Air1 Surprises Listeners With Switch To All-Worship
Network of close to 200 stations abandons pop/rock format for worship, shelves on-air talent in exchange for 10,000 worship songs in a row
Posted: January 02, 2019, 5:00 PM | Category:General Artist Tags: Source: NRT Staff Reports (KM)
Air1, the sister radio network of K-LOVE that has brought a "Positive Alternative" to radio for over 20 years by focusing on Christian pop and rock, made a surprise flip to worship on January 1st.
The new "Air1: Worship Now" will feature current and familiar artists such as Jeremy Camp, Tauren Wells and NEEDTOBREATHE with the majority of the new line-up focusing on worship songs that have received little-to-no airplay from artists like Hillsong, Elevation Worship, Vertical Worship, Jesus Culture and more.
The network of close to 200 stations nationwide kicked off the rebrand with a promise to deliver 10,000 worship songs in a row without DJ or commercial interruption. With an average of 4 minutes per song, listeners may not hear any on-air talent until the end of January.
Air1 has said that the husband and wife duo Dan and Michelle will eventually return to mornings, Mandy will be back at middays, Mike Shaeffer and Lauren Lee will take afternoons and Ashton will wrap up nights. Other pre-recorded segments will also return.
The switch is a massive reminder of the tremendous impact that the worship genre has had on the industry, but many online are wondering where their favorite music has gone. It's no secret that people don't like change and speak up when their concerned and unhappy, but the mood is not great on socials as many listeners are already voicing their frustrations with the switch.
