Salem Media Group is grieving the loss of former Market Manager David Ruleman, who passed away over the weekend after battling cancer. While at Salem, Ruleman provided oversight for the acquisition of more than 20 stations across nine markets.
Over his nearly five-decade career, Ruleman held various leadership roles, including Vice President of Palomar Broadcasters and President of Radio Del Rey from 1973 to 1986 when he joined Salem Media San Diego. While in Southern California, he launched KPRZ-AM as General Manager and added Turning Point with David Jeremiah to the station’s programming.
In 1992, he moved to Washington, DC, to serve as Vice President and General Manager of WAVA. Ruleman also served as a Regional VP of Operations, with oversight of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Boston. He played a key role in Salem adding three channels on XM Satellite Radio. One of those stations, Family Talk, continues to exist today on SiriusXM.
Ruleman retired in 2017.
Executive Chairman and co-founder Edward G. Atsinger commented, “David Ruleman served as one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Salem Media. His passion and impact for Salem in San Diego led to our decision to put him in Washington DC when we acquired WAVA, our most expensive acquisition at the time. He served there for many years and did a tremendous job in one of the most influential cities in the world, our nation’s capital. David’s presence has been and will be missed at Salem, but the legacy of his leadership will last into future generations of Christian leaders.”
CEO David Santrella remarked, “When I joined Salem in 2001, David Ruleman was one of the first people I was told to talk to learn more about the company. He’s been an inspiration to me ever since. Always encouraging, always knew how important our Christian Teaching & Talk formats are. His spirit carried on with our company long after his retirement and we’ll miss him greatly but rejoice in his Homecoming.”
