SHREVEPORT — News director Jeff Ferrell arrived before sunrise at Red River Radio. Until 6:31 a.m., everything went as planned.

He unlocked the doors, flipped on the lights and switched on the radio in his office, forever tuned to 89.9 FM. He updated the weather in the script he'd printed the night before, knowing that if the paper jammed at 5:30 a.m., he'd be the only one here to troubleshoot.

Then, alone in the studio on a recent October day, he cleared his throat, pressed a button and turned a dial.

"The time is now 6:04 on this Wednesday, and you are listening to Red River Radio News," he said, shaking his hands to add emphasis to his voice. "Good morning, I'm Jeff Ferrell. The Trump administration is expected to announce a plan very soon to bail out farmers..."

His delivery was ti

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