[1][2][3] His company, Steckline Communications—formerly known as the Mid-Kansas Ag Network[3]—provides various media services, including agricultural news syndicated to radio and television stations throughout Kansas.
[2][4] To promote his stations, Steckline hosted country music concerts by Roy Clark, Tanya Tucker, Charlie Pride, Reba McEntire, T.G.
[1][2][4][10] Starting in 1968, Steckline worked with KFRM (AM) (Clay Center, Kansas) for several years, broadcasting agricultural news.
(Steckline estimated it had 125,000 potential listeners—not counting Sedgwick County, Kansas, also in range, home to the state's largest city, Wichita—population 300,000 at the time.
The five-year contract, beginning in July 2002, cost $6 million—nearly quadrupling the rights fee paid to K-State by the previous contractor.
[12] In 2010, after 30 years broadcasting his daily "ag report" on the Kansas State Network ("KSN") and its forerunner (KARD-TV), Steckline's contract was abruptly terminated in a one-sentence notice from KSN's general manager, with no explanation or comment[13] In 2011, Steckline began appearing in an online news format, Steckline Ag Report, with ag news in 3-5 minute segments, produced for the website of the Farm Credit cooperative American AgCredit[14] By 2015, he owned only one remaining radio station, KWLS (FM) (Winfield, Kansas), on which he continued to broadcast his agri-business program daily.
[4] Over the following years, as his show grew in popularity, Steckline and his wife took Kansas farmers on tours to China, Russia, Australia, and South America.
[3] He traveled internationally with U.S. Agriculture Secretaries John Block, Ed Madigan, Clayton Yeutter and Dan Glickman.
[3][4] By 2001, while still the owner and president of his Mid America Ag Network, Steckline, with his son Greg, were operating their 2,500-acre farm and ranch, "The Ponderosa," outside Garden Plain, Kansas, near Wichita.
[4][1][2][16] Despite being regarded as a front-runner, and confident she would win, Stovall abandoned her 2002 gubernatorial run in April, before the primary election, saying she no longer desired the job,[16][17] and promptly announced plans to marry Steckline (whom she married August 31, 2002, at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Grove, Oklahoma[6][18])—withdrawing from politics, and throwing the Kansas Republican Party into chaos;[17][19][20][21] Democrat Kathleen Sebelius won the subsequent general election.