Business & Tech
Religious Radio Broadcaster Announces Plans After Buying MD Rock Station
The religious radio broadcaster that bought a Maryland rock station announced its plans for the takeover. Here's what's coming to 103.1 FM.
ANNAPOLIS, MD — The religious radio broadcaster that bought a Maryland rock station announced its plans Friday for its recent acquisition.
The buyers, Peter & John Radio Fellowship, will start broadcasting on 103.1 FM starting Saturday at 12 a.m.
This will replace WRNR's current rock broadcasts on the station.
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WRNR was headquartered in Annapolis at 179 Admiral Cochrane Drive. Its radio transmitter is in Grasonville.
Peter & John Radio Fellowship is a not-for-profit religious organization that was founded in 1948. The team is also known as Peter & John Ministries, and it runs Brighter Media Group.
Find out what's happening in Annapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Brighter Media Group already operates two Christian radio stations in Maryland. Those stations are 1230 AM WRBS and Bright-FM, which airs on 95.1 FM.
103.1 FM will now be a simulcast of Bright-FM, which plays uplifting Christian music. The new call letters will be WRHS, upon approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
The new station's broadcasting region has 1 million people.
WRNR's coverage area included parts of Baltimore City, the District of Columbia and these counties: Anne Arundel, Queen Anne's, Baltimore, Harford, Talbot, Kent, Prince George's, Calvert, Howard and Montgomery.
The main studio for Brighter Media Group is in Halethorpe, and its radio transmitter is in Manchester.
"We are excited to be expanding our organization to a greater portion of Maryland’s eastern shore than BRIGHT-FM now reaches," Brighter Media Group General Manager Steve Lawhon said in a Friday press release. "This also allows for improved coverage of BRIGHT-FM programming in the northeast Baltimore suburbs and the I-95 corridor. We [are] grateful for the opportunity to reach more people with hope and encouragement."
Related:
- WRNR Radio Station To Stop Broadcasting Rock Music Soon: Reports
- WRNR Radio Station Sold To Christian Broadcasting Company: Report
News emerged in November 2022 that 103.1 FM was sold. RadioInsight reported last fall that the sale was for $1.54 million, pending approval from the FCC.
RadioInsight said WRNR's studio equipment, vehicles and a few leases were not included in the sale.
The Capital said the deal let WRNR Owner and General Manager Steve Kingston retain ownership of the WRNR call letters and its intellectual property rights. The newspaper added that the FCC has not yet approved Kingston's application to separate the WRNR call letters from the 103.1 FM frequency, however.
"We are considering options for WRNR FM, including a move of the call letters, music format, and all intellectual property to another frequency on FM," Kinston said at the time of the sale, according to Eye On Annapolis.
The Capital reported that WRNR was founded in the early 1980s under the call letters WAQA. Kingston bought the station for $2.4 million in 1998, the newspaper said.
Patch contacted Kingston for a comment. We have not yet gotten a response. We will update this story if we hear back.
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