Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

Acclaimed Broadcaster Lon Helton Talks Country Music--"The Music of America"

By Robin Johnson

Published May 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM CDT

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Lon Helton, host of Country Countdown USA, Country Music Hall of Fame
member and 12-time winner of the CMA National Broadcast Personality of
the Year, talks about country music's impact on American culture, his
career, memorable interviews, and some of the misconceptions about
country music. Helton, who began his radio career in Monmouth and
Galesburg, is a Monmouth College grad and will be giving the
Commencement address tomorrow, May 18. He gives a sneak preview of his
remarks in the interview as well.

Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson

Robin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary and local government. Robin served as a consultant to the Office of Statewide Performance Review in the Illinois Governor’s Office and is former director of the Illinois Center for Competitive Government, a partnership between the Illinois Comptroller’s Office and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Prior to that, he was Director of the Local Government Affairs Division of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. Robin served on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) in 1999-2000.

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