Industry News Bits TUE 7/21/26
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After many years of remarkable service as the voice of WCSG news, longtime anchor Joel Hill is stepping away from the microphone to begin a new professional chapter. It is with joy and gratitude that WCSG announces Joel’s transition to serve as Associate Professor of Communications at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
“During his time here, Joel brought a sense of steadiness, calm, and excellence to the news and our listeners,” says WCSG Program Director, Brittany Riva. “As a coworker, he has always been servant-minded, humble, and ready to help. While we are sad to see him go, it’s exciting to see God open doors for him to continue to use his gifts to benefit others.”
Joel joined WCSG in 1994 as a weekend announcer before stepping into the news anchor role a year later, a position he’s held for over three decades. In 2020 he began sharing his broadcasting expertise part-time as a professor at Cornerstone University.
“In my 30 years serving in both radio and recently the academic side of the school,” Joel says, “I’ve been proud to have been part of institutions that have influenced so many people and brought encouragement to those in West Michigan and beyond. It has been a joy serving God by serving others. I wish the team nothing but success and God’s blessing moving forward.”
Moody Bible Institute today announced the election of Dr. Rick Melson as the Institute’s 11th President, effective Aug. 17, 2026. Dr. Melson succeeds Dr. Mark Jobe who served in the position for the past seven years.
“After an extensive national search and much prayer, the Board unanimously believes God has prepared Dr. Rick Melson and his wife, Tammy, for this important season in Moody’s history,” said Mark Flannery, Moody trustee and chairman of the Presidential Search Committee. “Dr. Melson is a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ, an accomplished leader in Christian higher education, an exceptional fundraiser, gifted communicator and proven executive who understands how to lead complex ministry organizations while remaining firmly anchored in God’s Word.”
Dr. Melson currently serves as president of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. Previously, he served as Vice President for Advancement at Cedarville University, and also held executive leadership roles at Houghton College. His career spans more than three decades in Christian higher education, ministry, fundraising, enrollment management, and organizational leadership.
Unlike most Christian colleges and universities, Moody’s mission extends well beyond higher education. As president, Dr. Melson will provide leadership for Moody’s three integrated ministry platforms including its longstanding aviation program in Spokane, WA, and execute a vision focused on strengthening Moody’s key ministries while preserving the institution’s historic theological convictions with emphasis on faithful stewardship, organizational excellence, spiritual vitality and lasting gospel impact.
“Dr. Melson possesses the rare combination of spiritual leadership, strategic vision, organizational effectiveness and relational warmth that will help Moody continue fulfilling its historic mission for generations to come,” added Rick Warren, chairman of the Moody Board of Trustees. “We are excited to welcome Rick and his wife, Tammy, to the Moody family.”
“Tammy and I are deeply humbled by the confidence the Board of Trustees has placed in us and grateful for the Lord’s unmistakable leading throughout this journey,” said Dr. Melson. “For 140 years, Moody Bible Institute has faithfully proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ and equipped generations of believers to impact the world for His glory and our greatest joy. It is a great privilege to be entrusted with leading and stewarding this extraordinary ministry into its next chapter.”
He added, “I come to Moody with profound respect for its remarkable heritage and tremendous optimism for its future. My commitment is to lead from a posture of prayer before strategy, Scripture before opinion and conviction before convenience. Together, we will seek God’s wisdom as we strengthen Moody’s educational mission, expand Moody Global Media’s reach, extend Moody Publishers’ influence, and make the gospel available to more people than ever before.”
“My prayer is that every decision we make will ultimately serve one purpose: that Jesus Christ would be exalted, His Word faithfully proclaimed and countless lives transformed through the power of the Gospel.”
HisAir Job Alert – sponsored by FaithSearch Partners
89Q Radio in North Central Wisconsin is looking for a passionate Morning Show Co-Host to join veteran broadcaster Andi Miller on our live and local morning team. This is more than a radio job—it’s an opportunity to encourage listeners daily with hope-filled, authentic content that points people to Christ.
If interested in this opening go HERE.
UCB Canada National Promotions Director John Connor contributed the following:
Canadian worship leader and songwriter Brian Doerksen passed away peacefully this morning (7/21) at his family home, surrounded by those he loved most.
His wife, Joyce (pictured), shared the news on social media: “On July 21st, at 6:45 AM, our beloved Brian passed away peacefully in his sleep at his family home, surrounded by those who loved him most… Till the very end, Brian continued to love those around him, encouraging them in who they are, and shared incredible gratitude to those in the medical field who tried their best to help him. He was a beacon of light even in his final moments…”
For more than three decades, Brian quietly helped shape modern worship through songs that became part of the weekly worship life of churches around the world. His best-known compositions include Come, Now Is the Time to Worship, Refiner’s Fire (Purify My Heart), Faithful One, Hope of the Nations, and many others that have been translated into numerous languages and sung by millions of believers across denominational lines.
While often associated with the Vineyard movement that helped reshape congregational worship in the 1980s and 1990s, Brian’s influence reached far beyond any one denomination. His songs found homes in Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, Alliance, Presbyterian, Catholic, and independent churches alike, becoming part of the shared vocabulary of worship for a generation of Christians.
Although his ministry became global, Brian remained unmistakably Canadian. Long before Canadian worship music gained international recognition, he demonstrated that songs written from a local church in British Columbia could resonate with believers around the world. His faithful songwriting helped open doors for countless Canadian artists and worship leaders who followed.
(Pictured at left Connor with Doerksen at UCB studios). Those who knew Brian personally often speak first not of his accomplishments, but of his humility. Friends consistently describe him as kind, thoughtful, deeply curious, and genuinely interested in people. Even during his final days, his family shared that he continued encouraging those around him and expressing gratitude to the medical teams caring for him.
His legacy is measured not simply in awards or recordings, but in the countless congregations who continue to sing the truths he so faithfully put into words.
Every Sunday, somewhere in the world, a church will begin singing, “Come, now is the time to worship.” For many, Brian Doerksen’s name may never be mentioned—but his life’s work will continue pointing people to Jesus for generations to come.
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HisAir Christian Radio & Records Industry News TIMELINE – July 21, 2025
WRVM, Inc. Suring, Wisconsin closed on its purchase of WJRF/Duluth (89.5) from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul on Friday, July 18 and is now a part of the “Voice of the Master” radio network based in Suring. Since 1967, WRVM’s programming offering has included Christian teaching along with Gospel music favorites. WJRF had simulcast “Life 97.3” (KDNW/Duluth) since 2019. WJRF is WRVM’s first station in Minnesota, adding to existing stations in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Pictured WRVM chief engineer Brett Gibson joins the Monday 7/21 “Morning Watch” broadcast live from the transmitter “Radio shack” in Duluth shortly after flipping the switch to join the network.
Milestones:
Reyna Rojas 7 years at KSBJ/Houston morning show
Sierra Allmand 18 years at WPOZ/Orlando
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