Board of Directors
Board Chair • Sandi Brown, JOY FM (St. Louis)
Sandi Brown is the President of JOY FM and BOOST in St. Louis. In addition to launching JOY FM in 2001, Sandi has worked in CCM radio for 35 years. She and her husband Mike have been married for 33 years and have 3 children.
Vice Chair • Bill Sammons, WKNZ (Salisbury/Ocean City)
After stints in mainstream radio and TV, Bill built and operated Delaware’s first-ever Christian radio, WXPZ, back in 1990. In 2010 he helped launch WKNZ, 88.7 The Bridge, a 25,000 watt non-comm in Southern Delaware. The Bridge has since added frequencies in Maryland and New Jersey, serving most of the Delmarva Peninsula and South Jersey. Bill also owns and operates a video production company called Watermark Productions, specializing in corporate and non-profit video production. Bill is married and has 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
Secretary • Janet Cherry , K-LOVE & Air1
Janet cherry is Chief Operating Officer of Educational Media Foundation (also known as EMF Broadcasting), which governs K-LOVE and Air1 radio networks, WTA Media, AccessMore podcasting, EMF Publishing and more. Prior to joining EMF Broadcasting, Janet owned her own consulting firm and served on staff in leadership roles within consumer software organizations and non-profits, with a focus on organizational development, human resources, and general management. Janet and her husband, Jeff, have served together in ministry for nearly 30 years in areas of youth ministry, small group leadership, and marriage mentorship. They have two grown sons and have recently added a daughter-in-law to the mix.
Executive Director • Michelle Younkman, CMB
Originally from Tulsa, Michelle Younkman has worked with radio & records in some capacity since 1988. She was invited to join the Christian Music Broadcasters team in 2011 and currently serves as the Executive Director for Christian Music Broadcasters. Michelle and her husband Dave have 3 children and live in Little Rock, AR.
Members
Matt Austin, KCBI (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
Matt Austin is the GM and VP of Operations for KCBI, Dallas/Ft Worth. Matt began his career in general market radio in Lexington, KY. In 1997 he joined WAY-FM as Network Program Director and then SE Regional Manager in Nashville. Matt moved to KCBI in December of 2012 where he has enjoyed working with a world-class team. He has a passion for discipleship, reading (especially on leadership), travel and baseball. Matt is married to Denise, and they have seven grandchildren!
Scott Herrold, SOS Radio Network (Las Vegas)
Over the past 20 years, Scott has worked with mainstream and Christian radio stations like 96.3 WDVD/Detroit, 93.1 WDRQ/Detroit, 100.3 The Kross/Tulsa and the SOS Radio Network, serving Las Vegas and 35+ other markets. Aside from his programming and on-air responsibilities, Scott is at the Christian radio forefront of integrating various media platforms and apps. Scott is one of the founders of Creative Cardio Showprep, helping to challenge and empower creativity for Christian radio personalities. For the past 7 years, Scott has also served on the Momentum Leadership Team.
Troy Kriechbaum, Encouragement Media Group (Tyler)
Troy’s passion for pointing people to Jesus through Christian music shaped his formative years and he got his start in radio spinning vinyl from DeGarmo & Key, Petra and Rez Band on the Baylor University station. Over three decades later, he serves as President/CEO of Encouragement Media Group in Tyler, Texas. Encouragement Media Group includes KVNE (CCM), Lift Worship (Worship), Fuzión (Spanish Christian Music), The Well (Bible Teaching) and Evergreen (Christmas). Troy married Teresa, his college sweetheart, 29 years ago and they have two married children, a college student, a high schooler and a precious grand girl.
Chris Lemke, WCSG (Grand Rapids)
Chris began his full-time radio career 35 years ago at WCSG/Grand Rapids, serving as on-air host, PD, GM and now Executive Director. For better than 20 years, he’s mentored other persons/stations in programming, fundraising and management. In 2011, Chris led the charge in restructuring and retooling Christian Music Broadcasters, serving as CMB’s interim executive director and board chairman. Chris loves long walks, cooking and gardening. He and his bride of 33 years, Susan, live in Grand Rapids where Chris is presently pursuing his masters in organizational leadership. They have six children and one grandchild.
John Owens, Blue Ridge Broadcasting
John Owens began his radio career during high school in Florida working in Country radio. He gave his life to Christ in Providence, RI, when he was doing mornings at WCTK and continued in that format until he was called to be the Network PD and Morning Show Host for the Family Life Network, NY & PA, 1997-2008. He then served as Operations Manager of 89.7 WMHK, Columbia, SC, from 2008 until EMF purchased the station in 2014. Since 2015, John has served as General Manager of Blue Ridge Broadcasting, The Light FM, with studios located in Asheville, NC. John and Tamara have been married for 28 years with three sons, two daughter-in-law’s, two grandchildren and four Compassion kids. John was named one of “The 30 Best Managers in Radio”, Radio Ink, October 2020.
Joe Paulo, KSBJ (Houston)
Joe Paulo has been President & Chief Executive Officer of Hope Media Group (a family of brands including KSBJ, NGEN Radio, Hope On Demand and Special Events) since 2018. With an extensive background in media and leadership, he began at KSBJ as Vice-President of Operations in 2017 after serving at Educational Media Foundation (K-LOVE/Air1) as the Director of Donor Stewardship and Communications. He led a division of Columbia International University as Director of Broadcasting until 2014, overseeing the growth of successful radio stations in Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC. Joe has also provided volunteer leadership at the board of director level for other nonprofits such as Youth Commission International and Christian Music Broadcasters. He earned a Master’s Degree in Business with honors from Liberty University in 2014. In addition to speaking on leadership, fundraising and media, Joe and his wife, Kelly, have hosted or spoken at numerous marriage and parenting events to share their passion for marriage, parenting and adoption. Joe and Kelly have been married for 30 years and have three daughters and two sons.
Jason Sharp, Northwestern Media
Since graduating from Olivet Nazarene University in 1993, Jason Sharp has devoted his life’s work to the calling placed on his heart at the age of 18, to passionately serve God through the ministry of Christian radio. Jason and his family followed that call in 2007 when they relocated from Tennessee to Minnesota in order to be a part of the Northwestern family. Jason currently serves as Sr. Vice President for Media. Jason, and his wife, Julie, have been married for 24 years and they have two children, Haley and Carson.
Todd Stach, Beyond (615) & Christian Format Editor AllAccess.com
Originally from Canton, Ohio Todd didn’t make it to the NFL as he had dreamed. After jumping into radio in 1994, he has made stops in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Mansfield, OH, Fort Myers, FL and Nashville. On March 15, 2021 Todd launched a Consulting/Coaching service called Beyond (615). He and his wife live in the (615), have 3 kids, and a Yorkipoo named Chester.
The team at 94.9 KLTY has served the Dallas/Fort Worth community for over 35 years. In 2020, the need was never greater. Through their local campaigns, Christmas Wish and Speak Love, they were able to assist many families who were impacted by not only the pandemic, but by hard times in general. The Speak Lovecampaign helped first responders, teachers, servers, food service staff, and many more within the community throughout the year. In 2020 94.9 KLTY’s Christmas Wish campaign brought Christmas joy to hundreds of families in the DFW area. They provided vehicles, food, toys, and other forms of relief to families in their community. They could not have reached any of these needs if not for their listeners and their generous donations to 94.9 KLTY’s nonprofit programs. In total, Speak Love and Christmas Wish raised more than $160,000 for those in need in Dallas/Fort Worth. They also recognized those sacrificial front-line workers and first responders who keep our community safe. Each week, 94.9 KLTY honored them, raised funds throughout the summer, and then presented each first responder with a check as a token of their gratitude. With countless families in need because of the pandemic, 94.9 KLTY also helped the Tarrant Area Food Bank distribute food essentials on multiple occasions in September, October, November. It is 94.9 KLTY’s sincere honor to serve our listeners in Dallas/Fort Worth.
LIFE 96.5 seeks to empower and serve the Sioux Falls area by reaching out in faith to help make it a better place to live and work. They want to lead their listeners to Jesus and help them grow in their faith through opportunities to love and serve others. In January 2020, LIFE 96.5 listeners donated over 950 brand new baby items during the Sioux Empire’s Largest Baby Shower. The Baby Shower grows every year, demonstrating their community’s love and support of the couples who are choosing life for their unborn children. LIFE 96.5 listeners, in partnership with Dacotah Bank, provided gift cards and cash donations to the Sioux Falls School District social workers to meet the needs of 1,000 homeless students. LIFE 96.5 also invited listeners to participate in a city-wide prayer parade, where they prayed for health care and government officials while driving past hospitals, schools, and city government offices. During the months of September and October 2020, LIFE 96.5 listeners provided over 250 twin sheet sets and 100 mattresses to the Sioux Falls Sleep in Heavenly Peace organization for children who are sleeping on floors. Through LIFE 96.5, listeners also made a difference in the lives of patients spending Christmas at Avera Behavioral Health Hospital. Each patient received a Christmas stocking filled with gifts and a note of encouragement. In addition, each Saturday morning LIFE 96.5 staff host Life Connection, a program featuring community leaders and discussing the needs and concerns of the Sioux Falls Community.
89.5 KVNE exists to glorify God by encouraging people, connecting their community, and pointing people to Jesus Christ. When their community was turned upside down by COVID, they knew they had to jump into action and mobilize their listeners to make a difference for Christ. To best serve their local community, KVNE held multiple drives to support local ministry partners and those most impacted by the pandemic. They collected 1,500 gift cards (totaling more than $15,000) to benefit those in need because of shutdowns, gathered over 12,000 diapers for foster families, and collected 150 care packages for senior citizens. They also collected 1,032 fans for the Salvation Army and over 1,000 pairs of shoes for kids heading back to school. Additionally, listeners donated 1,512 care packages for the homeless in East Texas, and KVNE hosted two blood drives to help those fighting the coronavirus. People across East Texas needed connection during the pandemic, so they organized a social media outreach, called Praise Defeats, a coordinated time where listeners shot videos of themselves singing “Raise A Hallelujah.” The videos were shared thousands of times, as they deepened their community’s connection. In addition, KVNE launched a Hispanic Christian music station (Fuzión), started a worship station (Lift Worship), and began a Bible Teaching Station (The Well) – all to help people grow in their faith. God allowed them to impact His Kingdom in profound ways and serve their local community powerfully during an unprecedented time when people needed hope like never before.
Since 1986, The JOY FM has made community service a hallmark of its ministry to listeners – first in Sarasota, and then expanding to Tampa, other Florida markets, and most recently to Atlanta and Middle Georgia. Even with this growth, community outreach remains hands-on, with legacy events like T-Shirts for Turkeys, which helped feed more than 28,700 families in all markets served last year. 2020 created new challenges for serving, so The JOY FM innovated several service projects to accommodate contactless delivery and social distancing. JOY Drop and Restock, a brand-new outreach, collected 30 tons of food to restock local food banks hit hard by the pandemic. Partnering with Natalie Grant and Hope for Justice, Team Freedom approached a grand total of $1,000,000 in 2020 to fight human trafficking. As listeners faced political rhetoric and serious questions about race and justice, as well as practical challenges like hybrid classrooms, The JOY FM programming (on terrestrial signals, as well as its LF Radio and JOY Worship platforms) responded with a recommitment to our mission of “Helping You Find JOY.” Resources for listeners, such as the Off Air with Carmen podcast, was provided to help listeners wrestle with big questions like Christian citizenship. Possibly The JOY FM’s most relevant community service effort for 2020 was prayer. The JOY FM’s Prayer and Crisis Referral service interacted with 620,936 listeners in need of prayer or help. Of those calls and texts, 4,949 listeners reported praying to place their faith in Jesus Christ.
“Hope Starts Here” is more than The Light FM’s tagline. It’s their mission. In 2020, they were intentional in regularly offering community-needed resources and hope-filled encouragement. They hosted their 5th annual Make a Difference training to encourage listeners to share God’s hope and saw 14 people begin a personal relationship with Jesus. The Light FM also visited eight local Law Enforcement agencies to share words of encouragement and care baskets. They partnered with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and artists of Winter Jam for a private concert and time of prayer with families battling pediatric cancer. The Light FM listeners from five different cities donated 258 wheelchairs, 262 crutches, 259 walkers, 71 transport chairs, and 66 canes to Wheels for the World, which brings mobility and the hope of Christ around the world. During stay-at-home orders, The Light FM began offering free monthly virtual events, including: a graduation ceremony, featuring artists and Bible teachers; a conference with Crown Financial on how to manage finances during the pandemic; Girl Talk LIVE, a women’s event with worship and Bible study; God’s Hope in Crisis training with chaplains of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team; a pastor appreciation event for local churches, featuring Chip Ingram and Matthew West; and a Family Christmas Night with live music, games, and a devotion from The Light FM staff. Even throughout the pandemic, The Light FM also found ways to be out in the public, safely, with six drive-in events featuring movies and live music.
