Jimmy Lee is on the set of Georgia Farm Bureau's Georgia Farm Monitor circa 1969. At the time, it was produced at the studios of WMAZ-TV, Channel 13, the CBS affiliate in Macon, GA. and aired on that ONE station!
Life was simple... wasn't it?		 John Wayne? Yup! That's the "Duke" himself with Jimmy Lee in 1972 at the Ga. Cattlemen's Convention at Callaway Gardens, GA. Wayne had a purebred Hereford cattle herd on his ranch and sold some of his prize bulls to cattle producer George Berner, then president of the GCA.
Steve Malone in the late 1990's on the Monitor set. That was a vast improvement over this bland 1988 set!
The Crew on the 1988-89 Monitor set: Daryll Smith, Paul Beliveau, Steve Malone & Rick Treptow. Daryll Smith edited the show segments into the finished product using cutting-edge (for 1990) gear.
In the 1970's, Jimmy Lee (left), and Steve Malone get ready to shoot the show. Note half of the "13" symbol on the news set. This was when the show aired only on that one station. At the right, Steve and Gordon Taylor, a Channel 13 videotape operator, duplicate the show from 2" quad tape to a 3/4" cassette.
From left, Bill Smith, Steve Malone, Paul Beliveau and Rick Treptow accept a "Best TV Program" award for the Monitor in 1991 from then American Farm Bureau president Dean Kleckner (2nd from left) Steve interviews radio talk show host Barbara Dooley (wife of the legendary UGA footbal coach Vince) in the late 1980's
Steve Malone (left) interviews a farmer (with Darryl Smith shooting) for the next Farm Monitor program. Darryl is now a successful sales executive with WMAZ-TV. Here, Rick Treptow (right) shoots some "B roll" while Steve looks on.
Steve editing the show around 1987. It was all done "cuts only" between two 3/4" videotape machines back then. Steve Malone does a "stand-up" on the future site of the Georgia National Fair & Agricenter in Perry.
Hard Hats? Rick Treptow shoots as Steve watches at a construction site. Michael Edmondson (right) shoots an interview being done by Steve Malone.
Anchors over the years: (L-R) Jimmy Lee (1966-1985); Steve Malone (1985-2002); Denny Moore (since 2003) and Paul Beliveau (since 2002) gather for a group shot after shooting Monitor episode # 2,083 on 6/19/06
The Georgia Farm Monitor History -- 1966-2006:

Editor's Note: There are notable gaps in years when nothing seemingly happened!
Obviously, that's not the case. It's just poor record keeping. For some reason, as we could about our daily lives, we do so usually not thinking that information we are dealing with may be relevant in the future, or at least, interresting to note. We'll try to do better the next 40 years ...

1965 John Johnson joined Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) to produce a weekly radio program, called The Georgia Radio Monitor. It aired on 50,000 watt WMAZ-AM and would later expand into a 40-station network.

1966 Johnson originates the Georgia TV Monitor, a weekly half-hour program, which began airing on WMAZ-TV, Macon, in the Summer of 1966. It was produced by the Georgia Farm Bureau in cooperation with the Channel 13 CBS affliate and was sponsored by the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commissions.

1967 Johnson left the Georgia Farm Bureau, and Jimmy Lee of WMAZ-TV became producer and host for the 40-station radio Monitor programs and the weekly television Monitor program on May 14,1967. Lee was then the Farm Director and Radio Operations Director for WMAZ AM-FM-TV.

1969 The name of the program was changed from the original Georgia TV Monitor to the present Georgia Farm Monitor at the request of WMAZ-TV's national sales rep firm, (Avery Knodel), who wanted the word "Farm" in the show title to better sell it to national ag advertisers.

1970 Jimmy Lee left WMAZ, and on Jan. 1, 1970 became GFB Director of Radio and Television. He would later be promoted to Information Director. Coincidentally, Paul Beliveau joins WMAZ AM-FM-TV in February, 1970.

1977 Steve Malone leaves WMAZ to join Jimmy at Georgia Farm Bureau and becomes a radio program producer and assists with television production on the Monitor.

1978 As the television industry moves from 16mm film to more affordable and easier to operate video tape, Farm Bureau purchases the equipment necessary to produce the Monitor in house. To expand the program's reach, Lee offered the program to other Georgia TV stations and the Monitor "network" began June 3, 1978. Original stations were: WMAZ-TV 13 Macon; WTOC-TV 11 Savannah; WALB-TV 10 Albany; WRBL-TV 3 & WTVM-TV 9 Columbus; and WATL-TV 36 Atlanta. Soon after, WSAV-TV 3 Savannah and WCTV-TV 6 Thomasville/Tallahassee were added.

1983 Lee joined with Steve Bell, University of Georgia College of Agriculture, to produce a spinoff of the Georgia Farm Monitor, which was called The Georgia Farmer. That show aired Friday evenings at 7:30 on the Georgia Public Television (GPTV) Network of stations. When Lee left Farm Bureau in August of 1985, Steve Malone began co-hosting the GPTV program with Bell. That show ended in 1986.

1985 Jimmy Lee retires from Farm Bureau after 18 years to form his own video production company. On August 12, Paul Beliveau, who like Lee, was Director of Operations for WMAZ, joined GFB as Director of Information/Public Relations. At that time, Steve Malone was named producer/host of the Georgia Farm Monitor. In August, the Monitor is now on 7 stations: WALB-TV 10 Albany; WRBL-TV 3 & WTVM-TV 9 Columbus; WMAZ-TV 13 Macon; WTOC-TV 11 Savannah; WSAV-TV 3 Savannah; and WCTV-TV 6 Thomasville/Tallahassee.

1997 The Monitor begins airing on Atlanta station WTLK-TV 14 (now WPXA-TV), owned by the PAX Television Network, in September.

1998 In January, 15 affiliate stations are on the Georgia Farm Monitor Network. They are: WALB-TV 10, Albany; WTVM-TV 9, Columbus; WTLK-TV 14, Atlanta; WNGM-TV 34, Athens; WMAZ-TV 13, Macon; WPGA-TV 58, Macon; WTOC-TV 11, Savannah; WUBI-TV 34, Savannah; WJBF-TV 6, Augusta; WSST-TV 55, Cordele; WNEG-TV 32, Toccoa; WVGP-TV 44, Valdosta; WDNN-TV 43, Dalton; WVOH-TV 63, Hazlehurst; and WCNT-TV 65 Chattanooga, TN. In April, 1998, WNGM-Athens is sold, becomes Hipsanic station and the Monitor is dropped.

2000 The Monitor goes Nationwide in December, when the new RFD-TV Network signs on. The Monitor is one of the first programs seen on the new network available (at that time) to 23 million homes on cable systems and satellite services Dish Network and DirecTV.

2001 WPHJ-TV 46 in Vidalia joins the Farm Monitor Network.

2002 Dec. 31, 2002 Steve Malone retires after 25 years with GFB, 17 as Farm Monitor producer/anchor. Doug Long moves from WGXA-TV, Macon, where he was News Director and news anchor, to become producer/host of the Monitor. Paul Beliveau becomes executive producer and co-host in a new dual-host program format.

2003 July 31, Doug Long resigns and moves back home to Utah. Beliveau becomes producer/host until October, when Denny Moore of CBS affiliate WGNX-TV Atlanta, joins the staff as producer/co-host of the Monitor.

2005 August 20, WPXC-TV 21 Brunswick, GA / Jacksonville, FL begins airing the program.

2006 February 22: Georgia Farm Bureau staff member and the original host of the Georgia Farm Monitor television program, Jimmy Lee is inducted a member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE for a complete story.

June 24, 2006: The Monitor celebrates 40 Years on the air with Episode # 2,083.
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