Peter & John Radio Fellowship Christian AC “95.1 Shine-FM” WRBS-FM Baltimore has rebranded as “Bright-FM“.
In a statement explaining the change to listeners, General Manager Steve Lawhon says that they were using the “Shine” name under license from another Christian station in Illinois. “In our digital media age, radio stations are no longer just local. You can hear them all over the world through the internet. Unfortunately, the number of “SHINE” stations began to cause some confusion for Illinois listeners, prompting the radio ministry to require all stations to stop using the name. I understand this completely. Thankfully, due to our long relationship, they allowed us to continue using the “SHINE” name until we were ready to make the change.”
WRBS-FM has trademarked the “Bright-FM” name for its own purposes after using it for the past few years on its HD2 signal, which will be renamed in the future. The organization is also now operating its radio stations including WRBS-FM and Christian Preaching 1230 WRBS Baltimore under the Brighter Media Group name.
On May 2nd, Brighter Media Group’s flagship radio station, 95.1 SHINE-FM (WRBS-FM), will rebrand as BRIGHT-FM.
“Since 1964, when we acquired WRBS-FM, we have proclaimed Jesus. From 1964 to 2009, we were known to listeners by our Federal Communications Commission designation ‘WRBS.’ In 2009, we became SHINE-FM, an easy-to-remember name with values that joined with our mission to shine the light of Jesus. Now, in 2022, 95.1 SHINE-FM will become BRIGHT-FM®,” announces Steve Lawhon, General Manager of Brighter Media Group. “This rename aligns our radio ministry to our media group, while also strengthening the reminder that we are a bright light to our audience locally and beyond.” BRIGHT-FM HD-2, which was previously using the name, will be renamed in the future.
John Lawhon, Director of Programming and Content adds, “We love the name BRIGHT-FM and believe our listeners will love it, too! More importantly, we are the same radio station, the same DJs and staff, and the same ministry that began 58 years ago.”
This move comes on the heels of additional growth and success for Brighter Media Group, including Molly Chambers promoted to Music Director in addition to her role on afternoons with Jack Larkin, the addition of Zeb Potler as videographer, and increasing its sales department with the additions of Beth Houck and Cara Franco. The VERSED podcast, hosted by John Lawhon, Brighter Media Group’s Director of Programming and Content, crossed 225,000 downloads in one year. The Walk With Jesus® Easter Text Experience saw a 10% growth over last year. This growth is reflective of the Brighter Media Group mission: reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, help them grow deeper in their faith, and provide opportunities to live out their faith by serving others.
