Salem Media Group

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Salem Media Group, Inc.
FormerlySalem Communications Corporation
Company type Public
Nasdaq:  SALM (Class A)
Russell Microcap Index component
IndustryMass media
commercial radio broadcasting
GenreRadio broadcasting, publishing, internet content provider
Founded1974;50 years ago (1974)
Founders Stuart Epperson
Edward Atsinger III
Headquarters
6400 N Beltline Road
Irving, Texas
,
U.S.
Revenue$262.78 million (2018) [1]
Number of employees
1,173 (2019)
Website salemmedia.com

Salem Media Group, Inc. (formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher based in Irving, Texas, targeting audiences interested in Christian values and what it describes as "family-themed content and conservative values". [2]

Contents

Salem Media Group owns 117 radio stations in 38 markets, including 60 stations in the top 25 markets and 29 in the top 10, making it tied with Audacy for the fifth-largest radio broadcaster. [2]

In addition to its radio properties, the company owns:

The company was founded by brothers-in-law Stuart Epperson and Edward G. Atsinger III and is a for-profit corporation. This allows it to accept commercial advertising.

History

Former logo of Salem Communications. Salem Communications.svg
Former logo of Salem Communications.

In 1974, Atsinger (chief executive officer) and Epperson (chairman of the board) combined their radio assets to create Salem Communications. Beginning with stations in North Carolina and California, Atsinger and Epperson purchased station properties in Boston, San Antonio, New York City, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles and other markets, converting them to Christian talk stations. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they expanded formats to include contemporary Christian music (with most stations under this format branded as "The Fish"), [3] news talk (branded as "The Answer"), Spanish-language Christian content, and business programming. [4]

Many of Salem's stations are licensed to subsidiaries, organized by geographical area and media cluster as the company has acquired new stations and their previous licensees.

Salem Communications Corp acquired Twitter curation site, Twitchy.com. In January 2014, the Company announced the acquisition of the assets of Eagle Publishing, including Regnery Publishing, Human Events, and RedState, and sister companies Eagle Financial Publications and Eagle Wellness. [5]

On February 23, 2015, Salem Communications changed its name to Salem Media Group. [6] [7]

In 2015, Salem Media Group expanded their digital platform with acquisitions of several businesses and assets, including DividendYieldHunter.com, [8] Stockinvestor.com; [9] DividendInvestor.com, [10] a Spanish Bible mobile app, along with its related website and Facebook properties; the DailyBible mobile app; the Daily Bible Devotion mobile app; and also, Bryan Perry's Newsletters.

In 2016, Salem Media Group continued to expand by acquiring the websites ChristianConcertAlerts.com, Historyonthenet.com and Authentichistory.com; as well as Mike Turner's line of investment products, including TurnerTrends.com; [11] the Retirement Watch newsletter and website, Retirementwatch.com; [12] and the King James Bible mobile application. Salem Media Group also acquired Mill City Press from Hillcrest Publishing Group, Inc.

In July 2017, Salem Media Group merged DividendYieldHunter.com and transferred all content into DividendInvestor.com. [13]

In March 2019, political writer Raheem Kassam and lawyer Will Chamberlain purchased Human Events from Salem Media Group for $300,000. [14]

In early 2021, the company moved most operations from the former main operations city of Camarillo, California to Irving, Texas, the same location of their long-owned radio station KLTY.

On November 8, 2023, Salem exited the Upstate market after it sold WGTK in Greenville, North Carolina and the Earth FM stations to Educational Media Foundation, resulting in WGTK switching to the K-Love network and WRTH and WLTE switching to Air1 several days before.

Radio stations

Stations are arranged in order by state and city of license.

AM StationsFM Stations
Stations owned by Salem Media Group [15]
City of license/MarketStationCurrent formatLicensee
Phoenix, AZ KKNT 960 Conservative talk Salem Communications Holding Corporation
KXXT 1010 Christian radio Salem Communications Holding Corporation
KPXQ 1360Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Little Rock, AR KKSP 93.3 Contemporary Christian Salem Communications Holding Corporation
KDIS-FM 99.5Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
KDXE 101.1Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Riverside–San Bernardino, CA KTIE 590Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Los Angeles, CA KRLA 870Conservative talkNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KFSH-FM 95.9Contemporary ChristianNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KKLA-FM 99.5Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Oxnard–Ventura, CA KDAR 98.3Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Sacramento, CA KFIA 710Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KTKZ 1380Conservative talkNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KKFS 103.9Contemporary ChristianNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
San Diego, CA KCBQ 1170Conservative talkNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KPRZ 1210Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
San Francisco–Oakland, CA KTRB 860Conservative talkNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KFAX 1100Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KDYA 1190Urban gospelNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
KDOW 1220Business talkSCA-Palo Alto, LLC.
KDIA 1640Christian radioNew Inspiration Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Colorado Springs, CO KZNT 1460Conservative talkBison Media
KBIQ 102.7 Christian adult contemporary Bison Media
KGFT 100.7Christian radioBison Media
Denver, CO KNUS 710Conservative talkSalem Media of Colorado, Inc.
KRKS 990Christian radioSalem Media of Colorado, Inc.
KBJD 1650Spanish ChristianSalem Media of Colorado, Inc.
KRKS-FM 100.7Christian radioSalem Media of Colorado, Inc.
Washington, D.C. WWRC 570Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WRCW 1250Conservative talk [lower-alpha 1] Salem Communications Holding Corporation
WAVA 780Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WAVA-FM 105.1Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Orlando–Daytona Beach, FL WORL 950Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WTLN 990Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Sarasota–Bradenton, FL WLSS 930Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL WTBN 570Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WLCC 760Christian radio [lower-alpha 2] Salem Communications Holding Corporation
WGUL 860Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WTWD 910Christian radio [lower-alpha 3] Salem Communications Holding Corporation
Atlanta, GA WDWD 590Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WGKA 920Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WNIV 970Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WLTA 1400Christian radio [lower-alpha 4] Salem Communications Holding Corporation
WFSH-FM 104.7Contemporary ChristianSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Honolulu, HI KHNR 690Conservative talkSalem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KGU 760 Sports Salem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KHCM 880ChineseSalem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KAIM-FM 95.5Contemporary ChristianSalem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KHCM-FM 97.5 Country Salem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KGU-FM 99.5Christian radioSalem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
KKOL-FM 107.9Classic HitsSalem Media of Hawaii, Inc.
Chicago, IL WIND 560Conservative talkSalem Media of Illinois, LLC
WYLL 1160Christian radioSalem Media of Massachusetts, LLC
Boston, MA WEZE 590Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WROL 950Christian radioSalem Media of Massachusetts, LLC
Detroit, MI WDTK 1400Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WLQV 1500Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN KKMS 980Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WWTC 1280Conservative talkSalem Media of Massachusetts, LLC
KYCR 1440Business talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
KDIZ 1570Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
New York City, NY WMCA 570Christian radioSalem Media of New York, LLC
WNYM 970Conservative talkSalem Media of New York, LLC
Cleveland, OH WFHM-FM 95.5Contemporary ChristianSalem Media of Massachusetts, LLC
WHKW 1220Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WHK 1420Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Columbus, OH WRFD 880Christian radioSalem Media of Ohio, Inc.
WTOH 98.9Conservative talkSalem Media of Ohio, Inc.
Portland, OR KPDQ 800Christian radioSalem Media of Oregon, Inc.
KPAM 860Conservative talkSalem Media of Oregon, Inc.
KDZR 1640 Regional Mexican Salem Media of Oregon, Inc.
KRYP 93.1Regional MexicanSalem Media of Oregon, Inc.
KPDQ-FM 93.9Christian radioSalem Media of Oregon, Inc.
KFIS 104.1Contemporary ChristianSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Philadelphia, PA WFIL 560Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WNTP 990Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Pittsburgh, PA WPIT 730Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WPGP 1250Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
WORD-FM 101.5Christian radioSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX KTNO 620Spanish ChristianInspiration Media of Texas, LLC
KSKY 660Conservative talkBison Media
KLTY 94.9Contemporary ChristianInspiration Media of Texas, LLC
KWRD-FM 100.7Christian radioInspiration Media of Texas, LLC
Houston–Galveston, TX KNTH 1070Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
KKHT-FM 100.7Christian radioSalem Media of Illinois, LLC
San Antonio, TX KSLR 630Christian radioSalem Media of Texas, Inc.
KLUP 930Conservative talkSalem Communications Holding Corporation
Seattle–Tacoma, WA KGNW 820Christian radioInspiration Media, Inc.
KKOL 1300Conservative talkInspiration Media, Inc.
  1. ↑ Simulcast of WWRC.
  2. ↑ Simulcast of WTBN.
  3. ↑ Simulcast of WTBN.
  4. ↑ Simulcast of WNIV.

Salem Radio Network

Salem Radio Network is a satellite radio network serving general market News/Talk stations and Christian-formatted stations through affiliate partnerships serving more than 2,700 radio stations. The five major divisions are SRN Talk, SRN News, Salem Music Network, Salem Media Reps and Vista Media Reps and SRN Satellite Services.

The satellite feed for Salem's general market programming can be heard on the CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks, on CRN3. [17]

Salem Publishing

Salem's flagship publication, CCM Magazine , was in the Christian music industry for more than 25 years. Salem no longer prints CCM Magazine, but it still exists in an online-only format. Other magazine publications include Singing News Magazine, which discusses happenings involving the Southern gospel community. [18]

Salem Author Services

Under the umbrella of Salem Author Service are Xulon Press, Mill City Press, and the websites Bookprinting.com, Bookediting.com, Publishgreen.com, and Libertyhill.com.

Xulon Press is a self-publishing digital publisher of books targeting a Christian audience. [19] They use print on demand technologies that store books electronically and print them only as they are ordered. Xulon was founded by Christian author and publisher Tom Freiling and was acquired by Salem in 2006. [20]

Salem Español Online

Salem owns a collection of Spanish language sites that provide a variety of Christian and family-friendly resources online. A few of those sites are CristoTarjetas.com; ElsitioCristiano.com; BibliaVida.com and LuzMundial.com.[ citation needed ]

Political activities

The founders of Salem Communications support various religious causes, and are noted for their role in spreading politically conservative opinion to areas dependent on radio for current events information. In 2005, Epperson was reported in Time magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". [21] In 2004 he co-chaired "Americans of Faith", a religiously based Republican electoral campaign. Both founders have served on the Council for National Policy, a group of conservative influencers, intellectuals, donors, and former elected officials known to feature right-wing extremists as members, and Epperson has served as president of the Council. [22] [23] [24] [25] They gave $100,000 to the Bush presidential reelection campaign and $780,000 to the 2000 "California Defense of Marriage Act" (Proposition 22) ballot measure. [26]

In October 2022, Salem, along with Dinesh D'Souza and True The Vote, was sued by Mark Andrews for defamation in Dinesh D'Souza's film, 2000 Mules , for which Salem was the distributor as well as the publisher of a book of the same name. In the film, D'Souza, without any evidence, falsely accused Andrews of ballot stuffing. In May 2024, Salem pulled the film and book from distribution and apologized to Andrews, claiming they had relied on representations made by D'Souza and True The Vote, and had never intended to harm Andrews. The suit is ongoing. [27]

Related Research Articles

Salem Radio Network is a United States-based radio network that specializes in syndicated Christian political talk, music, and conservative secular news/talk programming. It is a division of the Salem Media Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCVX</span> Radio station in Florence, Kentucky

WCVX is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. WCVX is owned by the Christian Broadcasting System and it carries a Christian radio format. Its studios and offices are on West Seventh Street in Cincinnati and its transmitter is off Fowler Creek Road in Florence. WCVX broadcasts with a directional antenna with 5,000 watts in the daytime but at night it reduces power to 990 watts to protect KSL in Salt Lake City, the Class A Clear-channel station on 1160 kHz. WYLL in Chicago, Illinois is the only other full-time 50,000-watt station on 1160 AM, although it is a Class B station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKMS (AM)</span> Radio station in Richfield, Minnesota

KKMS is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Richfield, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The transmitter and radio studios are on Cliff Road near Minnesota State Highway 77 in Eagan.

WPIT is a commercial radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries a Christian talk and teaching radio format. At night, classic Christian contemporary music is heard. WPIT is licensed to the Salem Communications Holding Corporation, which is owned by the Salem Media Group. The studios are at Parkway Center in Pittsburgh.

WORD-FM is a Christian talk radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station broadcasts with an ERP of 43 kW. Its transmitter is located in Reserve Township, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWRD-FM</span> Radio station in Highland Village–Dallas, Texas

KWRD-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Highland Village, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The call sign represents the station's moniker, "The Word," as in The Word of God. KWRD-FM is not co-owned with KWRD (AM) in Henderson, Texas.

KXFN is a radio station in St. Louis, Missouri. It is owned by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and airs a simulcast of station KFUO's daytime signal and nighttime live stream. The station has a colorful history as a Top 40 station KWK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGU-FM</span> Radio station in Honolulu, Hawaii

KGU-FM is a commercial radio station in Honolulu, Hawaii, broadcasting a Christian talk and teaching radio format. It is owned by the Salem Media Group with studios and offices on North King Street in Honolulu's Kalihi district. KGU-FM is a brokered programming station where hosts pay for their time on the air and may use their shows to seek donations to their ministries. National religious leaders heard on KGU-FM include David Jeremiah, Jim Daly, Charles Stanley, J. Vernon McGee and Chuck Swindoll. Several Honolulu pastors also have shows on the station.

KTNO is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Plano, Texas, and serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The station airs a Spanish Christian radio format known as "Radio Luz Dallas" and is owned by the Salem Media Group. Studios and offices are on North Belt Line Road in Irving. The transmitter is located on County Road 409 in McKinney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAUK</span> Radio station in Jackson, Wisconsin

WAUK is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to the Washington County community of Jackson, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It is known on-air as The Sha 101 FM in reference to the station's Waukesha based FM translator. The station's studios and offices are in downtown Waukesha.

Stuart (Stu) Watson Epperson was an American businessman, politician and evangelical who was the co-founder and chairman of Salem Media Group, and a member and the president of the conservative Council for National Policy ("CNP").

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDWD</span> Radio station in Atlanta, Georgia

WDWD is a Christian talk station serving the metro Atlanta market. It airs "The Eric Metaxas Show", "Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson", "Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah" and "The Narrow Path" hosted by Steve Gregg. It is owned by Salem Media Group.

WTLN is a commercial AM radio station located in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and it airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The offices and studios are on Lake View Drive in Altamonte Springs. Some of the national religious leaders heard on WTLN include David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll, Jim Daly, John MacArthur and Charles Stanley. Hosts pay for 30- to 60-minute segments on WTLN and can use the time to seek donations to their ministries. WTLN is known as "AM 990 and FM 101.5 The Word."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDAR</span> Christian radio station in Oxnard, California, United States

KDAR is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Oxnard, California, and serving the Oxnard-Ventura and Santa Barbara radio markets. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and it broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. It uses brokered programming where hosts buy their time on the air and may seek donations to their ministries during their programs. National religious leaders heard on KDAR include John MacArthur, Jim Daly, Alistair Begg, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley and David Jeremiah. Updates are provided by SRN News.

WKVG is a radio station in Greenville, South Carolina, serving Upstate South Carolina including the Greenville-Spartanburg radio market. WKVG is owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, and is an affiliate of K-Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNIV</span> Radio station in Atlanta, Georgia

WNIV is a commercial Christian radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of three Salem Media Group-owned stations in the Atlanta metropolitan area carrying a Christian talk and teaching radio format. AM 590 WDWD carries a different schedule of national and local religious leaders, while AM 1400 WLTA in Alpharetta, Georgia, simulcasts WNIV's programming for Atlanta's northern suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem Web Network</span>

Salem Web Network is a Christian website company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia with offices in Dallas and Nashville. The company is owned and operated by Salem Communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKHT-FM</span> Radio station in Lumberton, Texas

KKHT-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lumberton, Texas, and serving Greater Houston as well as the Golden Triangle. It is owned by Salem Media of Illinois, LLC, a subsidiary of the Salem Media Group, and it airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. Studios and offices are in the Sharpstown district in Southwest Houston.

WORL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Orlando, Florida, United States. It serves Central Florida, including the Greater Orlando radio market. It airs a conservative talk radio format and is known as "AM 950 and FM 94.9 The Answer." WORL is owned by the Salem Media Group with studios and offices on Lake View Drive in Altamonte Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWRC</span> Radio station in Bethesda, Maryland

WWRC – branded AM 570 The Answer – is a commercial conservative talk radio station licensed to serve Bethesda, Maryland. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station services the Washington metro area and is the market affiliate for the Salem Radio Network and The Sean Hannity Show. The WWRC studios are located in Arlington, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Germantown. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WWRC is available online.

References

  1. ↑ "Salem Media Group Company Profile". Craft. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "About Us – Salem Media Group". salem.cc.
  3. ↑ "Contemporary Christian Music – Station Formats – Salem Media Group". salem.cc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "History – Salem Media Group". salem.cc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ "SALM acquisition of Twitchy.com". Archived from the original on March 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Salem rebrands to Salem Media Group". Radio Ink Magazine Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Salem Communications Corporation renamed to Salem Media Group". Radioandmusic.com. February 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Salem Media Group Announces Acquisition of DividendYieldHunter.com". Cision PR Newswire (Press release). November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ "StockInvestor.com". Stock Investor.
  10. ↑ "DividendInvestor.com". Dividend Investor.
  11. ↑ "Salem Media Group Announces Acquisition of Mike Turner's Line of Investment Products". Cision PR Newswire. October 27, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Retirement Watch". Retirement Watch.
  13. ↑ "Welcome Dividend Yield Hunter Readers". Dividend Investor. July 11, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  14. ↑ Wemple, Erik (March 1, 2019). "Breitbart alum to resuscitate Human Events". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Station Lists – Salem Media Group". salemmedia.com.
  16. ↑ "SRN – About Us". November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Salem Radio Network – Salem Media Group". salem.cc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Salem Media Group | Reaching audiences through radio, web and print media".
  19. ↑ "Xulon Press – Salem Media Group". salemmedia.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Salem Communications Announces an 8.8% Increase in Second Quarter 2006 Total Revenue – Salem Media Investor Center". investor.salemmedia.com. June 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Stuart Epperson – The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". Time. February 7, 2005. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  22. ↑ Katie Thornton (November 22, 2022). "The Divided Dial: Episode 2 – From Pulpit to Politics – On the Media". WNYC Studios (Podcast). Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Council for National Policy: Behind the Curtain | Southern Poverty Law Center" . Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  24. ↑ Berlet, Chip (2018). Trumping democracy in the United States : from Ronald Reagan to alt-right. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-315-43839-9. OCLC   1129904664.
  25. ↑ Leonard, Kimberly; Relman, Eliza; Beckler, Hannah (September 24, 2021). "One of the most secretive and powerful groups in GOP politics just had its cellphone numbers leaked. Here's what its members said about Trump 2024 when we started calling". Business Insider.
  26. ↑ "A Higher Frequency". Mother Jones. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  27. ↑ Wilkie, Christina (May 31, 2024). "Dinesh D'Souza election fraud film, book '2000 Mules' pulled after defamation suit". CNBC. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
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