FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Thanks to the gift of Positive Alternative Radio, local Christian radio will continue to have a home in east-central Indiana and into western Ohio.

PAR donated its station, WJYW, or “Joy FM” at 88.9 FM, located in Union City, Indiana, to STAR Educational Media Network. This also includes two translators in the Richmond, Indiana, area at 94.5 FM and 97.7 FM.

The agreement was official July 29 after both parties signed the legal paperwork.

PAR has its home office in Blacksburg, Virginia, and operates radio stations in east and southeast regions of the U.S. with WJYW being the farthest away, which made it difficult to oversee. Rather than having a network take over the station, PAR decided to keep it local.

“We believe in local Christian radio and wanted to put WJYW in the hands of someone in the region who can continue making a difference in listener’s lives” explained PAR Executive Vice President Brian Sanders.

STAR 88.3 is run by STAR Educational Media Network and based in Fort Wayne, with signals around northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio, southern Michigan and now, east-central Indiana.

According to STAR’S President and CEO Melissa Montana, STAR “wants to build a deep connection with the local community, reaching out to churches , ministries, and Christian owned businesses to help make the area we’re serving an even better place to live.”

She also assured new listeners that they will still hear a lot of the same songs, but listeners can expect to be introduced to new artists as well.

STAR Educational Media Network was formed in 2009 and has frequencies in Fort Wayne, Angola, Auburn, Kendallville, Richmond, Union City and Warsaw, Indiana. Its mission is to provide uplifting and encouraging music that is safe for the whole family.

You can hear STAR 88.3 locally on 88.9 in Union City and 94.5 and 97.7 in Richmond, or listen online at www.star883.com.

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