Agri Broadcasting Network

Founded in 1972 by Ed Johnson, the ABN (Agri Broadcast Network) has a rich history of service to Ohio’s agricultural community. In 1998, Lindsay Hill came to work for Ed at the ABN as an intern. Starting out in the studio during the early morning shift, she eventually moved on to another position in the company, and Andy Vance was hired to replace her in the studio. Thus, began their journey together. After Ed Johnson's passing in 2001, Lindsay continued to work for the Johnson family as a marketing specialist for the publication Ohio’s Country Journal. Andy took an internship at 880 WRFD in Columbus. A year later, he was offered the position of farm director for Ohio Farm Radio. Lindsay joined him at the company and three months later they were married. Just over a year later, WRFD discontinued the farm program and the couple decided to launch their own farm radio network to fill the void. They put a studio in their farm house and the Buckeye Ag Radio Network (BARN) took to the air in November 2005. Delivering farm news from the Hill family homestead, the network grew to 15 stations in the first year. In 2007, Andy and Lindsay’s company, AdVance Broadcast & Communication, Ltd. took over operations of the ABN, bringing the couple full-circle and back to the place where they first met. Seeing the need to provide programming that went beyond the farm, they decided to continue running the BARN with a new focus on rural lifestyle programming. The BARN is the “Next Generation of Rural Radio” offering news and coverage of a broader range of issues of interest to the rural community. This farm to table approach can be heard on 25 radio stations across Ohio. In keeping with the rich tradition of the company, they continue to provide producer-oriented farm news and information to 65 radio stations affiliated with the ABN.