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Christmas Music Right Around The Corner! CeCe Winans Performing on Thanksgiving Day!

As the month of December rolls around, WNZR is getting ready to enter the Holly Jolly ’25! Our artists are also celebrating by releasing brand new music!

Centricity Music is stepping up their A-Game with their artists and Christmas music! Katy Nichole released her first Christmas EP titled The Hope Of Christmas. One of the songs featured on this 5-song EP is Our King Has Come, featuring Matt Maher, which we get to hear on WNZR! Katy wanted listeners to know through these songs that whether you are celebrating with family or grieving the loss of a loved one, you are never alone!

Katy is one of three headlining artists going to WinterJam 2026! You can find tickets to see her live in one of three locations in Ohio on our concert page here!

Jason Gray also has a really cool Christmas song on WNZR, with retro artist Point Of Grace! They’re song is called Comfort and Joy, which we got to hear during the Afternoon Drive today!

Jason and Point Of Grace are taking this song and many more live with them on their Comfort and Joy Tour! They will be in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, December 14 at 7PM! Ticket information for this concert can be found here!

More info about Centricity, their artists and their Christmas music can be found here!

If you’re someone who watches football on Thanksgiving Day with your family, you will be watching CeCe Winans perform the National Anthem at the Lions vs Packers game on FOX at 1PM EST!

This especially hits home for CeCe, as she is from Detroit! She is expressing much excitement as she remembers Detroit Lions games being played all the time at her home.

More information about the game on Thanksgiving Day can be found here!

CeCe will also be coming to Ohio with her More Than This Tour in the Spring of 2026! She’ll be stopping by at The Naz Church in Grove City, Ohio on Thursday, April 30 at 7PM! You can find ticket information on our concert page here!

This week’s lyrics are a stumper from last week, so that means these lyrics are worth two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Here were this week’s lyrics:

Cloud by day, fire by night
Guide my way, oh, move me right
Break the chains, set me free
Make a way like I ain’t ever seen

These lyrics were from Jordans by Blessing Offor! Congratulations to Brylan from Mount Vernon for calling in and correctly guessing the song title and artist, taking home two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in tomorrow during The Afternoon Drive with Joe Rinehart as he goes over some fun Thanksgiving “Who Knew’s” for Who Knew Wednesday!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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It Seems Impossible Until It’s Done!!!

On this Monday Motivation we talked about some inspirational strictures for you and Thanksgiving in a Christian point of view! We also took a look at some encouraging and uplifting songs during The Afternoon Drive! Here’s what we talked about:

Gabriella’s Monday Motivation was Build a Boat by Colton Dixon– Faith and obedience: faith requires action, just as Noah built the ark before any rain came. Preparation for the future: preparing for tough times and “storms” that may come in life, even if you don’t see them yet. Trust in divine guidance: God will help you navigate the “currents underneath”. Perseverance: stand up for your beliefs and do “whatever it takes,” even when others think it’s “lunacy”. Hope: The song provides a message of hope that even in a “desert place,” God’s promises will be fulfilled.

Joe’s Monday Motivation was Thank You by The Katinas– With Thanksgiving coming up this week it’s important to understand what God has done for YOU. We should be more thankful for the GIVER than the GIFT! 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.

WNZR is getting ready for the holidays and that includes getting Christmas Music ready for you! We are currently playing some special songs for Thanksgiving and debuting some new songs for Christmas. Then join us for WNZR’s Holly Jolly 25 from December 1st through Christmas Day! 25 straight days with ALL Christmas Songs!

The leaves that Joe raked over the weekend 🙂 (Below)

Name something the cook might stress about on Thanksgiving. 

  1. The turkey being cooked properly (43) 
  1. Not having enough food (22) 
  1. Spilling something (15) 
  1. Running out of a dish (10) 
  1. Guests not enjoying the meal (10) 

Congratulations to Linda of Mount Vernon for guessing the 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 Joe!

Thanks for listening!

– Gabriella and Joe

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NZ Top 10 for 11/21/2025

What a week! We have a few new placements on the Top 10! Here is this week’s countdown:

10. Leanna Crawford – Honest

09. Elevation Worship & Brandon Lake – I Know A Name

08. Lauren Daigle – Let It Be A Hallelujah

07. Seph Schlueter – Won’t Start Now

06. Hope Darst – Mighty Name Of Jesus

05. Phil Wickham – What An Awesome God

04. Crowder – STILL

03. Jeremy Camp – No Survivors

02. Jamie MacDonald – Left It In The River

01. Josiah Queen & Brandon Lake – Can’t Steal My Joy (4th week at #1)

New Music This Week:

Danny Gokey – The Moment The Whole World Changed

Sanctus Real & Sarah Kroger – Hope Begins

Jason Gray & Point of Grace – Comfort and Joy

Jason and Point of Grace are coming to Ohio with this song as the headline for their tour! They will be at the Sinclair Community College, on Centerville Campus, in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, December 14th!

Ticket information for their Comfort & Joy Tour can be found here!

This is the last regular NZ Top 10 of the year! The Holly ’25 starts December 1st when WNZR goes to full Christmas music until the December 25th!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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All-Star inspiration and Open House!

Today, I was in studio while Marcy and Ethan were On The Road With Big Blue at the Knox County Career Center annual First Chance Application and Open House night!

Find out more about KCCC and opportunities for students at this link!

I shared some online inspiration today from former MLB Mets great and all-star Darryl Strawberry, who I had the chance to meet a few years ago when he was here for NCO Camp Meeting! Darryl posted this today:

“To all the Men who are searching out there, it takes Real Guts and Courage to truly follow the Lord. I’ve had every worldly success—money, cars, homes, women, trophies, and rings—but nothing compared to the true salvation I have now. Knowing that when I die, I will see Jesus for real changes everything. Wealth and fame might make people think you’re set for heaven, but the Bible teaches us otherwise. It’s about living right for God while there’s still time. This life isn’t about black or white or any color—Jesus Christ is coming back for Holy and Righteous people. Stand strong, live bold, and keep your eyes on symbol of the Cross.

Remember, brothers, the world’s treasures are temporary, but the grace of God is eternal. It’s easy to be distracted by the flash and the fame, but true strength is found in humility, faith, and obedience to God’s Word. The journey isn’t always easy—it takes sacrifice and sometimes standing alone—but the reward is beyond anything money or status can buy. Keep your heart focused on Jesus, live with integrity, and encourage one another in this walk. We’re not defined by our past or our skin color, but by the love and righteousness we carry through Christ. The battle is real, but victory is certain for those who remain faithful. Stay courageous, men. The best is yet to come. Love y’all!”

Today’s song: Chris Tomlin – At The Cross (Love Ran Red)

Congratulations to Barb from Fredericktown who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

TOMORROW is the drawing for the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt!!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Time to Spend Time with Family!!

Who Knew – National Play Monopoly Day – A day celebrating one of the world’s most famous board games. It’s about playing the game and appreciating its role in bringing people together and offering a fun way to learn valuable life skills. 

Who Knew fact checks: Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins — up to 40 minutes by slowing their heart rate. 

The 25th Annual WNZR Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt is back! Listen for Tom’s “Gobble” and be caller #5 to be REGISTERED to win a turkey thanks to Smithhisler Meats of Mount Vernon! The drawing will be this Friday during The Morning Thing, announcing FIVE winners.

Who am I?  

  1. I was born today, November 19, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
  1. I had started off my baseball career as a catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948 to 1957. 
  1. I won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times, in 1951, 1953, and 1955. 
  1. In 1958, I was in a car accident which left me paralyzed from the shoulders down, which ended my career. 
  1. I was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. 

I am… Roy Campanella! Congratulations to Dave of Mount Vernon for guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in tomorrow for Praise Thursday with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks for listening!

– Gabriella 🙂

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Music Awards, Christmas Albums, and CeCe Winans Singing at the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving!!

Buckle in! We have a lot to talk about on Artist News Day! Here is all we talked about on The Afternoon Drive today!

Brandon Lake continues to add more awards to his repertoire! The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) declared Brandon won 2 awards on November 10th.

Brandon was awarded Christian Music Songwriter of the Year and Christian Music Song of the Year, which was Praise, a song that rose to #1 for 31 weeks, co-written by Brandon Lake and Pat Barrett. With these 2 new additions, Brandon Lake now holds around fifteen ASCAP awards!

Further information can be found here!

We’re not the only ones starting to get into the Christmas spirit! Blessing Offor is joining the party with a new EP titled To All A Good Night!

This EP includes some new Christmas originals, like To All A Good Night and God With Us. He also is throwing in his special twists on *NSYNC’s Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Otis Redding’s Merry Christmas, Baby.

Here’s the full list of songs on Blessing’s EP:

1. To All A Good Night (Blessing Offor & Nathan Wallace)

2. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

3. God With Us (Blessing Offor & Andrew Skib)

4. Merry Christmas, Baby

5. Wonderful Christmastime

6. Snow Globe (Blessing Offor, John Thomas Roach,

Steven Colyer)

7. Like A Child (Blessing Offor)

8. Little Drummer Boy

Further information can be found here!

Do you ever wonder how much work goes into the writing of a song? Well, for some artists, it’s a lot more than you think!

We’ve discovered Jon Reddick, an artist with hits like God Turn It Around, I Believe It, and his recent #1 hit No Fear, paints his own album covers! That’s right, the one you see above you, and every album you see from Jon, are hand painted by Jon himself!

After knowing this, you can’t unsee it! More info about Jon’s heart behind his paintings can be found here!

If you love Gospel music and football, you have a special treat awaiting for you! CeCe Winans will be performing the National Anthem at the Detroit Lion vs the Green Bay Packers game on Thursday, November 27th, which is the day of Thanksgiving!

This game will be the Detroit Lions’ 86th Annual Thanksgiving Day Classic! You can watch CeCe perform at this huge event on FOX at 1PM EST!

Did you know TobyMac had a conversation on Focus On The Family?

Toby talks in this conversation about losing his son, trusting that help is on the way, and holding on to hope in all circumstances.

You can watch and listen to the entire conversation on their YouTube channel:

Here were this week’s Song Poetry lyrics:

Cloud by day, fire by night
Guide my way, oh, move me right
Break the chains, set me free
Make a way like I ain’t never seen

This week’s lyrics were a stumper! See if you can figure out the artist and song title from these lyrics, and check back in next Tuesday for a chance to win two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in on Wednesday with Joe Rinehart and Gabriella Stanley for Who Knew Wednesday and a game of Who Am I?.

Thank you for listening!
– Xander and Ethan

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Keep God on your Mind!!

We love getting to start our week off with some Monday Motivation for you! We took a look at some encouraging and uplifting songs during The Afternoon Drive! Here’s what we talked about:

Gabriella’s Monday Motivation was Psalm 34:18- “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The song is a testament to finding God’s goodness even amid grief and hardship, specifically in the aftermath of TobyMac’s son’s death.

Joes Monday Motivation was about finding strength in faith during hardships. It’s important to not rely on your own understanding and power. The song’s message is that when your own strength runs out, you can turn to God for the power to overcome challenges. Isaiah 41:10- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

The 25th Annual WNZR Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt is back! Listen for Tom’s “Gobble” and be caller #5 to be REGISTERED to win a turkey thanks to Smithhisler Meats of Mount Vernon! The drawing will be this Friday during The Morning Thing, announcing FIVE winners.

Name something people do after Thanksgiving dinner. 

  1. Take a Nap (35) 
  1. Watch football (25) 
  1. Do the dishes (15) 
  1. Eat dessert (10) 
  1. Gor for a walk (7) 
  1. Shop or Plan Black Friday (5) 
  1. Talk with Family (3) 

Congratulations to Karen 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!

Thanks for listening!

– Gabriella and Joe

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New Christmas Songs so Far for 2025 on WNZR

Here’s some new Christmas music debuting this week on WNZR!

Katy Nichole & Matt Maher – Our King Has Come

Evan Craft – Christ Is Born (Happy Birthday)

Matthew West – Dysfunctional Family Christmas

We’d love to know what you think of this song! Comment on this post and let us know if you love it or dislike it! Be completely honest! We’d love to hear your feedback on this song.

Give us an email: wnzr@mvnu.edu

We’ll have your NZ Top 10 next week! Thank you for listening!
– Ethan Hershberger

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Beyond a Billion Downloads for YouVersion!!

For this Praise Thursday, we shared inspiring worship music, gave devotions, shared updates, and played a fun game of NTT! Check out our website wnzr.fm!

The goodness of God will always come for you. No matter what you’re doing in your life he will always come back for you. Even when you can’t feel him with you he is always here. Let him guide you!

Proverbs 19:8-13 (NIV)- It was a few Sundays later that I observed the same woman (who hadn’t returned my greeting) being helped by a friend who was showing her when to stand or sit—acting as her caregiver. My old church friend was apparently very sick and hadn’t recognized me. I’m glad I didn’t approach her or even get upset when she didn’t return my enthusiastic greeting. Proverbs offers a lot of advice for living wisely, and not being easily offended is one of its gems. In fact, it says “sensible people . . . earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (19:11). Choosing not to get offended and learning to “control [our] temper” (v. 11 nlt) can bring us honor. It may require patience and “wisdom” (v. 8), but the rewards also are well worth getting over ourselves and choosing to love others.

To read more click HERE!

The 25th Annual WNZR Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt is back! Listen for Tom’s “Gobble” and be caller #5 to be REGISTERED to win a turkey thanks to Smithhisler Meats of Mount Vernon!

Don’t miss our Contest – The Afternoon Drive has Sing for Rend Collective! Each day THIS WEEK, you will have a chance to sing a Rend Collective song to win a pair of Deluxe Experience Tickets to The Rend Collective Folk! Fall Tour at MVNU on 11/14!  These Deluxe tickets are valued at $75 each! Congratulations to Justin of Mount Vernon for winning a pair of deluxe tickets to Rend Collective!!

Our Name That Tune was Jenn Johnson with Goodness of God! Congratulations to Chris of Gambier for guessing our artist and song title correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

A historic event celebrating the Bible through worship and storytelling. YouVersion Bible app is celebrating their one billion app downloads with guest speakers and artists! Click HERE for more information. This November, ministries, businesses, Bible-based apps, churches, and people all over the world are rallying together to elevate the transformative, life-changing, and time-transcending power of God’s Word.

Tune in Tomorrow for the NZ Top 10 with Ethan!

Thanks so much for listening!!

– Ethan and Gabriella

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