29 APR 08: THE POWERS OF THE AIR

Scan around your FM radio in Columbus right now, and you may hear the voice of James Earl Jones reading the Bible non-stop. His voice is in between "Rock 103" and "Foxie 105" -- which makes you wonder if someone is trying to cleanse that part of the dial.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: That voice is coming from a new radio station we learned about last month through e-mail [26 Mar]. WBOJ-FM 103.7 is now on the air, calling itself "The Truth." With a name like that, you'd think it was owned by a group of attorneys....

"We're shaking it down right now," the majority owner of WBOJ told your blog Monday night. H. Lynn Page actually is retired from Synovus -- where I would hope the phrase "shakedown" isn't in anyone's vocabulary.

WBOJ went on the air last Thursday. H. Lynn Page says the Bible-reading will end and regular programming officially will begin Thursday morning. No, James Earl Jones will NOT end with the dramatic announcement, "This... is CNN!"

H. Lynn Page told me WBOJ will play "contemporary Christian music" as of Thursday. For those of you who only go to church occasionally, that means songs you can't find in the standard hymnal....

Uh-oh - there are some religious radio stations in Columbus which openly attack contemporary Christian music, and almost declare it demonic. "That's their problem," H. Lynn Page said of such criticism. Of course, the critics would say they're on God's side and HE is the problem.

Thursday happens to be the National Day of Prayer - but H. Lynn Page did NOT realize the matching timing of his station's start-up date until I mentioned it to him. This may explain why the noon-hour prayer event in Phenix City draws embarrassingly small crowds for a "Bible belt" area. I mean, you can find more people at Columbus Catfish games....

H. Lynn Page indicated WBOJ will sound a lot like WVFJ-FM in Manchester. "J-93.3" used to be heard easily in Columbus, but now is aimed toward the southside of metro Atlanta. Local residents hearing that station late at night might be surprised to learn John Tesh is a Christian.

Unlike some radio stations, H. Lynn Page told me WBOJ will NOT rely on a satellite network for its music. The music will play locally, but will have NO local announcers for now. Perhaps that means all the out-of-work DJ's from other stations have to repent first.

And unlike most of the religious radio stations in Columbus, WBOJ will have advertising. So the station is "The Truth," at least until you hear a car commercial....

WBOJ hinted at its music plan in early March, when it co-sponsored a RiverCenter concert by the Christian band Third Day. H. Lynn Page told me it did "marginally OK" financially, so his station might not do that again for awhile. Which reminds me - where's the big news release with final numbers from Broadway Springfest?

H. Lynn Page believes there's room in Columbus for a contemporary Christian music radio station. In fact, there already is one - but Beacon University's WBUE-FM is a low-power station, and hard to hear on the south side of town. Of course, loud trucks and drivers turning up rap tunes can make ANY station hard to hear there.

By my count, the launch of WBOJ gives Columbus seven religious radio stations. So if "The Truth" is not for you, you can try some variations:

+ WYFK at 89.5 FM - playing old-time hymns, and loudly against contemporary Christian tunes. If a song has a drumbeat, you should flee from it.

+ WFRC, at 90.5 FM - where the music is traditional as well. This station's President says Jesus definitely will return in 2011, so go ahead and buy that car with a five-year lease.

+ WBUE, at 96.1 FM - a station so modern that I've heard Christian rap tunes here. And the rappers are NOT reading from the Bible.

+ WURY, at 97.1 FM - the Seventh-Day Adventists' station, playing a network based in France. That may explain why the February evangelistic outreach at Columbus State University was never mentioned on the air.

+ WEAM-FM, at 100.7 - the Davis Broadcasting station playing "black gospel" music. Federal documents suggest it may have tried to block WBOJ from going on the air. As if there's a limit to stations playing Yolanda Adams songs?!

+ WSHE "AM 1270" - the "Southern gospel" station. I almost didn't count it, because you never hear "Duke and the Doctor" giving testimonies about anything except supplements.

While we're talking about radio, WIOL-FM has announced its new on-air staff as "Mix 95.7." The afternoon voice is somebody named "Nudge." [True/AllAccess.com] I haven't met this guy - so maybe he's that "gentle little Nudge from your United Methodist friends" I hear about on other stations.

E-MAIL UPDATE: A reader is puzzled about the right side of the screen....

What happened to your archives?

They used to be there, listed first by the week and then by the month. But for reasons beyond me, they disappeared from the blog several months ago. It's not like I've been paying a monthly storage fee or something.

The good news is that the search device at the top of the page seems to work very well now. So you can type in a word of phrase, and find all the items we've written about it. Who knows how many potential Columbus Council candidates are doing it, during qualifying week?

And speaking of candidates, here's one more item from that Russell County Commission contender -- responding to what we wrote here Sunday:

Sir Richard:

Since the caw of a crow, the screech of a peacock, and the bray of a jackass; often interupt the CALM of "Hurt'sboro, I paid little heed to the raucos sounds of "Little" Sam!!

One thing piques my interest though! Why was he so interested in involving my "Ex." without presenting the names of his past spouses to extol his virtues! I'm sure your BLOG is just like the FOX NETWORK - you report - we decide!! But, unlike Bill O'Reilly; the spin starts here, You are truly a thought provoking individual!!

Constable R. J. Schweiger

Now, now - if you guys want to settle this in a proper forum, apply to go on "Divorce Court." Maybe you'll be on next week, right after Gary Coleman.

In terms of this blog, the updated score in the Russell County Commission District 7 race is now: Robert Schweiger three e-mails, J.D. Upshaw one interview, Larry Screws no contact. The school year can't end soon enough, for Screws to show off his principal's paddle at campaign appearances.

Now for a quick swat or two at Monday news headlines:

+ WLTZ reported the city Human Resources department has expressed "concern" about the recent process of hiring a Deputy Fire Chief. If two candidates filed EEOC complaints against your office, you might be concerned as well - at least about the legal bills.

(The latest complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is from a woman who says inappropriate questions were asked, when she interviewed for a Deputy Fire Chief position. C'mon now - what's wrong in asking how the mayor spells his last name?)

+ The Georgia Court of Appeals found in favor of the Muscogee County School District, when it comes to land around the central library. It does NOT have to build a park, even though some say it was promised in a sales tax vote. The Education Park Coalition now might have to go to WRBL, and demand "Green Week" be followed by a Greenspace Week.

+ The U.S. Supreme Court ruled it's legal to Georgia and other states require identification cards with photographs at the polls. I never quite understood the arguments by civil rights groups against this. You can still buy disposable cameras for less than five dollars.

+ Instant Message to Eli Gold: It was good to see you at Green Island Country Club Monday night, pumping up Alabama football. But I'm a bit surprised you didn't bring any undrafted players along, so they can network for jobs.

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