WHYF am720 Holy Family Radio

WHYF am720 is owned by Holy Family Radio, Inc. (a non-profit 501 (c)3) and is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station. The professional staff includes Joseph Nebistinsky, Station Manager and Russell Fry, Community Relations Coordinator. The rest of the staff is comprised of a group of dedicated volunteers. The station is an EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) Global Radio Network affiliate. EWTN is the largest Catholic broadcast network in the world. WHYF is its only affiliate in Central Pennsylvania. In addition to the EWTN programming, we also produce our own local shows. Daily Mass is also an important component of the schedule. We broadcast Mass live every day at 8:00 am with an encore at 1:00 pm. Our listeners have expressed that is one of the most important programs that we provide. Our listeners tell us that we are a valuable teaching tool for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Popular call-in shows allow listeners to engage the hosts to get answers to pressing questions and explore the depths of their Catholic beliefs. We believe that Catholic radio is a source of truth that allows Catholics to grow in their faith and recognize the true mission of the Catholic Church.

Our station is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. This board includes the Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainer, the Bishop Emeritus of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Though we are completely separate from the church, we do work closely with the Diocese of Harrisburg. The Station Manager reports to the Board.

HISTORY
While listening to religious broadcaster John Martignoni on the Eternal Word Television Network shortwave radio station WEWN, Betty Girven, Founding President, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania wanted more people to hear what she was listening to over her radio. So, the retired elementary school teacher wrote to EWTN and asked about radio stations and they sent her information on how to start one. Betty caught the “radio bug”! She invited parishioners from the various Catholic churches in Lancaster to a meeting in September of 2000. About 35 people showed up. Soon, a Board of Directors was formed and the new group calling itself Holy Family Radio had their first official meeting on May 25, 2001. Through a decade of prayer, the Holy Spirit sent others to them, including an attorney who helped them register as a corporation, apply for their tax-exempt status, and set up their mission statement and by-laws – all pro bono. The Catholic Radio Association offered much help and advice and guided HFR through the many technical avenues. The organization met with the Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg several times over the years and was given permission to talk to the Deaneries in Lancaster and York about the idea of a local Catholic radio station. Over time, Holy Family Radio had several false starts, but the group did not give up hope and continued with its fundraising and other activities. Finally, in November of 2010, a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania priest introduced Holy Family Radio to an experienced radio broadcaster who was going through his own life changing experiences. He agreed to help find a local station to bring Catholic radio to the airwaves of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg. After a few months of searching, hours of negotiation, hundreds of e-mails, and a lot of prayer, in early June of 2011, an application was made with the Federal Communications Commission to transfer a 2,000 watt station, operating on the clear channel frequency of am720 to Holy Family Radio, Inc. In late July of 2011, the FCC granted the request to change ownership of the station to our organization. Settlement was held less than ten days later. About three weeks after that, following a revamping of the studio, office and transmitter facilities, the station returned to the air and Catholic radio was heard locally in Central Pennsylvania.

Progress
Our budget is very small, but we are constantly trying to improve our facilities, audio quality, equipment, and procedures. Our commitment to our listeners is to give them the best possible product at all times. WHYF participates in a number of church and community events, conferences and other events. We have even done live broadcasts from church festivals. In an effort to engage our listeners more effectively, we launched our comprehensive website that supports our radio mission. The website incorporates a “streaming live” feature along with access to podcasts of our local programs. Our listeners/supporters can now easily interact with us, enabling us to be more responsive to them (720whyf.com). We are also utilizing Facebook as a way to inform and connect with our listeners. in order to expand our listeners’ ability to hear our local programs, we have partnered with PODBEAN and now have our programs available as podcasts. We have over 12,000 downloads of our podcasts. This is another demonstration of our commitment to our listeners. We publish an E-Newsletter, Holy Family Radio Matters, which is informative and interactive. The E-newsletter connects our listeners with staff profiles, upcoming events and important information about all the things happening at WHYF. It also provides an easy way for our listeners to interact with us. We believe that it is important to have our listeners be partners with us in this undertaking and we would not have been able to survive these eleven years without them.

The station broadcasts during daylight hours at am720 and streams 24 hours on the website. It can also be heard on mobile devices using our free mobile app. Holy Family Radio is constantly working to improve the station by utilizing any resources that are available to us. We use the resources provided by EWTN to enhance our productions. Many of our staff do not have prior experience in radio, so education and training are important characteristics to our program. We are a member of the Catholic Radio Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce.

EWTN works in concert with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. They deliver programs to over 500 domestic and international radio affiliates. EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world. They also have print news services including Catholic News Agency, The National Catholic Register newspaper, and several news-wire services, as well as EWTN Publishing, their book publishing division. We are proud to be a part of this important network. The EWTN network is celebrating their 41st anniversary during August 2022. The network is also listener supported.

Holy Family Radio, Inc. is a lay apostolate of Catholics in communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium, placing ourselves in the hands of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Through the inspiration of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and all the saints and martyrs, we will use our gifts and talents to actively work through these radio broadcasts to make known the Good News of Jesus Christ, for the honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls. Embracing the call of Vatican II for lay evangelization through the power of the media, we at Holy Family Radio, Inc., intend to utilize radio broadcasts to provide, through prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Truth of the Holy Catholic Church for the nourishment of our Catholic Family and to share our Faith with others.

Our Tag Line: Nourishing Our Catholic Family, Sharing Our Faith with Others