Industry News Bits Thu 9-2-21
American Family Radio has gone on the air at WUIE/Lakesite, TN (105.1). WUIE is Class A 850w at 879 feet and serves the greater Chattanooga area.
The project to get the AFR conservative Christian talk radio format on the air has been in the works for over a year.
KFIS/Portland (104.1 The Fish) celebrates 20 years on the air today.
KFIS PD/mornings Chris Kelly shared with HisAir, “20 years of The Fish Portland has seen some awesome people come through here as we work hard as ever to be a light of encouragement to a city that needs it more than ever. Thanks to everyone who has played a part and a big thanks to our loyal listeners.”
KTSY/Boise morning host Dave Arthur (pictured below) was the original KFIS MD/afternoon jock in 2001, he told HisAir today, “One of the greatest thrills in my career was the opportunity to be a part of launching such an important radio station as The Fish in Portland. The 11 years I was there (2001-2012) on the air and programming are some of my favorite years in my career. So thankful for the people I got to work with who are still like family to me today. Portland is blessed to have had The Fish all these years. Here’s to 20 more!!!”
The JOY FM/Florida network went on the air on WTSM/Tallahassee (97.9) and WHLG/Port St. Lucie, FL (101.3) yesterday.
RTN announced the purchase of the 2 Florida stations from Horizon Broadcasting Company for a reported $1.3mil in May this year.
WTSM is a Class A 6kw @ 313ft. WHLG is also a Class A 3300kw @ 420ft.
WBNI/Ft Wayne (Rhythm and Praise 94.1) is set to go on the air Thursday, September 9th. Taylor University Broadcasting Incorporated (TUBI) owners of WBCL/Ft Wayne, purchased WBNI from Northeast Indiana Public Radio (NIPR) in June this year. The station, led by PD Mo Moss, has been operating as Rhythm and Praise 90.3 HD2 since 2018.
TUBI says WBNI will be the first Urban Gospel station that covers the entire city and county 24/7 on an easily accessible FM frequency for the Fort Wayne market.
The Inspirational Country Music Association held their annual Faith, Family & Country™ Awards Thursday Aug 26th at the Sevierville Civic Center in Sevierville, TN. After having to cancel last year’s award show due to Covid, this year represented and honored the nominees and winners for both 2019 and 2020.
Radio Personality of the year – Hunter Logan/Morning host HLE Radio/Jennings, LA (pictured at left)
Radio Network Of The Year – HLE Radio/Jennings, LA
Salem Media Group announced today that the Salem Podcast Network (“SPN”) will launch the Daybreak Insider Daily Podcast beginning on Tuesday, September 7th. The daily podcast will be released each weekday morning by 6 am ET and will feature an overview of the biggest stories of the day. It will be hosted by Salem Radio News (“SRN”) anchor Rich Thomason from SRN’s Washington, D.C., bureau.
“It’s clear that podcast listeners are looking for informed reporting on what’s really happening in their world,” said Salem Senior Vice President of Spoken Word, Phil Boyce. “Within Salem, we have a wealth of resources, both for newsgathering and for analysis. With the Daybreak Insider Podcast, we’ll be pooling all of those resources into a single podcast to provide in-depth coverage from a conservative worldview. You’ll hear trusted voices from SRN News, Townhall.com, as well as the Salem Radio Network every day on this podcast, and it will all be pulled together by the experienced voice of Rich Thomason.”
On Wednesday, September 1st, KSBJ/Houston and KXNG/Houston (NGEN Radio) partnered with God’s Pit Crew for an on-air campaign aiming to provide hope and healing for Louisiana following the devastation of Hurricane Ida. $266 is all it takes to send a KSBJ Team Help Crew to serve families impacted in New Orleans.
KSBJ Team Help Crews are 4-person volunteer teams who work with God’s Pit Crew to provide boots on the ground in New Orleans helping to clean up debris, muck homes and churches, tarp roofs and help families begin to dry out their homes. Listeners were asked to donate to assist with the expenses of meals and materials like tarps, tools, and gasoline.
The kindness of KSBJ and NGEN listeners exceeded expectations by raising over $276,000 to provide 684 KSBJ Team Help Crews, each spending a week in Louisiana. Listeners also sponsored the distribution of 2,711 Blessing Buckets – a five-gallon bucket filled with essential items like food, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, a Bible, and a note of encouragement. These buckets become a small token of God’s love to a person in a time of crisis.
“Houstonians remember the generosity in donations and help we received from Louisiana during Hurricane Harvey,” shares Troy West, KSBJ Program Director. “The Cajun Navy was instrumental in bringing an armada of boats and saved countless lives. Houston responded yesterday in an amazing way.”
God’s Pit Crew’s President, Randy Johnson adds, “Hope is being delivered by the truckload because of KSBJ, NGEN, and their amazing listeners. Their generosity blows us away. It is because of them that God’s Pit crew is able to deliver hope, healing, and restoration to those affected by Hurricane Ida.”
Milestones:
KFIS/Portland 20 years on the air
Prayer List:
Bob Croft (mother)
Allen Henderson
