Interview With Tom Stultz Whose Christian Media Empire Is Taking Off

Tom Stultz, the interim CEO of the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), the parent company of a number of Christian news, entertainment, and ministry outlets. Courtesy of Educational Media Foundation

With a career spanning over five decades, Tom Stultz got his start writing obituaries for a local Kentucky newspaper, the Ashland Daily Independent. He’s steadily increased his corporate profile while working within a number of communication platforms.

Stultz is currently the interim CEO of the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), the parent company of a number of Christian news, entertainment, and ministry outlets including sister radio networks K-Love and Air1.

Michael Clark: Give us an overview of Education Media Foundation. Tom Stultz: It’s a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Christian ministry with a mission to create and distribute compelling media to help draw people closer to Jesus. It’s done largely through contemporary Christian (K-Love) and worship (Air1) music. In addition, we do publishing, major listener events, podcasts, streaming, college ministries, and investments in film production.

Clark: Where are you based? Stultz: Franklin, Tennessee. We bring in between $245 million and $250 million in annual revenue, most of it through small donations from roughly 700,000 people, with another 10 percent or so from larger donors. We have around 500 employees, and we’re the largest Christian radio network in the United States with over 1,100 signals.

We also have a partnership with Radio Nuevo Vida (RNV), a Spanish-language network that offers music, news, and talk. We’ve assisted them for over a dozen years providing translators and signals and where there is a high density of Spanish-speaking listeners. On Jan. 2, we formalized our relationship with RNV, which is now officially part of the EMF family.

Clark: K-Love started in 1982 and currently has 520 stations in 48 states with a weekly audience of between 18 million and 20 million. Is that correct? Stultz: Yes, with several million more through streaming and apps. We also employ 12 to 14 pastors and 40 to 50 people who take over 700,000 prayer requests per year from our audience.

Clark: The recent acquisition of RNV is important for EMF. Why was it such a big deal, and why the push for a share of the Latin market? Stultz: It’s the fastest growing market in the country, and, at some point, it will be the largest demographic in the United States. We’re about reaching people. One of the things we’re focused on is doing so through different genres and languages. It makes sense for RNV to benefit from some of the resources God has given us. It made sense for us to help to grow and expand their reach in ways they probably couldn’t have done without us.

It’s worth adding that we also have an “oldies” musical format broken down by year and a long-running partnership with an urban hip-hop ministry called “Boost” out of St. Louis.

On Christmas Eve, we signed a deal, which is pending FCC approval, where we will acquire seven contemporary Christian music stations owned by the Salem Media Group. This will help us increase K-Love, Air1, and our R & B station’s presence in Dallas, Cleveland, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, and Colorado Springs.

Ribbon cutting for K-Love headquarters. Educational Media Foundation

Clark: Why do you think the Christian/faith format is growing while other formats are on the downslide? Stultz: It’s about the message. It reaches people with encouragement and positivity. If you listen to K-Love or Air1, that’s what you get. Our DJs are phenomenal; they’re open and they share their life experiences with their audiences. We find that when people drive to or from work, they’re going through life, both in wonderful times and otherwise.

People need encouragement, a sense of community, something they get through the uplifting nature of the lyrics in the songs we provide them. There’s an authenticity to it that makes it very easy for people to find solace.

Clark: Does satellite-subscription app radio pose a threat to traditional terrestrial radio? Stultz: That’s the big $64,000 question, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone really knows. It feels like satellite has kind of peaked, at least in gaining subscribers, and much the same can be said about traditional radio—except for Christian contemporary. To answer the question, we’re preparing for that with our app and streaming options.

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