Industry News Bits WED 7/1/26
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MAY 2026 Nielsen PPM release is complete. JUNE PPM starts July 13th…. Go HERE for latest PPM ratings.
AQH Share for Persons 12+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid MAY 2026
WKCD/Dayton – 3.2
WDLV/Ft Myers – 1.4
WCSG/Grand Rapids – 7.8 (#1)
WJQK/Grand Rapids – 4.0
KLTU/Tucson – 3.5
KXOJ/Tulsa – 4.4
KKLB./Tulsa – 1.2
Cromwell Media announced today its WCJZ/Owensboro, KY (105.7) will flip from classic rock to CCM starting on July 24th. The new station will be called “105.7 The Bridge” with the tagline “your connection to hope and music.”
“The Bridge has been met with a lot of excitement in the community, and we are excited to offer it as a bridge to the community that offers positive, uplifting Christian music with a local feel to it,” Cromwell Media’s Jordan Yeckering said. “That is our biggest thing: the local feel, highlighting the local churches and highlighting the local Christian-led businesses. The local drive behind that.”
The WCJZ transition July 24-31 will include messages from community leaders and pastors, with the new station going live on July 31st at 11:59 p.m. Management says the WCJZ signal covers just over 100 mile radius. New programming will include only two commercial breaks per hour and will include local voices on the different programs.
“We’ve been meeting now for the past month and a half one-on-one with local churches, and overwhelmingly they seem very positive about it,” Yeckering said. “We are working on partnerships with them, so we can work together and highlight their ministry and also this area.”
Family Life/NY/PA is acquiring WWKL/Harrisburg, PA (106.7) and WLLF/Mercer, PA (96.7) in the Youngstown, OH, market from Cumulus Media in a deal valued at $2.25 million.
WWKL is a Class B FM station operating with 14 kW at 283 meters, providing coverage across Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York. WLLF is a Class A facility operating with 1.4 kW at 148 meters, serving Mercer County, Pennsylvania, just east of Youngstown.
The purchase gives Family Life Ministries its first signal serving the Youngstown area while further strengthening its presence in central Pennsylvania. The organization previously acquired 98.9 WCDF in Millersburg in November 2025 and 100.5 WCDM in Elizabethville, which holds a construction permit to relocate closer to the Harrisburg market.
HisAir Job Alert – sponsored by FaithSearch Partners
Spirit FM is a legacy station of central and southwest Virginia that has been serving the community for over 30 years. As our next Morning Show Co-Host, you’ll also be part of Positive Alternative Radio, one of the country’s highest-rated, best Christian workplaces.
If interested in this opening go HERE.
The Hibbard Group has announced a new ministry partnership with Hutchcraft Ministries and its nationally recognized daily radio feature,
“A Word With You® with Ron Hutchcraft”.
“We could not be more excited about this new partnership and what lies ahead for Hutchcraft Ministries,” said The Hibbard Group President Jack Hibbard. He added, “For more than four decades, Ron Hutchcraft has communicated the hope of Jesus Christ with warmth, authenticity, and biblical clarity. His unique ability to connect everyday life with timeless truth has made A Word With You one of the most respected and widely heard short-form Christian radio programs in the world.”
The program currently reaches listeners on more than 1,000 radio outlets across North America while also extending its impact globally in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, and Japanese. Each day, more than 10,000 subscribers receive the program by email, and thousands more engage with its content online.
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Inside Radio monthly station counts reports religion has added 69 stations from a year ago and 37 since January,. Religion’s lead over country has gone from 22 in February, the first month it took over at the top, to 39 in April, 48 in May, and 65 in June.
The religion format – which includes stations featuring religious teaching, hymns and other related content – passed the country and became the most programmed in the U.S. five months ago.
The fourth-ranked format (CCM) added 31 outlets since June 2025 and 10 since it began gaining steadily in February.
HisAir is saddened to report the passing of former WCRJ/Jacksonville (The Promise) program director Roger Henderson. Roger passed suddenly Sunday 6/28.
Check out a past interview with Roger HERE.
HisAir Christian Radio & Records Industry News TIMELINE – July 1, 2024
Manager of Moody Radio’s flagship station WMBI/Chicago, Matt McNeilly, has been promoted to the role of national program director for Moody Radio network.
With a career spanning almost three decades, McNeilly has held multiple roles at several other Christian radio stations and networks. He came to Moody Radio Chicago in 2016. Serving as a host, program director and producer, as well as other roles has given the radio veteran a deep understanding of both national and local broadcasting dynamics. Reporting to the director of content, Chris Martin, McNeilly will play a crucial role in ensuring a cohesive and compelling radio ministry experience for listeners, particularly with Moody Radio’s morning shows around the country.
Milestones:
Charles Van Dyke 9 years at Provident Music Group
Ben Holsen 5 years at Northwestern Media/St Paul
Todd Christopher 3 years at WRVM/Suring, WI
Michele Younkman 15 years at CMB
WMBW/Chattanooga celebrating 53 years on the air
Samantha Shelby 1 year at CMB
Jimmy Swaggart (Sonlife Radio) passed 1 year ago
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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