Christian operators Hope Media Group and Way Media have announced their intent to merge.
The new organization will take take the Hope Media Group name and continue to be based in Houston where the organization operates Christian AC 89.3 KSBJ, Spanish Christian “Vida Unida” 91.7 KHVU, and other digital properties. Way Media operates the “Way-FM” Christian AC network on 20 full powered signals in markets including Dallas, Denver, Portland, Nashville, and South Florida plus 30 translators.
The deal is setup as a cash-free merger of equals. Hope Media Group’s Joe Paulo will be President/CEO of the merged entity and WAY Media’s Interim CEO Tim Dukes will serve as Chief Operating Officer.
Houston based Hope Media Group and WAY Media announced today their intention to merge into one media organization. The formal merger is expected to close by mid-2022, following FCC approval. The Christian media organization will be headquartered in Houston and will operate under the name Hope Media Group. WayFM and KSBJ, as part of the merged Hope Media Group, will continue to serve their respective audiences under their existing brand names.
This merger combines the rich heritage of two like-minded ministry organizations currently engaging audiences totaling more than 4 million people. Hope Media Group was founded 40 years ago with one radio station, KSBJ-FM/Houston, and WAY Media was formed 35 years ago with WAYJ-FM/Fort Myers. This is a merger of equals and a cash-free transaction that received a unanimous vote from both boards of directors.
Hope Media Group’s Joe Paulo, who will be President/CEO of the merged entity, commented, “We are incredibly excited to join forces with WAY Media to not only continue our shared mission of connecting people to God, but to create even more opportunities to spread His hope for good. We know that together we can accomplish more. The board of directors for each ministry has been prayerful about this for months and we believe this will also further ignite a new trend of collaboration and unity amongst Christian ministries.”
WAY Media’s Interim CEO Tim Dukes will serve as Chief Operating Officer of Hope Media Group. He added, “We have a vision to integrate the best of both ministries and be better together for the cause of Christ. More will be shared soon to announce the leadership team for the combined entity that will still be focused on serving our existing audiences with excellence, in addition to growing through further digital expansion and new terrestrial radio markets.”
Currently, Hope Media Group is a family of media brands that include Houston-focused KSBJ, the brand new Spanish Christian “Vida Unida”, digital content outlets NGEN Radio (Christian hip-hop and pop), Hope On Demand and Amen: The Prayer App, plus a concert and event brand, Special Events. WAY Media owns and operates a national network of more than 20 full-power CCM-formatted “WayFM” stations in markets that include Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Portland, Nashville, and South FL (West Palm/Ft. Lauderdale) and over 30 translators from Florida to Washington State, in addition to digital content outlets that include Waynation.com, WAYLOUD (Christian Rock),and Way Now (Christian Pop).
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com