Salem Radio Network

Salem Radio Network is a United States-based radio network that specializes in syndicated Christian talk, music, and secular news/talk programming. It is a division of the Salem Media Group.

Network information

Salem operates mostly four radio formats: Christian talk and teaching (transmitted on AM in some areas and on FM in others), Contemporary Christian music (transmitted mostly on FM stations), conservative News/Talk format (transmitted on AM stations), and Christian Teaching (transmitted on AM stations).

Contemporary Christian Music is transmitted full-time on most stations, but in areas where Salem has a limited number of stations it is transmitted only part-time in morning and afternoon drive times on weekdays and weekend afternoons. Where Salem only has one FM station (WAVA in Washington, DC and WORD-FM in Pittsburgh), CCM is transmitted on weekends, with talk and teaching on weekdays. Most CCM stations play music full-time and do not sell blocks of time to religious organizations except sometimes on Sunday mornings.

Christian Talk, comprising talk shows where listeners call in and participate in the show, is transmitted during weekdays in some areas, and only in drive times in others. The rest of the day is filled with blocks of time ranging from a few minutes to an hour sold to churches and Christian organizations.

Conservative Talk (branded in most markets as “The Answer” since 2014) transmits full-time on a commercial basis. These stations only sell advertisement time, not blocks of time like Christian Talk counterparts. Some of these stations have religious programs on Sunday mornings.

The teaching format relies on selling blocks of time to organizations full-time. These stations offer diverse religious features such as church services, political and religious interview features, Christian family life programs, and children's shows. Music (exclusively Christian) is only transmitted by a few of these stations at times during the weekend.^[1]

Programming

The company's Salem Radio Network subsidiary produces several talk radio shows and a 24-hour news service that are distributed to more than 2,000 radio affiliates around the country.^[2]

Salem's talk lineup (Bennett, Gallagher, Prager, Medved and Hewitt) is typically sold as a slate (with a few interruptions) to Salem's stations and marketed under the brand The Answer.

Daily

• Hugh Hewitt^[3]
• Mike Gallagher
• Dennis Prager
• Michael Medved
• Larry Elder
• Eric Metaxas
• Steve Deace
• Cal Thomas (short-form commentary)
• Lou Dobbs (short-form commentary)
• Bill Federer's American Minute (short-form commentary)

Weekends

• Mark Davis
• Townhall.com Weekend Journal
• Bill Gaither's Homecoming
• The Dirt Doctor with Howard Garrett
• Big Billy Kinder Outdoors
• Armed American Radio
• The Forever Young Radio Show
• The World and Everything in It
• Steve Brown Etc.
• The Christian Outlook
• Aaron Klein's Investigative Radio (limited syndication)
• The Cat's Roundtable with John Catsimatidis (limited syndication)

William Bennett is a designated fill-in host. Bennett previously hosted Salem's morning drive-time show for a decade before retiring in March 2016.^[4]

The satellite feed for Salem's general market programming can be heard on the CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks, on CRN3.

Network properties

Satellite formats

SRN also operates a satellite format program. To this day, the division known as "Salem Music Network" operates three satellite-driven networks. These feeds are mostly for stations in small and mid-size markets, however; they could also be used on some HD Radio sub channels and/or as alternate or permanent programming on some major stations in the midst of either a format change or is having technical issues. Affiliates could operate their stations virtually unmanned, with nothing more than a computer and a satellite hookup offering major market talent that some Christian radio stations with small budgets could not afford.

Unlike other major radio networks, SRN's "affiliate hour clock" does not include a newscasting option. However, holes for local spots are provided. SRN's 24-hour-music formats include:

	Network	Format
	Solid Gospel	Southern Gospel Music
	The Word In Praise	Traditional Worship Music
	The Fish (Today's Christian Music)	Contemporary Christian
	The Answer (General Market Talk)	Conservative Talk

Other network holdings

	Network	Format	Additional Notes
	FamilyTalk	Christian Talk	Only on XM Satellite Radio

= Available through terrestrial radio affiliates.
= Available only on satellite radio.

See also

• Lee Habeeb
• Phil Boyce

References

External links

• Official website