The Lowdown with Tom Stultz

HisAir: Recently EMF was outbid for KDHX in St Louis. Will EMF seek to find another signal in the market to acquire?

Our mission is to inspire people to move closer to Jesus, no matter where they are. We always keep our eyes open for places like St. Louis where we can fulfill our mission well. We trust God’s timing.

HisAir: How did EMF locate your latest acquisition WPBB in Tampa? When do you expect to have K-LOVE on the air there?

As an active buyer, we are regularly contacted by brokers representing stations that are for sale or may be available if we are interested. We believe we’ll be on the air in Tampa sometime in October, pending FCC approval.

HisAir: With 2 longtime CCM stations already on the air in Tampa (WCIE & WBVM) did that affect your decision to buy WPBB?

We have a lot of respect for the CCM stations already serving Tampa and expect they will continue to do very well there as they have for years. We are not going to Tampa to compete; we are going to join the work already happening there and hoping to draw even more people closer to Jesus. At the end of the day, if more people are listening to Christian programming, then it is good for the Kingdom which is what we all desire.

HisAir: Are there any markets (any size) where K-LOVE is not on the air, but you would like to be?

We have always been open to markets where the Lord provides opportunities for us to reach more people with the hope of Christ.

HisAir: Would K-LOVE ever consider any local programming in its bigger market stations such as NYC, Chicago, or LA? Such as a local or regional morning show?

Our centralized programming model allows us to keep costs down while supplementing with local public affairs programming and breaking news bulletins. This model serves the community and works well for us as it helps us steward donations well.

HisAir: How do you measure the success of any of your stations (in any market)?

Each day we challenge our teams to deliver creative, innovative, compelling content that inspires people to move closer to Jesus. We watch the same metrics our colleagues in media do for indicators and needed adjustments. We continue to be encouraged by the amount of engagement we have with our audience through prayer requests, feedback, event attendance, and most of all testimonials of lives changed by God.

Tom Stultz is CEO at EMF. Tom’s long media career moved him from the newspaper industry to college sports in 2004 when he was named President & CEO of Host Communications. After Host was sold, Tom become SVP & Managing Director of IMG College until the end of 2011. Tom negotiated contracts with major universities and assisted in the launch of two college sports networks. Tom’s newspaper career spanned more than 37 years starting as an obituary writer and finishing as president of a group of suburban and community newspapers based in Georgia.

EMF is a nonprofit, multi-platform media company on a mission to draw people closer to Christ. Founded in 1982 in Santa Rosa, CA, with a singular radio station, EMF today owns and operates the nation’s two largest Christian music radio networks (K-LOVE and Air1) with over 1,000 broadcast signals across all 50 states,