Earlier this year, Educational Media Foundation expanded its Christian radio network footprint with the acquisition of three new signals in Nashville and one in Honolulu. We now know the plans that the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1 has made for the stations.
The $7 million purchase from fellow religious broadcaster Salem Media was closed this month. Salem’s divestment from the market meant the end of 94 FM The Fish, which was simulcast across Middle Tennessee on WBOZ in Woodbury, WFFH in Smyrna, and WFFI in Kingston Springs.
WFFH 94.1 is currently transitioning to Air1 Worship Now‘s contemporary worship format. The switch from The Fish to Air1 kicked off May 1 with a marathon of 10,000 worship songs that will conclude on June 3 with the full format flip.
Meanwhile, WBOZ 104.9 has begun broadcasting K-LOVE, matching EMF’s previously existing Nashville signal, WLVU, while future programming plans for WFFI 93.7 are still being formulated. Air1 will continue broadcasting via FM translator on 92.5 (WLVU-HD2) as well.
The Middle Tennessee expansion comes as EMF prepares to open its new K-LOVE headquarters just outside of Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee, by late summer. EMF also has other divisions based in California, including radio, publishing, film, live events, and streaming formats.
Further expanding its reach, Air1 has also taken over KAIM 95.5 FM in Honolulu, which, like Nashville, had also been carrying Salem’s “The Fish” format.
EMF Chief Media Officer David Pierce commented on the expansion, “For many of us, Christian music is an integral part of daily life. It is an honor to take the torch from our colleagues at The Fish and keep sharing Christian music on 93.7, 94.1, and 104.9 in Nashville, and 95.5 in Hawaii.”
