Industry News Bits Mon 7-25-22

Congratulations to the staff at WCSG/Grand Rapids scoring a #1 ranking today in the June Nielsen Audio Ratings. WCSG trends 7.4-7.1-7.9 AQH P12+.

WCSG Executive Director Alicia Wyant told HisAir, “The team at WCSG has been working hard to refine and focus on the call that the Lord has given to us. The numbers represent many hours of prayer, prep, and professionalism. All of us at WCSG are thankful for the listener loyalty and the knowledge that many people are pointed to Jesus every day. Thank you!” 

WCSG PD Brittany Riva told HisAir, “These numbers represent a lot of hard work by the WCSG team. Grand Rapids has many strong radio stations. It’s a wonderful thing for us to be able to celebrate these numbers because of the hard work they represent and because of the thousands of people who are being pointed to Christ everyday as God continues to use 91.3 WCSG!” 

Walt ‘Baby’ Love, host of Gospel Traxx, has been inducted into the Museum of Broadcast Communications Radio Hall of Fame. 

Love, who is an ordained minister, started his career while he was an active member in the United States Army. Love became a a part-time on-air personality at WWGO-AM and WWYN-FM in Erie, PA. His syndicated Gospel Traxx show has won the Billboard Magazine Best Syndicated show award under the banner of the R&B/Urban category. In 2001, Walt won the Stellar Award for Best Gospel Radio Personality. 

CMB needs your help with “Noise Makers Volume II”.  Twenty years ago Joe Paulo, Jon Hull, Jason Sharp, Jason Miller, Linda Meyers and many others put together a compilation of the best promotional ideas from some of the finest Christian radio stations in America. This book was called “Noise Makers”. 

“Noise Makers Volume II” is in the works, and CMB wants to hear your best promo ideas. The edition will be sent out to all 2022 CMB Members and any non member who submits a promotion.

Submissions are due by August 19th. Submit HERE

Positive Alternative Radio (PAR) hosted an engaging and fun-filled “Summer Camp” for its team members last week in Blacksburg, VA on the campus of Virginia Tech. PAR brought in more than 50 team members and six guests to its first major in-person event since January of 2020. The event was designed to inject the PAR team with a solid dose of inspiration.

“While there is no cure for COVID-19, we may have found a way to treat the isolation and loneliness caused by the lingering effects of the global pandemic,” said Executive Vice President Brian Sanders. “For two and a half years, we were unable to get together and really connect—you can only do so much team building on Zoom.”

PAR invited rising CCM and worship artist Lydia Laird and pastor, author, and speaker Barnabas Piper to the event to be a part of its “Summer Camp” formula. Laird provided a soulful, organic worship experience. Piper, who is also Assistant Pastor at Immanuel Nashville, led a riveting three-day biblical teaching on Ecclesiastes.

Throughout the camp, Sanders spoke on the importance of having a winning and engaged culture. He challenged PAR team members to inspire one another, to dig deep, to reconnect with one another during the event, and to continue these things on into the future.

Other speakers included social media maven Lori Lewis and on-air fundraising consultant David Harms. A variety of PAR team members also presented on topics designed to sharpen skills and rally around the group’s mission, which states:

PAR President Eddie Baker also spoke at “Summer Camp.” He reminded the team to think outside the box and be bold with new ideas.

“The world needs the right kind of crazy,” said Baker.

In addition to speakers and special guests, PAR’s “Summer Camp” featured games and activities that gave team members the opportunity to let their hair down. On Monday evening the group gathered and worshipped together at Sinkland Farms, a scenic festival and wedding venue in neighboring Christiansburg, Virginia. On Tuesday evening, the team enjoyed a catered, lakeside barbecue at Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin, Virginia.

The entire PAR team will gather again in January 2023 for its annual Vision Week event.

Lance Wieland, Marcus Rixon and Jay Speight announce the formation of Amplo Records. The label launches with the signing of acclaimed singer/songwriter Nathan Sheridan to an exclusive recording contract, as well as songwriter Phoebe Scott to an exclusive publishing agreement.

Amplo Records will unveil Sheridan’s highly anticipated single, “Something Worth Singing About,” August 5, and the song is set to impact Christian radio August 26. Launching his career in 2018 with the critically acclaimed full-length Broken With You, Sheridan—a National Guard veteran—is a prolific songwriter and emotive recording artist drawing inspiration from his personal journey of overcoming profound adversity and loss.

“Amplo is Latin for amplify, and it encapsulates our vision for the company,” explains label co-founder Jay Speight. “Marcus, Lance and I share a common passion for nurturing and developing the next generation of artists and songwriters. By combining our skills and experience under the Amplo banner, we feel we’re uniquely positioned to help our artists reach a wider audience with their music, which in turn amplifies the impact of their ministries.”

Marcus Rixon is the founder and president of Rixon Entertainment Group, a Franklin, Tennessee-based company specializing in artist management. Rixon Entertainment Group boasts Platinum-selling, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-Dove Award winning artists, producers, and songwriters—including Selah, Stars Go Dim, and Chris Bevins.

Lance Wieland is the CEO of Franklin-based WieRok Entertainment Group. Specializing in artist management and creative services, WieRok’s flagship management client, six-time Dove Award-nominated hip-hop recording artist Steven Malcolm, leads a diverse roster of Christ-centered artists engaged in writing, producing, performing and promoting authentic and unifying creative content to the world.

Based in the Nashville area, Franklin, Jay Speight is a sought-after songwriter and producer with more than two decades of label, publishing, production and artist development experience. His songs have been recorded by such iconic artists as Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt and NewSong, among numerous others.

Hope Media Group invites stations to join in their “World’s Biggest Baby Shower,” a timely and meaningful nationwide campaign bringing diapers, formula, and wipes to moms in need now through Fall 2022. 

Hope Media Group has made it easy by connecting audiences across the country to nearby Pregnancy Help Centers to donate essential baby supplies. Donations can be made in person at center drop-off locations or online through an Amazon Wishlist for distribution to partnering centers.

For additional information on how your organization can get involved with the World’s Biggest Baby Shower, contact Kim McKee at kmckee@hopemediagroup.com or visit BiggestBabyShower.com.

Amy Grant will be one of five artists honored for lifetime artistic achievement at the 45th Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Dec 4th.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine ever receiving this prestigious Kennedy Center Honors,” Grant shares. “Through the years, I’ve watched so many of my heroes serenaded by colleagues and fellow artists, always moved by the ability of music and film to bring us together and to see the best in each other. I cannot wait to celebrate with my fellow honorees, friends, and family. Thank you for widening the circle to include all of us.”

EMF has decided to spin off WFLO/Farmville, VA (870 AM) that it purchased from Colonial Broadcasting Co. in 2021. The original transaction included EMF acquiring WFLO FM (95.7). Heart of Virginia Communications is buying WFLO AM from EMF for $75K.  

Milestones:
Matt Pelishek and Aaron Perlman celebrate 10 years on the KAXL/Bakersfield afternoon show. 
Kelly Rasulo 14 years at KDKR/Ft Worth
Hope Feaster 7 years at G106.3/Orlando

Prayer List:
Dawn Miller

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