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Game Time Tuesday

Late Movement on the Charts!

For Artist Newsday, we recapped an awesome year for Dante Bowe and talked about how We The Kingdom made the most of their live performance on national television!

Dante Bowe has had a very successful year you could say. He has had arguably the most powerful year of his career and is closing out the season with top ten placements on three different Billboard Year End Charts. He is No. 9 overall for Top Gospel Artist, No. 4 for Top Male Gospel Artist, and No. 4 on Top New Christian Artists.

From the release of his deeply personal album, circles, via Bethel Music, to sold out performances, KLOVE Nominations, and multiple DOVE Award wins Dante’s incredible year culminates with three GRAMMY Award nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category, a record that no other artist has achieved since the field was created in 2015.  

Earlier this year, Dante released his album and Bethel Music label debut, circles. The incredibly personal album quickly shot to the top of the charts, debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. The lead single, ‘joyful,’ reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales and No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs, making it the highest solo charting position of his career, and earned him a GRAMMY Nomination. The follow up single, ‘family tree,’ premiered on BET marking his first televised debut.

Next spring, Dante will join four-time GRAMMY Award winning duo for KING & COUNTRY on the road for the ‘What Are We Waiting For? – The Tour.” The 33-date trek will make stops in arenas throughout the United States beginning on March 31st in Southaven, MS before traveling through Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more then wrapping in Franklin, TN on March 22nd. More information about the dates and tickets can be found at forkingandcountry.com.

We The Kingdom celebrated Christmas Eve with Fox & Friends, making an appearance on the show to perform their rendition of “Silent Night (Heavenly Peace).” Following their performance, the song soared to No. 1 on the iTunes Top Christian Songs chart (Top 15 all-genre), and the band’s holiday EP, “A Family Christmas”, also rose to No. 3 on the iTunes all-genre Top Albums chart.

The 2x GRAMMY-nominated group will kick off their headlining We The Kingdom Live tour in the new year, packing out the month of March with 16 shows! For tickets, make sure to visit wtklive.com.

Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well
That never runs dry

This week was a stumper so we will bring these lyrics back next week for a chance at TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

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Casting Christmas!!

It’s Artist Newsday and some of your favorite WNZR artists are making headlines!

Since the creation of the category in 2015, Dante Bowe has broken the record for the greatest number of simultaneous nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category at the 64th GRAMMY Awards. His nominations include solo singles “Voice of God” and “joyful.” as well as a nod for songwriting on Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music’s “Wait On You.”

In addition to his solo nominations, Dante contributed to a Best Gospel Album nomination with Maverick City Music for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for Old Church Basement. 

The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on January 31 at 8:00 on CBS and Paramount+.

Casting Crowns just announced the plans for a 24-city “Healer Tour”. The band will travel to many different venues and arenas across the country. The tour will happen this coming spring (2022). The tour will get underway on February 17th after the band releases their new album Healer, which is set to come out on January 14th, 2022.

The Healer Tour will feature special guests We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor, and will make stops in cities like Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Tulsa, Nashville, Cleveland and Milwaukee, to name just a few. Tickets for The Healer Tour are on sale now. Check out castingcrowns.com for more ticket information.

There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Congratulations to Amy of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing the name of the song: “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!”. She wins TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

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CeCe Winans and Christmas Concerts

Someone we’ve talked about many times for Artist Newsdays returns to the show! It’s none other that CeCe Winans!!

CeCe Winans has experienced quite an amazing year. She has helped spread love, hope and encouragement for the past 18 months. Her album Believe For It became an instant hit. It received a ton of recognitions including being in the Billboard’s top 10 Gospel Labels. Here is what Jeff Moseley, Founder/President Fair Trade Services had to say about Winans, “We had high hopes and dreams for our partnership with CeCe and have been overjoyed with the success that we’ve experienced. It’s an honor to partner with an icon like CeCe.”

The year-end Billboard Charts listed Winans as Top Gospel Female Artist of the year with the single, “Believe For It” dominating the Gospel Digital Song Sales Chart and holding the #1 slot for 18 weeks.  The influence of Winans and Believe For It continued to shine brightly when the 2022 Grammy nominations were recently announced adding three more nods to her list of 28 nominations: Best Gospel Performance/Song, “Never Lost;” Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, “Believe For It” (Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong, songwriters) and Best Gospel Album, Believe For It. Winans also received four Dove Awards! Here is what Winans had to say on the success, “I’m feeling really blessed right now! Thankful for people’s lives being uplifted by Believe For It. God is good.”

“Believe For It” continues to have success on the radio. The song is currently at #4 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Chart. Winans is also in the Top 5 Christian Female Artist of the Year. Winans also has plans for a tour across the US in 2022.

For King & Country are in Columbus THIS FRIDAY for their Drummer Boy Christmas Tour at the Schottenstein Center! The concert will start at 7pm and tickets can be found here!

Also, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Sunday, December 26th! They will have a matinee showing at 3pm and an evening showing at 8pm. Tickets can be found here!

Lyrics: There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Answer: ???

This song was a stumper! We’ll bring it back next week for TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

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“Into The Mystery”

It’s artist news day and NEEDTOBREATHE is making its documentary available to the public.

Earlier this month we talked about NEEDTOBREATHE’s documentary “INTO THE MYSTERY”, if you didn’t get a chance to watch the documentary in person, well you’re in luck because Greenwich Entertainment announced that the documentary will be available on demand starting today on most streaming platforms! The film release will follow the band’s massive 38-city tour across the United States.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and without telling a soul, the band went to a historic house-turned-recording studio in remote Tennessee to work on new music. Over the next three weeks, they resided under one roof and handcrafted an album titled, “Into The Mystery”. The documentary offers a rare look at the collaboration of artists at the height of their creative powers who are struggling with the same fear and isolation that has affected everyone the last 16 months.

Here is what the band had to say. “We’re big fans of music documentaries where you get to actually watch the artist creating in the space where the record is made. Getting to see an idea stretch and grow into a finished song is really inspiring, but we’ve never really let our fans see behind the curtain. Now people will get to pull up a chair and become a part of the process as we create our eighth studio album in an old house in the hills of Tennessee.”

Lord, Your ways are higher
You know Your plans for me
You give purpose and a future
Even when I can’t see

Answer: For The Good by Riley Clemmons

Congratulations to Leanne of Howard for guessing the correct answer! She wins THREE $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan

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Top of the Charts!

It’s Artist Newsday and We Are Messengers had a very successful weekend!

We Are Messengers is celebrating its current single “Come What May,” hitting #1 on the Mediabase Christian Audience chart yesterday. This achievement marks the group’s first #1 song at AC Christian radio. 

Here is what the band had to say on this achievement. “Today is a wonderful day in the Mulligan home. ‘Come What May’ hitting #1 has reminded us of the perfect kindness and faithfulness of God,” shares Darren Mulligan, We Are Messengers front man. “We are so thankful for our Curb | Word family, our amazing radio team, our management team and for the unending support we have found in the Christian radio community since day one. Thank you for loving on us and giving this song the opportunity to change the lives of millions of listeners all across the country. God is good and all the Glory is His now and forever.” 

We Are Messengers continues to build “Come What May” at radio, and has their sights set on more #1 achievements for the single in the near future. For more information, visit www.wearemessengersmusic.com. 

Big Daddy Weave announced that they will continue their successful “All Things New” Tour in the spring with tickets on sale now. The tour line-up will include former lead singer for Tenth Avenue North, now solo artist, Mike Donehey on select dates at the beginning of the tour, and worship leader Ryan Ellis on select dates during the second half of the tour.

The tour kicks off on February 8th and concludes on May 8th. Promoted by Transparent Productions, this is the second leg of the band’s fall tour, which featured multiple sold-out dates and was the group’s first time touring consistently since the global pandemic, and they were thrilled to share their hearts and songs with a live audience again. 

“The ‘All Things New’ Tour this fall has been really incredible,” shares Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave. “We can see the excitement in the people who come, and we’ve really enjoyed God’s Presence each night. We’re thankful to be continuing this experience with wonderful guest artists and all the people we’ve missed when the ‘All Things New’ tour hits the road this spring.”

Tickets are now online and more information can be found at TransparentProductions.com.

Lord, Your ways are higher
You know Your plans for me
You give purpose and a future
Even when I can’t see

We had a stumper for the second week in a row! Tune in next Tuesday for a chance to win THREE $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Today, we registered Jennifer of Mount Vernon and Tammie of Howard for a chance to win a turkey from Smithhisler Meats for Thanksgiving!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

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Tis the Season of Giving!

Artist Newsday was in full effect today and in the news? It’s Lauren Daigle and Tasha Layton!

This past weekend two-time GRAMMY Award winner and multi-platinum selling recording artist Lauren Daigle celebrated a long-awaited return to her hometown by giving $375,000 to five New Orleans organizations close to her heart. The non-profits, KidSmart, NOCCA, Ellis Marsalis Center, Roots Music, and Young Audiences of Louisiana, all work to provide at-risk youth with resources to succeed through music/art education, food support, and literacy.

Lauren Daigle released her thoughts in a statement. “Thanks to everyone’s generosity, through The Price Fund we were able to give back to New Orleans in a way that will truly make an impact. All these organizations are doing so much for the community and it’s an honor to be able to help in any way possible. Knowing that the next generation of kids are able to find hope through these programs puts wind in my sails.”

Through its partnerships and outreach The Price Fund, established by Daigle in 2019, is designed to provide care for both children and the elderly as well as those in need. She is committed to investing her time and actively works to heal through various means, including work with at-risk youth. Through donations made from ticket sales alone, Daigle has donated over $1 million to various charities to date and continues to raise funds through merch and streaming.

Tasha Layton is getting into the Christmas spirit with her first ever Christmas record titled “This Is Christmas”. Her Husband who is a GRAMMY and Dove Award winner Keith Everette Smith will produce this ironically. This record will contain four original selections co-penned by Layton, as well as two Christmas classics. “This Is Christmas” is available now. 

“This Is Christmas” has a wide range of seasonal songs, from lighthearted merriment to reverent of worship. Some of her notable songs in this record is an anthem of praising Christ’s humble birth in a Bethlehem stable. Another song that is featured is “Oh Holy Night” and “Comfort and Joy” reminding us of Christ’s promise of peace to a hurting world.  

Here are some things that Layton said about her record. “I’ve wanted to do a Christmas record for so long,” she said. “I love this season and I think there’s never been a time our world has needed to know the Hope of Christmas more than now. For so many, the holidays can be a difficult time, but it is my prayer that through these songs listeners will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. My Husband is an incredible producer, and I personally think he pulls off Christmas music especially well,” She adds. “Keith and I loved working on this project together. The album is like a variety show, offering a little bit of everything stylistically. There are a few songs for churches to use during the holiday season, and some that are just plain fun!” 

For more information on news in Christian music, make sure to visit https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/default.Asp!

Lord, Your ways are higher
You know Your plans for me
You give purpose and a future
Even when I can’t see

This one was a stumper so we’ll bring it back next week for TWO gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

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Into The Mystery

Today on the show, we shared some artist news.

We also reflected on the Champions of Character Game that brought over 2,000 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders of Mount Vernon City Schools to Ariel Arena.

Jonathon’s artist news story was about We The Kingdom:

Fresh off winning Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards, We The Kingdom has teamed up with Dante Bowe to release a special version of the group’s chart-topping single — “God So Loved (Live),” available now. “About a month ago, we shared the live video of ‘God So Loved’ with Dante Bowe from the Worship Together Conference,” says Ed Cash. “It was such a special experience that we decided to release the audio everywhere you listen to music. It has brought us great joy getting to play this song across the country this year, and we are deeply grateful to Dante for joining us on this new version! We pray that you feel encouraged and pursued by your Heavenly Father as you listen!” Written by We The Kingdom and featured on their award-winning debut album, ‘Holy Water,’ the studio version of “God So Loved” served as the group’s second No. 1 single on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart. It was also nominated for Worship Recorded Song of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards.

Dylan’s artist news story was about NEEDTOBREATHE:

NEEDTOBREATHE is coming out with a documentary called “Into The Mystery”. This was also an album that NEEDTOBREATHE released during the summer of 2021. This documentary is going to be released in over 500 movie theaters nationwide tomorrow. This is a peak behind the curtain of what the band does during recording. This documentary is about how during the COVID-19 pandemic the band went to a historic house-turned-recording studio in remote Tennessee to work on new music. Over a three week period, the band lived at the house and made a album about the turbulent moments that were happening during that time. The documentary is about how they were dealing with fear and isolation just like everyone else. Here is what the band had to say in their own words, “We’re big fans of music documentaries where you get to actually watch the artist creating in the space where the record is made.” “Getting to see an idea stretch and grow into a finished song is really inspiring, but we’ve never really let our fans see behind the curtain. Now people will get to pull up a chair and become a part of the process as we create our eighth studio album in an old house in the hills of Tennessee.” The documentary will be in select theaters in Ohio. The closest theater the documentary will be showed at is at the Cinemark 14 Mansfield in Ontario, OH.

You can check out both of these articles using this link.

The God who made the winters and the summers
The One who put the stars all in their place
The only One who stands above all others
He knows me by name

The answer: God Who Listens by Chris Tomlin

This week’s trivia was a stumper, so we’ll bring it back next week for a chance to win TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan and Jonathon




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Let there be Basketball!

Our show was cut short today as we prepare for our first MVNU basketball game of the season for the women’s program!

This didn’t stop us, however, from sharing about last week’s GMA Dove Awards for Artist Newsday!

This past Friday, the 52nd GMA Dove Awards aired on TBN. One of our songs that we play here on WNZR, won “Song of the Year”. The song was “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship. Now, this song also won the 2020 GMA Dove Award for “Worship Song of the Year” and has been awarded RIAA Gold Digital Single certification. “The Blessing” became a viral hit song around the world just days after recording and releasing it during the pandemic comforting listeners with a strong message.

Here is what the artists had to say on receiving this award. “It’s such an honor to receive this award for a song we got to be a part of – a song filled with the hope of God’s promises in such an uncertain time,” shares Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes on this recognition. “It reminds us of the power of a song filled with the hope of Jesus – how it can change someone’s life. We want to honor everyone in our industry who works to bring the hope of Jesus to people’s hearts through music. It’s an honor to join with you in advancing the kingdom of God together.”

Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes are currently on “The Blessing” tour that runs through November 14th. Check karijobe.com for more information on where the tour will be headed next.

Congratulations to the many artists who were honored with Dove Awards:

  • Songwriter of the Year (Artist): Brandon Lake
  • Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year: We The Kingdom
  • Gospel Artist of the Year: CeCe Winans
  • Artist of the Year: for KING & COUNTRY
  • New Artist of the Year: Maverick City Music
  • Worship Recorded Song of the Year: Elevation Worship ft. Brandon Lake: “Graves Into Gardens“
  • Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year: Tauren Wells: Famous For (I Believe)

For the full list of winners, go here.

I have tasted
All that this world has to offer
The here and gone that leaves you wanting more
But can’t satisfy

The song? With Lifted Hands from Ryan Stevenson!!

Congratulations to Bonnie of Mount Vernon for winning (2) $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

— Jonathon & Dylan

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Tours and Talk Shows!

This week, we explored one of the most highly anticipated tours in Christian music coming up next year and we also checked in on the crazy year that Amy Grant has had!

This past Friday, Chris Tomlin and Hillsong UNITED announced their upcoming joint tour for 2022! The “Tomlin UNITED” Tour will kick off in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 9th. The tour in all will reach 33 venues all across America before ending in Duluth, GA on April 13th.

Tickets for the tour go on sale October 22nd and will be available at tomlinunited.com. A date to remember for this tour is when the group will be in Columbus on Friday, February 18th at Nationwide Arena.

Even four decades since beginning her career, Amy Grant has continued her very successful year by performing live for The Kelly Clarkson Show on NBC. The six time Grammy Winner sang her 90s track “Good For Me” on the show, a show which has been extremely popular lately as the highest rated talk show to debut in 7 years. 

This, however, was just a glimpse at the kind of year Amy has had after being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021. She is also wrapping up her 42 city fall tour and preparing for the Christmas season where she will appear in several shows with Michael W. Smith. For more information, make sure to visit AmyGrant.com.

I have tasted
All that this world has to offer
The here and gone that leaves you wanting more
But can’t satisfy

This song was a stumper! So come back next week for a chance at TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

— Jonathon

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