Expansions allow WFJS to reach more faithful through the airwaves
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By David Karas | Correspondent
While most radio stations measure their reach by listeners, WFJS measures its impact in souls.
To read related story, click here.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
WFJS 1260 AM and 89.3 FM, a production of the Ewing-based Domestic Church Media Foundation, has been striving to use its Catholic-focused bandwidth as an evangelization tool since its founding in 2003. The establishment of its station came just a few years later.
In the coming months, signal expansion projects will help the station to reach an estimated 1.25 million additional souls.
Founders Jim and Cheryl Manfredonia, who have grown the station from the ground up, are overjoyed.
“When we first went on the air on 89.3 FM in September, 2005, we were leasing it from another owner – it was only 10 watts,” said Jim. “In my prayer I used to say that it was a ‘little mustard seed’ of a station that would eventually grow. And boy, did it ever.”
The station’s AM frequency, currently operating at 5,000 watts, is increasing to 5,900 watts, thanks to a permit from the Federal Communications Commission to complete the enhancement and erect a fourth tower at the station’s Ewing facility. Completed Sept. 21, the expansion will allow the station to reach more parts of Burlington and Camden Counties, as well as portions of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pa., and parts of Northeast Philadelphia. That expansion alone carries the potential of reaching an additional one million listeners.
A similar expansion will increase the reach of the FM frequency. By November, power will be increased from 3,800 watts to 15,200 watts. The expansion is part of a project, endorsed by the FCC, that will require a more powerful transmitter at the station’s Freehold transmitter site. Once completed, the WFJS signal will reach into Ocean County and Long Beach Island, adding some 250,000 potential listeners to the network.
Both of the expansions will also extend the signal’s reach to those driving through the area, adding millions of additional listeners to the list. And each follows a series of applications and engineering studies to ensure the shift was possible – not to mention a fundraising effort that, last March, culminated in a “radiothon” that netted some $120,000 in contributions to fund equipment purchases and upgrades.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said Cheryl. “God has certainly blessed our work, but none of it could have ever happened without the support, both prayer and financial, of our listeners. Being able to reach so many more people is a blessing and a gift from God.”
The Manfredonias’ brain child came about after the couple networked with some Catholic businesspeople who shared their vision for a Catholic message on the airwaves – something that, at the time, had been missing in New Jersey.
And their mission is rooted in faith.
Jim noted that Catholic radio offers an accessible, comfortable and unintimidating way for people to be catechized. “Most people listen to the radio in their cars, so when listening to Catholic radio, their car becomes like a little sanctuary. We have heard from many listeners who tell us that their lives have changed because of what they hear on our stations.”
Cheryl echoed his statement: “We often get comments on how much people enjoy listening to our music segments, especially at 6 a.m. – they tell us it gets them ready for the day in a very positive and upbeat way.”
From a Catholic music program Cheryl produces to a call-in show for believers with questions of faith, a monthly show hosted by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. (“The Shepherd’s Voice”), to local programs featuring priests and others, WFJS offers around-the-clock programming aimed at providing entertainment of substance to its listeners. It is also an affiliate of the Eternal Word Television Network, which allows the 24-hour, listener-supported station to broadcast national and international programming – including the World Meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis.
WFJS already has a regional and national following, not to mention listeners around the world who access the content online or through its free smartphone applications. The station’s following has expanded over time, notably with local programming geared toward attracting young listeners.
In a recent interview, Jim discussed a new potential on the horizon for WFJS: integrating video into its media evangelization platform. Thanks to a donation of television equipment, the Manfredonias are hoping to set up a small television station in their studio to allow for the simulcast of programming on YouTube as well as the production of television projects.
“The Second Vatican Council said that we must try to use all means of social communications to evangelize, and I believe that when we started Domestic Church Media, we somehow knew that we would not be limited to just radio,” said Jim. “With technology being what it is, we must expand to using all forms of communications as we possibly can.”
For more information, visit www.DomesticChurchMedia.org.
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By David Karas | Correspondent
While most radio stations measure their reach by listeners, WFJS measures its impact in souls.
To read related story, click here.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
WFJS 1260 AM and 89.3 FM, a production of the Ewing-based Domestic Church Media Foundation, has been striving to use its Catholic-focused bandwidth as an evangelization tool since its founding in 2003. The establishment of its station came just a few years later.
In the coming months, signal expansion projects will help the station to reach an estimated 1.25 million additional souls.
Founders Jim and Cheryl Manfredonia, who have grown the station from the ground up, are overjoyed.
“When we first went on the air on 89.3 FM in September, 2005, we were leasing it from another owner – it was only 10 watts,” said Jim. “In my prayer I used to say that it was a ‘little mustard seed’ of a station that would eventually grow. And boy, did it ever.”
The station’s AM frequency, currently operating at 5,000 watts, is increasing to 5,900 watts, thanks to a permit from the Federal Communications Commission to complete the enhancement and erect a fourth tower at the station’s Ewing facility. Completed Sept. 21, the expansion will allow the station to reach more parts of Burlington and Camden Counties, as well as portions of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pa., and parts of Northeast Philadelphia. That expansion alone carries the potential of reaching an additional one million listeners.
A similar expansion will increase the reach of the FM frequency. By November, power will be increased from 3,800 watts to 15,200 watts. The expansion is part of a project, endorsed by the FCC, that will require a more powerful transmitter at the station’s Freehold transmitter site. Once completed, the WFJS signal will reach into Ocean County and Long Beach Island, adding some 250,000 potential listeners to the network.
Both of the expansions will also extend the signal’s reach to those driving through the area, adding millions of additional listeners to the list. And each follows a series of applications and engineering studies to ensure the shift was possible – not to mention a fundraising effort that, last March, culminated in a “radiothon” that netted some $120,000 in contributions to fund equipment purchases and upgrades.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said Cheryl. “God has certainly blessed our work, but none of it could have ever happened without the support, both prayer and financial, of our listeners. Being able to reach so many more people is a blessing and a gift from God.”
The Manfredonias’ brain child came about after the couple networked with some Catholic businesspeople who shared their vision for a Catholic message on the airwaves – something that, at the time, had been missing in New Jersey.
And their mission is rooted in faith.
Jim noted that Catholic radio offers an accessible, comfortable and unintimidating way for people to be catechized. “Most people listen to the radio in their cars, so when listening to Catholic radio, their car becomes like a little sanctuary. We have heard from many listeners who tell us that their lives have changed because of what they hear on our stations.”
Cheryl echoed his statement: “We often get comments on how much people enjoy listening to our music segments, especially at 6 a.m. – they tell us it gets them ready for the day in a very positive and upbeat way.”
From a Catholic music program Cheryl produces to a call-in show for believers with questions of faith, a monthly show hosted by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. (“The Shepherd’s Voice”), to local programs featuring priests and others, WFJS offers around-the-clock programming aimed at providing entertainment of substance to its listeners. It is also an affiliate of the Eternal Word Television Network, which allows the 24-hour, listener-supported station to broadcast national and international programming – including the World Meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis.
WFJS already has a regional and national following, not to mention listeners around the world who access the content online or through its free smartphone applications. The station’s following has expanded over time, notably with local programming geared toward attracting young listeners.
In a recent interview, Jim discussed a new potential on the horizon for WFJS: integrating video into its media evangelization platform. Thanks to a donation of television equipment, the Manfredonias are hoping to set up a small television station in their studio to allow for the simulcast of programming on YouTube as well as the production of television projects.
“The Second Vatican Council said that we must try to use all means of social communications to evangelize, and I believe that when we started Domestic Church Media, we somehow knew that we would not be limited to just radio,” said Jim. “With technology being what it is, we must expand to using all forms of communications as we possibly can.”
For more information, visit www.DomesticChurchMedia.org.
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