Here are the five, yes five, Christian radio organizations that use the word "Family" in their names....
--"Family Radio" is based in Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville. It was originally in Oakland, California, and still has its technical operations in nearby Alameda. It was founded by Harold Camping in 1958 and at one time had full-power FM stations in the New York, Philadelphia, Washington and San Francisco markets, as well several television stations. Camping was the televangelist who sent many Americans into a panic in 2011 believing the world was about to end. (I know some people who were really worried!) When it didn't end, he retired and died two years later. When the donations dried up, Family Radio was forced to sell its best FM stations but survives on AM stations in those cities and a few FM outlets in small markets. Today Family Radio is mostly soft Christian Worship music with some Talk and Teaching programs scattered through its schedule.
--"Family Life Radio" is based in Tucson. It has full power stations in Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Topeka, Chattanooga and Detroit, as well as some smaller cities. It's a mix of Christian Contemporary Music with some Talk and Teaching Shows. You get the feeling they'd rather be all music like K-Love but it's too hard to pass up the fees they get from running things like Focus on The Family with Jim Daly, Turning Point with David Jeremiah and In Touch with Charles Stanley. This organization recently paid Cumulus $10 million for Country station WDRQ Detroit, now WUFL.
--"Family Life Network" is based in Bath, New York, near Corning. So far, all of its stations are in Upstate New York and Pennsylvania. The signal really carpets the rural parts of those two states but doesn't include New York City or Philadelphia. It has about 35 stations and translators. All of its stations begin with the call letters WCI, WCO, WCG or WCD. It also leases HD subchannels of 92.9 WBUF Buffalo from Townsquare and 98.9 WBZA Rochester from Audacy. It plays mostly Christian Contemporary music but also airs Talk and Teaching shows. Some are produced in-house but Focus on The Family with Jim Daly, Turning Point with David Jeremiah and Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll are also on the schedule. Can't pass up those fees!
--"American Family Radio" is based in Tupelo, Mississippi. It is an arm of the American Family Foundation, started by Rev. Donald Wildmon, who fought against television shows and movies in the 1970's and 80s that he saw as immoral. It has about 100 stations, mostly in the South and Southwest but also Illinois, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa. It has a few feeds, with some stations airing mostly Talk and Teaching, and some mixing Christian Contemporary music with Talk and Teaching. The talk shows include, sure enough, Focus on The Family and David Jeremiah. Donald Wildmon's son is now in charge, Tim Wildmon, who also hosts a weekday show.
--"Family Radio Network" is based in Appleton and has all of its stations in Wisconsin. In addition to Appleton, there are signals in Eau Claire, Warsaw, Sheboygan and now Milwaukee. It is run by Zach Cochran. Unlike many Contemporary Christian networks that air paid national religious shows, the Family Radio Network is all music.
