WHJM

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WHJM, "Radio Maria" (for "Hearts of Jesus and Mary")is a non-commercial FM station operating at 88.7 mHz licensed to Anna, Ohio. It is a repeater station of KJMJ(AM) 580 in Alexandria, Louisiana (where its local Catholic diocese is also headquartered) and is owned by Friends of Radio Maria USA airing inspirational music and Catholic programming for the Upper Miami Valley region of Shelby,Auglaize,Allen,Logan,Mercer,Miami and surrounding counties in West Central Ohio. It is part of the international broadcast ministry of The World Family of Radio Maria, which is based in Italy and broadcasts in over thirty countries in thirteen languages worldwide. The station also audiostreams from its website for listeners outside its immediate signal area.

1 History
2 Facilities and programming
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

WHJM "Radio Maria" first came on the air June 15th in the summer of 2006. Its transmitting antenna and tower was abruptly struck by a spectacular display of lightning only after a few hours on the air during its inaugural sign-on. After necessary repairs were made, WHJM returned to the air August 11, 2006. Their current operating power is 1,000 watts ERP.

The WHJM call letters were previously used at an Urban/R&B/Hip-Hop formatted station at 107.7 FM in Ledyard/Pawcatuk, Connecticut. The call sign for that station has since switched to WWRX. Before that, the WHJM calls were used on 1180 AM in Knoxville, Tennessee which had used Christian Country, Adult Standards and talk formats. That station is now WVLZ.

KJMJ has been on the air as the US flagship station of Radio Maria since May of 2000. Originally, the 580 frequency was home to KALB-AM, sister station to KALB-TV channel 5.

Radio Maria was founded at first with humble beginnings as a small parish-operated station in Como, Italy in 1983 before its subsequent international growth in the 1990s which gave birth to the World Family in 1998. Emanuele Ferrario is Radio Maria's founder and president.

[edit] Facilities and programming

Since WHJM is a repeater of KJMJ, there is (at present) no working studio or office in Anna. However, a mobile studio facility exists to record and broadcast remote programs over telephone lines in the station's service area. The WHJM transmitter is currently located to the north in nearby Botkins. (Future plans call for a permanent transmiter site for the new station along with an office and studio currently under construction in nearby Minster just west of the station's city of license.)

A public information session took place on August 29, 2006 at St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio to formally introduce Radio Maria to West Central Ohio listeners. A mix of traditional Catholic hymns with traditional inspirational and Contemporary Christian music is featured on the station in addition to the daily reciting of the Holy Rosary, Bible study programs, novena prayers, a weekday Mass and various talk programs discussing the Catholic faith. Several locally originating remote programs are aired including those from the University of Dayton in addition to other programs originating from local parishes in Minster,Osgood,West Milton and Huber Heights.

On Friday April 13,2007,all Radio Maria stations worldwide will gather together for a global simulcast of Masses,multilingual recitals of the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy including a catachesis on Easter themes. The global world prayer event will be entitled "With Holy Mary In the Light of the Merciful Christ"

Kelly Hatcher is station manager, Mary Pyper is local station coordinator, Jim Meyer is remote broadcast technician, Alicia Risko is volunteer coordinator,Father Duane Stenzel, O.F.M. is program director/on-air personality, and Frank Hare is studio/production manager.

Radio Maria's other US stations simulcasting KJMJ include:

AM repeaters

KDEI 1250 in Port Arthur,TX
KNIR 1360 in New Iberia,LA

FM repeaters

KBIO 89.7 in Natchitoches,LA
KOJO 91.1 in Lake Charles,LA

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Radio stations in the Lima, Ohio market (Arbitron #250)

By Frequency: (FM) 88.1 | 88.7 | 89.3 | 90.7 | 91.5 | 92.1 | 93.1 | 93.9 | 94.9 | 97.7 | 102.1 | 103.3 | 104.9 | 105.9 | 106.3 | 107.1 | 107.5