afternoondrive

We Talked with Russ Lee of Newsong and Emerson Day about WinterJam 2026!

As Christmas and New Years are wrapping up, we are looking forward to the next big Christian tour that has been happening every winter since 1995. That, of course, is WinterJam!

This week on Artist News Day, we talked with some WNZR artists who are on the lineup this year; Russ Lee of Newsong and Emerson Day!

Listen to our conversation with Russ Lee of Newsong here:

Listen to our conversation with Emerson Day here:

Next week on Artist News Day, we will talk with one of the three headliners of WinterJam: Katy Nichole!

While MercyMe won’t be at WinterJam, they are getting ready for their next headline tour, The Wonder + Awe Tour, with Big Daddy Weave, Tim Timmons, and Bart Millard’s son, Sam Wesley!

They will be stopping by Ohio on Thursday, March 19, at the Huntington Center, in Toledo, OH! The concert will begin at 7PM, and you find ticket information at the concert page on our website. Click here to find tickets.

This concert will be connected with their upcoming movie, I Can Only Imagine 2, and the artists that were involved in that story. You can learn more about MercyMe’s sequel on their website, by clicking here.

Here were this week’s Song Poetry lyrics!

Hey, how you been?
It’s been a while, and I’m just checking in
I miss the way things used to be back in 2017
And I just miss my friend

This week’s Song Poetry lyrics were from Dusty Bibles by Josiah Queen!

Congratulations to Samuel from Mount Vernon for calling in and correctly guessing the song title and artist, taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in on Wednesday for some fun facts on Who Knew? Wednesday!

Thank you for listening!
– Ethan and Gabriella

December 30, 2025 0

New Year – Better Values!!

What has God been teaching you in 2025? Where is He calling you to grow in the year ahead? How might He be inviting you to participate more fully in His kingdom work?

Reflecting is about pausing long enough to hear God’s voice, to realign our hearts with His purposes, and to step forward with renewed faith and intentionality. why does biblical reflection matter? Unlike secular goal-setting that focuses on self-improvement, Christian reflection centers on God’s work in us and through us. When we reflect through the lens of Scripture, we’re not just looking backward or forward—we’re looking upward, asking God to reveal His perspective on our lives and His plans for us. Have a healthy reflection on the year that is past, and consideration of the opportunities he has for us in the year ahead.

Read Bible stories with your family, memorize verses with actions, pray daily, help others, be kind peacemakers, and serve at church, turning faith into exciting, tangible goals using crafts, games, and family time to make it stick! Memory Verse Challenge: Learn a new, short Bible verse each month using hand motions or songs, displaying it on a family board. Bible Story Time: Pick a children’s Bible and read a story together weekly, discussing what was learned about God. Daily Prayer Jar: Write down prayer requests (for self, family, friends, the world) and draw one to pray for each day. Pray with Your Family: Start with the Lord’s Prayer or grace before meals, showing kids prayer is normal and accessible. For more resolutions click HERE!

Start your day with a life-giving Bible verse.
Delete one hurtful word or phrase from your vocabulary, then replace it with something more constructive. Tip: Don’t forget to remove it from your thoughts about yourself, too.
take five minutes to rest and reflect every day.
Be more generous with your smiles. They look good on you!
Permit yourself to take a break. Find time to take a vacation (or staycation)
Set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to take a moment to pray for someone
Call a family member every week.
Find a new way to compliment someone you care about each day
Test the boundaries of your comfort zone by trying something new. Baby steps are okay
As you leave the house each day, ask God to guide your thoughts, your words, and your steps
- For more resolutions click HERE!

20 the Countdown is celebrating the Top Christian Songs of 2025 this weekend on the show! They will bring you their list of the Top 20 Songs of this past year, plus share some special memories as celebrate 2025 and look forward to 2026!

Join us for a special Morning Thing on Wednesday, December 31^st. We will celebrate the New Year by counting down the TOP 30 songs of 2025. Join special host, Traven Griffith, WNZR’s Music Director for this special show. Visit www.wnzr.fm for more information!

Name something people do at exactly 12:00 AM on New Year’s Eve.

Kiss your partner

Shout “Happy New Year!”

Make a toast

Blow noisemakers

Throw confetti

Congratulations to Isabella of Mount Vernon for guessing our top two answers correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Gametime Tuesday with Ethan and Gabriella!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Gabriella Stanley 🙂

December 29, 2025 0

What Does Christmas Mean For Artists? Lets Find Out!!!

On today’s Artist Newsday, we listened to Russ Lee and Emerson Day talk about their Christmas traditions and how God has blessed them during this season! We also talked about a fun New Years Eve special happening next Wednesday the 31st!

Russ Lee shares details on what Christmas is like for his family and the fun things they do including his favorite Christmas movies!

Emerson Day shares what’s on her Christmas list this year along with family traditions and the potential of releasing a Christmas EP in the future!

Chris Tomlin tries to be Santa for his three daughters! He shares what Christmas is like for him and yes… he listens to Christmas music before Christmas.

Matthew West shares what he loves about getting to write music for Jesus! He also talks about what he loves about Christmas!

Tune in during The Morning Thing with Traven Griffith for the best songs of 2025! He will count down the top 30 songs in Christian music to celebrate the New Year! Go to wnzr.fm for more information!

Our lyrics for this week’s song poetry was:

Did you know that your baby boy

has come to make you new?

This child that you’ve delivered

will soon deliver you

“Mary Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry! Congratulations to Denise of Mount Vernon for guessing the sone and artist correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

THERE WILL BE NO AFTERNOON DRIVE 12/24 OR 12/25!!! Tune in this Friday for the NZ Top 10 with Daniel!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Gabriella Stanley 🙂

December 23, 2025 0

Christmas Motivation This Monday!

Christmas is less than one week away! With that, we have some Christmas-themed Monday Motivation for you!

Ethan’s home church had their night of worship this past Sunday! The theme of the night was “Comfort & Joy.” The whole night started off with MercyMe’s version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!

We’re reminded that Jesus came down to earth to seek and save the lost! The Prince of Peace was humbly born in a manger so that we could be saved by Him! There is no place you can go that Jesus can’t find you!

Gabriella talked about the inner feelings we may have around the Christmas season. Some feelings we may have are joy, festivity, gratitude, and even nostalgia. Sometimes, we may feel a little differently when families face tragedy, or maybe a change. If Christmas hits different this year, remember it’s okay to grieve what once was. Remember where your hope comes from, and the reason for the Christmas season!

We have one more Christmas themed Mystery Monday question for this Christmas season! Here was this week’s Family Feud prompt:

Name something people do the day after Christmas.

Return gifts (55 votes)
Shop (20)
Rest (10)
Eat leftovers (9)
Clean (6)

Congratulations to Michelle from Mount Vernon for calling in and correctly giving us the top two answers on the board! She’s taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in on Tuesday, where we have conversations with some WNZR artists about what they love about Christmas!

Thank you for listening!
– Gabriella and Ethan

December 22, 2025 0

WNZR Listeners’ Favorite Christmas Songs!

There is no NZ Top 10 this week! Instead, we took your Christmas song requests all afternoon long!

We heard requests from Darcy and Laurie for ‘Silent Night,’ Karen for ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ and Tracy for ‘The Christmas Shoes.’

Fun fact: Darcy shared that her grandfather used to sing ‘Silent Night’ to her in German when she was a child. Laurie also shared that her grandmother, also from Germany, used to do the same thing!

Also today, we got to ask Chris Tomlin what some of his favorite Christmas songs are!

Chris told us he loves the old hymns, like “Angels, We Have Heard on High,” and “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.” We got to listen to some of these during the show today! Listen to Ethan’s conversation with Chris on our Soundcloud page!

Congratulations to our winners in the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange! Find the list here!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

December 19, 2025 0

Be Humble in Difficult Times!!

I’m not proud of this story. As Scripture says, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”(Luke 6:45b, NIV). My outburst revealed what was in my heart – overload, frustration and anger. Consider this: The circumstances of the first Christmas were very stressful, too. There was an unmarried, pregnant teenager. There was a scared but faithful fianc?. There was no room in the inn. There were smelly animals and scratchy straw. There was an unidentified star in the sky. They implemented the truth in today’s key verse. Their trust in God made them steadfast.

Proverbs 4:25 (NIV)- “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you”. (This verse encourages focus on a righteous path, away from distractions, as detailed in the surrounding verses.) During these busy times we should not fear instead we should think and redirect our mind to focus on the lord. He is the reason for this season!

What about Joseph? Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) talks about Josephs emotions during this time. He’s told Mary is pregnant even though she’s a virgin. Joseph was planing to divorce her quietly until an angel explained everything to him. Joseph was obedient and we learned a lot about his character. Obedience and loyalty was a way of life for Joseph!

Congratulations to Krista and Tim of San Louisville for being caller #9! The winners will be announced tomorrow during The Morning Thing!

Our Name That Tune was Toby Mac and Tasha Layton with Christmas Hits Different! Congratulations to Jim of Mount Vernon for guessing the artist and song name and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for The All Request Drive with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks for listening!!

– Gabriella, Ethan, and Daniel 🙂

December 18, 2025 0

Holy Night with Candy Canes!!

Who knew fact checks: Candy canes were always red and white j-hooks? NO! Candy canes began as simple white sugar sticks in Europe in the 1600s. Hard candy sticks were popular then, and over time the idea of bending them into a hooked shape emerged — possibly to resemble a shepherd’s staff or simply to make them easier to hang on Christmas trees

Who knew: Story behind O Holy Night. “O Holy Night” began not as an English carol, but as a French poem titled Minuit, chrétiens (“Midnight, Christians”). In 1843, the poet Placide Cappeau wrote the words at the request of his parish priest to celebrate a newly restored church organ in Roquemaure, France.The song didn’t become popular in the English-speaking world until 1855, when John Sullivan Dwight, a Unitarian minister and abolitionist, translated it into English. Dwight was especially moved by a verse that speaks of breaking chains and declaring all people brothers, which resonated powerfully in the years before and during the American Civil War

Who knew: Wright Brother’s Day. One important day that changed the world was the day when a man was able to fly through the air in the style of a bird! Not only was this unprecedented, but it set the stage for a whole host of other ideas and inventions that have contributed to the advancement of technology as well as the adventure into space.

Who am I?

1. I was born on December 17, 1894, in Boston, Massachusetts.

2. I led the same orchestra for nearly 50 years, longer than almost any major conductor in American history.
3. I believed classical music should be for everyone, not just concert halls and critics.
4. I helped turn an orchestra into one of the best-selling recording acts of its time.
5. I made free outdoor concerts a beloved American tradition—especially on the Fourth of July.
• I was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for my impact on American culture.

Arthur Fiedler, legendary conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Congratulations to Amanda of Mount Vernon and Richard for being caller #9 and participating in our Christmas Gift Exchange! Tomorrow is the last day to participate and the winners will be announced THIS FRIDAY!

Thank you for supporting the 44th annual Food For The Hungry drive!
Thank you for supporting the annual Food for the Hungry drive! Our current total is $346,854.32 and 15 Truckloads of Food! (as of 5:00pm 12/16/2025)

Tune in tomorrow for Praise Thursday with Ethan and Gabriella!

Thanks for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella

December 17, 2025 0

Leanna Crawford’s Sisterhood Tour, Seph Schlueter Back on the Road… Forrest Frank Sold Out How Fast?

On today’s Artist News Day, we talked about Seph Schlueter bringing his Counting My Blessings Tour back this spring, Leanna Crawford coming to Ohio four different times with The Sisterhood Tour, and… Forrest Frank sold out 90% of his upcoming tour in just one week!

Seph Schlueter is coming out of 2025 with many achievements, including a Gold certification certification on his song “Counting My Blessings”, which also sat at #1 for a couple of weeks on The NZ Top 10! Seph’s song “Running Back To You”, which also appeared on The NZ Top 10, earned Billboard’s Christian AC title, among reaching many other accomplishments!

To read more about Seph’s 2025 year, click here!

Seph will be back in Ohio this spring with his Counting My Blessings Tour, alongside his friends, Allison Eide and Charles Weems!

You can catch Seph in Massilon, Ohio, on Thursday, February 26! Tickets will go live on Friday, December 19. Stay up-to-date on our webiste, wnzr.fm/concerts to get tickets for yourself!

More information about Seph’s tour can be found here!

Leanna Crawford is headlining on The Sisterhood Tour, alongside her friends, Riley Clemmons and Madison Watkins!

Leanna will be coming to four different cities in Ohio on this tour: Massilon, Van Wert, Circleville, and Holland! Tickets are live now, and you have many options to choose from!

Leanna’s Massilon, Ohio concert will be on Friday, February 27, at Rivertree Christian Church (Jackson Campus), Massilon, Ohio 44646.

Ticket information for Massilon, Ohio’s concert can be found here!

Remember when we talked about Forrest Frank announcing his Summer 2026 The Jesus Generation Tour? Well, after just one week, Forrest’s entire tour is 95% sold out! This includes Cincinnati, Ohio’s show, being completely sold out!

There are some re-sale tickets available for Cincinnati’s show, but with much higher prices than originally. If you’re interested, the re-sale tickets can be found here!

We had a stumper for this week’s Song Poetry! Here were this week’s lyrics:

If you told me all about your sorrows
I’d tell you about a cure
If you told me you can’t fight the battle
There’s a _____ _____ who won the war

These lyrics are a stumper again for this week!

This Song Poetry will be worth three $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica next week, so tune in then and give us a call if you think you know the song title and artist for these lyrics!

Congratulations to Janelle from Mount Vernon for calling in and correctly guessing the artist and song title, taking home two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in on Wednesday for a game of Who Am I? and Who Knew? Wednesday!

Thank you for listening!
– Gabriella and Ethan

December 16, 2025 0

The Light Of The World Born in a Manger, For You and Me!

Over 2,000 years ago, our Lord and Savior was humbly born in a manger. The plan from the beginning was for Jesus to be born of a virgin, and go on to die on a cross as a sacrifice for the world’s sins. The Prince Of Peace born in a manger, for you and me.

Ethan’s church, Wooster Naz, sing this song from We The Kingdom during worship every Christmas. It reminds Ethan of the verse in Luke 2 when an angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds in a field nearby where Jesus was born.

Luke 2:13-14 NIV:

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Ethan loves worshipping Jesus for who He is and for coming down so humbly, being born in a manger, and bringing peace on earth to those who His favor rests upon. That’s us who believe, follow, and have Jesus as our Lord and Savior!

Remember why Jesus came on earth. To go to the cross, be crucified, and be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins! His plans are so good for us!

Read the entire chapter of Luke 2 here!

We had a new prompt for Mystery Monday this week! Here was this week’s Family Feud question:

Name a reindeer besides Rudolph.

Dasher (25)
Dancer (22)
Donner (18)
Prancer (15)
Vixen (10)

Congratulations to Linda from Utica for calling in and correctly guessing the top two answers on the board, taking home a $5 gift card to Watt’s Restaurant in Utica!