A strong case could be made that St. Gabriel Radio has done more to bring souls to Christ or help lapsed Catholics return to the faith in the new millennium than any other entity in the region outside of parishes.
For the past 20 years, the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) radio affiliate has brought a strong Catholic presence to the local airwaves, providing information and insights on the faith that have captured listeners’ attention.
What started as a limited-signal AM radio station out of Marysville in 2005 that reached only parts of Columbus has expanded to a Catholic broadcasting powerhouse extending to many parts of Ohio through 820 AM in Columbus, 88.3 FM in Portsmouth and 106.7 FM in Athens.
St. Gabriel Radio, named for the archangel and patron of communications, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Thursday, June 26 with a Mass and dinner at Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School.
The gala brought together many of the driving forces behind the station, longtime program hosts, Bishop Earl Fernandes, members of the clergy and some of its significant supporters.
The milestone anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on the history of Catholic radio in the diocese and look ahead to what the future holds for St. Gabriel Radio.
The station has come a long way since its humble beginnings.
Twenty years ago, Chris Gabrelcik of Cardington Sacred Hearts Church saw a need for Catholic radio to communicate the faith across the airwaves. He had listened to evangelical stations mischaracterize the truths of Catholicism and thought there was a need to “work harder at getting the message out there.”
In 2005, St. Gabriel first went on the air as WUCO 1270 AM out of Marysville. The signal was only strong enough to reach northwest Columbus.
Three years later, in 2008, St. Gabriel leased 1580 AM with a signal powerful enough to reach all of Columbus during daylight hours.
With its offices moved to Columbus, the station began local programming while intensifying its marketing and fundraising efforts.
In 2011, St. Gabriel seized upon a golden opportunity to acquire 820 AM, the former home of WOSU’s classical music station, and the move to a powerful frequency expanded its reach exponentially throughout central Ohio and beyond.
Then, in 2019, St. Gabriel took over 88.3 FM serving the Portsmouth area. Its latest acquisition was 106.7 FM in Athens County in 2023 through a network affiliation with St. Isidore Radio.
Today, St. Gabriel has the ability to reach 4.1 million people through its terrestrial signal and an unlimited number of others throughout the world online.
Since 2009, the station has gone from one paid staff member to five. Meanwhile, its programming has expanded through the years to include a multitude of local shows, starting with Msgr. Frank Lane’s Foundations in Faith, which has aired for 19 years, and including its current signature morning show, St. Gabriel Café.
Bill Messerly came on board in 2008 as executive director and Dave Orsborn a few months later as a volunteer who is now the assistant director in charge of day-to-day production of on-air content and the studio manager. They’ve been major factors in St. Gabriel’s growth.
“(Foundress of EWTN) Mother Angelica’s vision of local Catholic radio affiliates was always to include local programming,” Orsborn said. “EWTN provides the bulk of the programming, but Mother wanted local stations to focus on their communities and that was the vision of the founders of St. Gabriel from the beginning until now.”
“The vision was the New Evangelization,” Messerly said. “I felt like the Lord was asking us to do what we could so the community could be set on fire that our Catholic faith will be again loved and cherished.”
Chip Stalter has presented Catholic community news since 2007 when he was invited to audition for the role by Mark Hawk, who was the president of St. Gabriel’s Board of Directors.
“To see the growth from the number of people working out of a basement to now where we’re at is just amazing,” Stalter said.
Greg Savoldi, a regional director of engineering for Clear Channel Communications, has provided support to St. Gabriel from its inception.
“He helped us acquire the technology that puts us so far ahead of many other Catholic stations,” Orsborn said.
Local shows on the air today include Beyond Damascus, which is syndicated worldwide by EWTN; Dominican Dimensions with the friars from Columbus St. Patrick Priory; Family Sanctuary with pro-life leader Peggy Hartshorn; Inspired by Faith with authors Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet; Sacred Heart Hour with Father Stash Dailey, Jaminet and Messerly; and The Seminarians from the Pontifical College Josephinum.
Beyond Damascus and Damascus Daily Prayer Lab, produced by Damascus Catholic Mission Campus in Knox County, focus on teens and young adults.
Other legacy programs have featured The Catholic Doctors with Drs. Will Turek and Michael Parker and Sacred Soundings highlighting the beauty of sacred music with Al Romano. The station also broadcast live Catholic high school football games for a decade and also aired Ohio Dominican University football for several years.
“We produced Raising Saints with Katy Wyatt for a number of years and Alive for More with Father Nic Ventura and some of his friends,” Orsborn said.
For Messerly, a key point in St. Gabriel’s evolution came in 2009 during the enthronement of the Sacred Heart at the station.
“I was on my knees and that was a moment of change for me,” he said. “From that day on, I look at His hands (in a picture of the Sacred Heart at the station) that are spread out and He says, ‘Bill, I got this.’”
Bishops and clergy have supported St. Gabriel from the beginning. The late Msgr. Charles Foeller played an instrumental role in getting the station on the air and communicating with other priests the significance of this new media outlet in the diocese.
“He was a real trailblazer,” Orsborn said.
St. Gabriel considers the support of the diocesan bishops essential to its mission.
Bishop Emeritus Frederick Campbell, who led the diocese from 2005 to 2019, made himself available to his flock through a question-and-answer show. His successor, Bishop Robert Brennan, frequently appeared on St. Gabriel, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he offered daily reflections from his office while churches were shut down; and Bishop Fernandes provides weekly Gospel reflections.
Among the station’s annual features are the high school student forum with the bishop, a seminarian roundtable and a college student forum.
Diocesan priests, deacons and religious have participated in programming and in the station’s fundraising drives through the years.
Two of the station’s signature live events, in addition to daily and Sunday Masses, have been the Columbus Catholic men’s and women’s conferences.
“That’s critical,” Messerly said. “Evangelization is person to person, handshake to handshake, eye to eye. So it’s not good enough for us to just have the truth of the Catholic faith terrestrially that’s available to listeners. We need to bring those listeners together.”
During Pope St. John Paul II’s pontificate, he spoke of a new evangelization that brings the beauty of the Catholic faith to those who don’t know Christ. The late Pope Francis asked for the faithful to evangelize to the marginalized.
“John Paul II referred to radio as the most intimate of media,” Orsborn said. “And so with our listeners, in a particular way with male listeners, in the privacy of their cars, there it really reaches them.”
The most popular national programs provided through EWTN include Christ is the Answer with Father John Riccardo, Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo, The Doctor is In with Ray Guarendi, Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders and Catholic Answers Live. St. Gabriel listeners are among the most frequent callers to these interactive shows.
EWTN foundress Mother Angelica. Photo courtesy St. Gabriel Radio
No one, though, is more synonymous with EWTN than Mother Angelica, whose shows and recitation of the rosary remain popular 30 years after they were recorded.
“I think we’re a bridge,” Messerly said. “We’re a bridge for those Catholics who are perhaps distant in some way from their faith that they’ve known and loved. And that bridge, a lot of times, is something as simple as an individual inviting them to listen, or seeing a St. Gabriel Radio bumper magnet.”
The station constantly receives feedback from listeners, many of whom have embraced the Catholic faith or returned to the sacraments after hearing a specific message on the radio that touched their hearts.
“I remember a truck driver saw one of our billboard campaigns as he was driving through on (Interstate) 71 and turned on the radio. He said it changed his life,” Orsborn shared.
In addition to the backing of bishops and priests, community members and volunteers assist with fundraisers and promotions. The listener-supported station receives regular contributions from hundreds of sustaining donors who pledge monthly financial gifts.
“We wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for the community support,” Orsborn said. “They’ve brought their love for Christ and their ideas and encouragement on how to evangelize. There’s no way we could have thought of all of this on our own. Number one, it’s the Holy Spirit, but then just an engaged Catholic community is why St. Gabriel is still around.
“Involvement is so important,” Messerly said. “Mother Angelica’s mission statement is very short for her sisters: It’s to communicate the Catholic faith in word and deed.”
In the next 20 years, there’s no telling how technological changes taking place in media will impact the station. Only God knows the answer to that, Messerly and Orsborn said. But the spoken word in some form of media will continue to exist to communicate the faith.
“We’ve already been in the digital realm and we’re getting better and better,” Messerly said. “Individuals are now saying, I want things when I want them, and so we’ve already made that transition. That’s why we have hundreds of podcasts available.
“I don’t know how the technology will change things, but I do know one thing that won’t change is local Catholic radio. I must admit that I have a little consternation about what could or should happen, but we’ll have to figure that out as we go.”
One thing that will never change is the ongoing need for evangelization.
“Think of Mother Angelica,” Messerly said. “She’s not flashy, but she is the new evangelization. She’s rooted in devotion. She’s rooted in the sacraments, truth, and she did it unwaveringly.
“If someone called in with a question about the Eucharist, she didn’t back down and say, ‘Oh, I understand where you’re coming from. She would simply explain what the Eucharist is in her life. That to me is real evangelization. It’s like Christ shining through without the artificial lights.
“And I think that’s what local Catholic radio is, not a lot of bling but hopefully Christlike.”
Chuck Wilson, a longtime supporter of St. Gabriel and host of the Sacred Heart Hour, believes the station’s future is secure.
“I think the evangelization call is not going to change,” he said. “I think what is going to change are people’s hearts. And that’s what it comes back to – people who have hardened hearts, they’re hearts are softened.
“So, I think the 20-year plan is stay faithful, stay with local programming, and let the Holy Spirit guide you.”