committee, and later National 4-H Council, produced a few 4-H television promo packages, but nothing like what had been done for radio. They were more difficult to do; and, they were much more expensive. The budget just was not there. Additionally, with radio PSAs, the disc jockeys loved them. It was much harder to get air time for television public service announcements. It was easier to supply television with good leads on news stories and let the news departments handle it. One built in audience that 4-H did have as an advantage was the farm broadcasters. A number of stations serving rural audiences were hiring TV farm broadcasters and like their radio counterparts, they were friends of 4-H. One of the best examples of this is Orion Samuelson at WGN in Chicago who undoubtedly has interviewed thousands of 4-H'ers for his programs over the years.

In addition to 4-H promotion on television, and news stories about 4-H events or achievements, occasionally there was even a 4-H theme woven into some of the regular TV series. For example, in 1968 the CBS network's popular show, "Lassie," featured an episode entitled "Lassie and the 4-H Boys." In a 1978 episode of "The Waltons" Elizabeth joins the 4-H club and raises a small pig. And, even on "The Simpsons" in a 2008 episode Bart Simpson joins the 4-H with a scrawny little calf that eventually develops into a raging bull.