Industry News Bits THU 9/17/26

Fundraisers this week  .. WGRC/Lewisburg .. KCBI/Dallas .. WGTS/Wash DC .. K-LOVE .. KBNJ/Corpus Christi .. WPOZ/Orlando .. Thy Word Network/Evansville .. Faith Radio/St Paul .. WNWC/Madison .. KDNW/Duluth .. KFNW/Fargo .. Let us know when your Station Fundraiser takes place… news@hisair.net

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K-LOVE, Inc., announced the appointment of Debashree “Dee” Sethmajhi as Chief Technology Officer. She will lead the organization’s technology strategy across broadcast infrastructure, engineering, digital products, data, and cybersecurity. She will join the Ministry Leadership Team reporting to CEO Tom Stultz, effective Monday, September 21, 2026.

Dee brings more than fifteen years of experience building and operating enterprise technology at scale. At Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Primavera, she held product strategy roles focused on global cloud platforms and enterprise systems serving customers worldwide. She later co-founded The Stability App, an AI-powered digital health platform she designed and built as Chief Technology Officer. She joins K-LOVE following the completion of an MBA for Executives at The Wharton School, where she graduated in May 2026 with three majors (Finance, Innovation, & Strategic Management).

Her appointment comes at a period of significant technical transformation for the Ministry. K-LOVE completed its migration from satellite to IP-based program delivery in early 2026 and continues to expand its broadcast footprint toward a presence in every top 50 U.S. market. The organization reaches listeners through more than 1,100 signals across all 50 states and ranks among the top 10 U.S.-based audio streaming companies.

“Dee brings a rare combination to this role: deep technical capability, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a genuine heart for ministry,” said Stultz in making this announcement. “As we continue growing our reach and deepening how we serve listeners, we needed a technology leader who understands the technical requirements while being fully aligned with K-LOVE’s mission. We are grateful God has brought her to us.”

“K-LOVE has walked with people through some of the hardest moments of their lives, often without ever knowing it,” said Sethmajhi. “What drew me here is the chance to partner with and grow the ministry’s reach further and go deeper: to make it easier for someone to find hope when they need it, to be prayed for by a real person, and to be connected to a local church. I have sat with students and church leaders on several continents, and the need is the same everywhere. Hope does not need translation. Every part of my path, the engineering, the building, the years on mission, makes sense to me now in a way it did not before. I am honored to offer those gifts to this team and to the Kingdom excellence that is at the heart of K-LOVE.”

HisAir Job Alert – sponsored by FaithSearch Partners

For the first time ever, Bill Gaither’s Homecoming Radio debuts a live studio audience for a full taping session, direct from SiriusXM Studios in downtown Nashville, just steps away from the historic Ryman Auditorium! Adding another dimension of energy, fun, and interactivity, these new shows with a live audience will begin airing the weekend of September 25, 2026, and include co-hosts Joyce Martin, Chris Blue, Pat Barker, Gene McDonald, Tori Taff, Kevin Williams, Ken Davis, Daniel Britt, and of course, Bill Gaither himself.

These episodes will feature audience Q&A’s and live versions of fan-favorite segments. Listeners can look forward to special musical moments, sing-alongs, and an in-person appearance by the Gaither Vocal Band’s own Wes Hampton!

Bill and the gang are thrilled to offer great music steeped in the Gaither Homecoming tradition, both fresh and familiar. This season of shows introduces a brand-new feature from Babbie Mason called “Terms of Endurement,” in addition to fan favorites “Wescipes from Wes Hampton,” “Mayberry Trivia,” “Kevin’s Wacky Words,” “Wisdom from Windsor (The Gaither Pup),” and “Give It Away!” — all coming soon to a station near you!

Pictured L-R  Joyce Martin, Tori Taff, Pat Barker, Ken Davis, Gene McDonald, Bill Gaither, Chris Blue, Kevin Williams, Daniel Britt

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The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will undergo its first nationwide test in more than three years on Nov. 17 at 2:20 p.m. ET. FEMA and the FCC will conduct the test, giving radio stations and other EAS participants an opportunity to evaluate their alerting systems.

The previous national test was held in October 2023. Dec. 3 is the backup date if the test must be postponed.

HisAir Christian Radio & Records Industry News TIMELINE – Sep 17, 2024

HisAir has learned that KHRT AM-FM/Minot, ND owner Roy Leavitt is still entertaining offers for his stations. There is a front runner interested in buying the FM. Talks will continue next week.

The stations owned by Faith Broadcasting went dark at the end of July. In his statement, Leavitt said “support and advertising has fallen to a level where Faith Broadcasting is no long able to continue operating the stations.”  KHRT AM (Southern Gospel) is a Class B station at 2.5 kW during the day and 310 watts at night while KHRT FM (CCM 106.9) is a Class C2 station broadcasting at 50 kW.

Milestones:
KeepTheFaith celebrates 16 years on the air

Prayer List:
Mike Donehey

The HisAir Prayer group is a place where the Christian Radio & Records industry can post prayer requests, and pray for others. Go HERE to join the private HisAir Prayer Group group.

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