Industry News Bits WED 8-23-23

Fundraisers this week .. WCVO/Columbus .. WayFM

Christian Radio Ratings on HisAir.Net are sponsored by Dunham+Company.

AQH Share for Persons 12+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid JUL

WCFJ/Columbia, SC – 1.6
WLTY HD#/Columbia – 0.7
KPZK/Little Rock – 2.1

Go HERE for latest ratings.

Salem Media Group announced today that it entered into an agreement to transfer the ownership of its Greenville-Spartanburg stations, WGTK-FM, WRTH-FM, and WLTE-FM to Educational Media Foundation (EMF). Selling price is $6,775,000.

Salem Media CEO David Santrella stated, “We have enjoyed our years in the Greenville-Spartanburg market but have made the strategic decision to divest our interests there. As we do, we are grateful to be able to place these signals in the hands of Educational Media Foundation (EMF) who share a like-minded mission with Salem through their music programming. We are also thankful to our Greenville-Spartanburg staff for their many years of service.”

WGTK will program K-LOVE and WRTH and WLTE will be Air1 stations.

Crawford Broadcasting is about to adopt all-digital AM Radio for it’s WYDE/Birmingham. Starting September 1st, WYDE will transition to the MA3 mode, which will limit AM band reception exclusively to individuals equipped with HD Radio receivers. Additionally, WYDE’s content will be accessible on two local FM stations.

The shift to an all-digital format for this Southern Gospel/Christian Talk station will necessitate minimal alterations or adjustments. WYDE has already conducted preliminary overnight testing in preparation for this transition. The company intends to closely observe the performance of digital coverage in comparison to the analog format, particularly its resilience in the face of adverse weather conditions such as thunderstorms.

This endeavor marks Crawford’s initial foray into the realm of all-digital AM broadcasting. Presently, only two other stations in the United States have embraced the use of all-digital AM HD Radio technology.

The second round ballot for the 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards ends TOMORROW Thursday, August 24 at 8:00pm CT. Results of this ballot will determine the 2023 Dove winners.