WHJM

Infobox Radio Station
name = WHJM
city = Anna, Ohio (Transmitter Located in Botkins, Ohio)
area = Northern portion of Miami Valley and greater Lima, Ohio area
branding = "Radio Maria"
slogan = "A Christian Voice In Your Home"
airdate = June 15, 2006
frequency = 88.7 (MHz)
format = Christian radio
erp = 1,000 watts (CP to upgrade to 2,300 watts)
class = A (non commercial)
haat = 318 feet (97 meters)
owner = Radio Maria Inc.
sister_stations = WULM,KNIR,KDEI,KOJO,KBIO
website = [http://www.radiomaria.us]
webcast = [http://www.radiomaria.org/media/usa.asx]
callsign_meaning = With the Hearts of Jesus and Mary |

WHJM, "Radio Maria" (for "Hearts of Jesus and Mary") is a non-commercial FM station operating at 88.7 mHz licensed to Anna, Ohio. [ [http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=whjm&sr=Y&s=C WHJM's technical information from Radio Locator website] ] It is a repeater station of KJMJ (AM) 580 in Alexandria, Louisiana (where its local Catholic diocese is also headquartered) and is owned by Radio Maria Inc. 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.

History

A group of New York City-based volunteers known as [http://www.radiomariany.org/English.asp Friends of Radio Maria] which operates an Italian language FM subcarrier acquired the original funding and construction permit for the new station in 2001 by means of a New York-based fundraiser called a "Mariathon." The construction permit however initially sat dormant until it was discovered by a group of Dayton area volunteers in 2005 looking for a Miami Valley frequency to start a local Catholic station. After a tower site was found, WHJM joined the Radio Maria family on June 8, 2006 while volunteers feverishly proceeded with preparations to get on the air before the construction permit was to have expired.

Within just a few days prior to the construction permit's deadline date to start broadcasting, WHJM "Radio Maria" first came on the air on June 15, 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. Its current operating power is 1,000 watts ERP [ [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=08&facid=92988 Query the FCC's FM station database for WHJM-FM] ] with a construction permit granted in September of 2007 to upgrade to 2,300 watts which will effectively reach into the Limaland area upon completion. WHJM's current signal fades-out north of Lima at Beaverdam where CIMX in Windsor, Ontario begins to fade-in north towards Findlay.

Call sign history

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 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. [ [http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/sep0806/090806radio.html Catholic Telegraph news article on Radio Maria's Ohio sign-on] (September 8, 2006)] Emanuele Ferrario is Radio Maria's founder and president.

Facilities and programming

Though WHJM for the most part is a repeater of KJMJ, there is now a new office and production studio facility west of Anna in nearby Minster which originates several live programs including Father Rick Nieberding's "Living The Lectionary" and Herb Wilker's Hospice program "Letting Go." Other local programs originate by audio recording and over telephone lines including "At Home With Jesus' with Glenda Canfield,"From The Tummy To The Heart" and "Francesca and Friends" presented by Francesca Franchina from The University of Dayton.The studio officially opened on Sunday April 22, 2007 with a prayer and blessing service and open house officiated by Father Rick Nieberding C.P.P.S. who is pastor of St. Augustine Church and is the presenter of the program "Living The Lectionary." WHJM is also the originator of the yearly remote broadcast of the Fatima USA candlelight prayer vigil which takes place in the evening during the month of August at Maria Stein, a concelebration involving parishes from Minster,Marion Township and Saint Henry.

Prior to the studio opening, a public information session took place on August 29,2006 at St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio to introduce Radio Maria to local listeners and the northern portion of the Cincinnati archdiocese.

The WHJM transmitter is currently located to the north in nearby Botkins. Future plans call for a permanent transmitter site for the new station.

New AM station for Dayton/Springfield area

According to a Springfield News-Sun story dated March 10, 2008, Radio Maria USA purchased WULM-AM in Springfield, Ohio. The application for license transfer and purchase which took place on February 15,2008 was granted FCC approval on April 16,2008. The AM station acquisition will bring Radio Maria programming to Springfield, Dayton, Eaton,Middletown,Wilmington, Tipp City, Troy, Urbana and other communites in the lower portion of the Miami Valley not reached by WHJM's signal. WULM's signal also has the potential to reach east towards Columbus and west towards Richmond, Indiana.

Radio Maria programming on WULM commenced on Saturday May,31,2008 at 12 noon local time.

A fundraising "Mariathon" moderated by Father Stenzel is scheduled for October 14,15, and 16 of 2008 to procure additional opearating funds for WHJM,its sister stations and audiostream. The World Family of Radio Maria's mission is to venture forward to start additional stations worldwide and no longer provides supplimental funding for KJMJ,its repeaters and other USA operations,hence the need for additional local support.

Mary Pyper is local station coordinator,Alicia Risko is volunteer coordinator,Jim Meyer is remote broadcast technician and John Koenig is local station manager.

See also

* KJMJ
* KBIO
* WULM
* HMWN

Notes

External links

* [http://www.radiomaria.us Official Radio Maria USA site (with streaming audio)]
* [http://www.radiomaria.org Official Radio Maria World Family site (with streaming audio)]
* [http://www.radiomaria.it Official Radio Maria Italy site (with streaming audio)]
* [http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/may0407/050407radio.html Catholic Telegraph news article on Minster studio dedication/open house] (May 4, 2007)
* [http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/mar2307/032307radio.html Catholic Telegraph in-depth news article on WHJM] (March 23, 2007)
* [http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/03/09/sns031008wulm.html Springfield News-Sun story of Radio Maria's purchase of WULM in Springfield] (March 10,2008)
* [http://www.vindy.com/content/national_world/331247151343746.php Youngstown Vindicator news article on WHJM.] (September 10,2006)
* [http://diocesealex.org/Portals/1/CT%206-18-07%20small.pdf WHJM Minster studio dedication news article from Alexandria Diocesan newspaper The Church Today (in PDF format..scroll down to Page 15)]
* [http://www.subcarrier.com/images/sites/botkins-oh.jpgWHJM's current transmitter site]
* [http://www.radiodataservices.com/whjm.pdf WHJM coverage area map in PDF format]