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Chris Tomlin Talks About WinterJam 2026!

WinterJam 2026 is finally arriving in Ohio this Saturday! We’ve been anticipating their arrival to Columbus, Ohio by talking with the WNZR artists that are a part of this year’s lineup! We wrapped up our conversations with Chris Tomlin! You can listen to our conversation here:

WinterJam isn’t the only big concert we’re excited to cover! This morning, the Ohio State Fair announced their Christian artist taking part in their concert series this Summer 2026! This year’s artist is none other than for King & Country!

We’re celebrating this announcement by giving away “Win It Before You Can Buy Them” tickets by playing for King & Country Name That Tune!

Linda from Utica was our first winner for our giveaway on The Afternoon Drive. Keep listening on The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive Wednesday and Thursday for your chance to win!

For King & Country will be seen at the Ohio State Fair, in the Celeste Center, this summer on August 3rd! Regular ticket sales go live on Friday!

For more information, go to our Facebook post HERE!

On top of our two ticket giveaways, we also played a game of Song Poetry for our $5 Watts Restaurant gift card giveaway!

Here were this week’s lyrics:

And I don’t need to see it to believe it
For my whole life, You’ve been that all I’ve needed
And I, I’ve felt You in the fire and the rain

This week’s Song Poetry was a stumper! If you think you know the song title and artist these lyrics are from, tune in next week for a chance to win two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in on Wednesday for another chance to win a pair of WinterJam 2026 passes and a chance to win “Win It Before You Can Buy Them” tickets to see for King & Country at the Ohio State Fair! You’ll also hear some fun facts for Who Knew Wednesday!

Thank you for listening!
– Xander and Ethan

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Life Centered on GOD!!

On this week’s Monday Motivation Joe and Gabriella focused on how important having a God centered life is. Plus we did our Winter Jam Artist Trivia and our Mystery Monday! Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation: We need to have God in the center of our life. Changing the perspective on our lives and understanding that life WILL be miserable when God is not the center of the life. The song “Center” by Bethel Music is a great worship song about centering God in your life. Place Jesus at the core of life because Jesus needs to be your focus, reflecting biblical calls to love God wholeheartedly and live for His glory, “You, be the center of it all”!

Gabriella’s Motivation: Taking apart 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)-“Things which are seen are temporal”: – Our bodies, possessions, status, and suffering will eventually pass away. “Things which are not seen are eternal”: God’s presence, love, truth, the inner spiritual self, and the future hope of heaven, which are everlasting. Focusing on the Unseen: Paul urges Christians to train their minds and hearts to focus on these eternal truths, not worldly gain. It’s all about perspective focus on the unseen promises of God, knowing that temporary struggles are producing an eternal weight of glory!

Congratulation to Justin of Mount Vernon for guessing our artist Trivia correctly and taking home a pair of Winter Jam passes home!

Name a question people ask their dogs. 

  1. Wanna eat/treat? (37) 
  1. Wanna go out (24) 
  1. How are you? (9) 
  1. What do you want? (5) 

Congratulations to Pat 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 with Ethan and Xander for Artist Newsday and Gametime Tuesday!

Thanks for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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The NZ Top 10 for 1/16/2026

We’re already halfway through January! With another Friday, comes a fresh NZ Top 10 list on WNZR! Here is this week’s countdown:

10. Leanna Crawford – Honest

09. Hope Darst – Mighty Name Of Jesus

08. Phil Wickham – What An Awesome God (former #1 for 12 weeks)

07. TobyMac – Heaven On My Mind (peaked at #2 for 1 week)

06. Lauren Daigle – Let It Be A Hallelujah

05. Crowder – Still

04. Seph Schlueter – Won’t Start Now

03. Josiah Queen & Brandon Lake – Can’t Steal My Joy (former #1 for 4 weeks)

02. Jeremy Camp – No Survivors

01. Jamie MacDonald – Left It In The River (7th week at #1)

New Music This Week:

MercyMe – Make It Well

MercyMe’s new song is tied to their upcoming movie, I Can Only Imagine 2, which is coming to theatres February 20th! This sequel is a follow-up to the story of the first I Can Only Imagine movie, and we’ll see how Bart Millard takes on the father role this time!

You can learn more about I Can Only Imagine 2 HERE!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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The God Of Heaven’s Armies Is ALWAYS By Your Side!

For Praise Thursday on The Afternoon Drive, we remembered exactly who is on our side in the battle, and how much greater He is than any physical, emotional, or spiritual force that comes against us.

In January 15, 2026’s devo from Our Daily Bread, we looked at a snippet from Elisha’s story in 2 Kings. In chapter 6, Elisha and his servant were facing against a “strong force” of enemy soldiers and chariots. Petrified, Elisha’s servant asked him what they should do, but Elisha replied, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” and prayed for his servant, “‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Once he prayed this, the servant’s eyes were opened to “the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” This passage of scripture can be found at 2 Kings 6:14-17!

We see that God’s armies are infinitely larger than any physical, emotional, or spiritual force we come up against. God is NOT against us; He is FOR us! Nothing will be able to separate us from God’s love. How comforting it is to rest in this truth, that no matter what comes against us, God is infinitely stronger than it all!

The full devo from Our Daily Bread can be found here!

Sing along with Chris Tomlin, and declare you know the God of angel armies is always by your side!

We took 15 seconds from a song we heard on The Afternoon Drive, and used it to play Name That Tune!

This week’s song clip was from Heaven On My Mind, by TobyMac!

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

On Friday, catch Joe Rinehart and Ethan Hershberger, counting down the top 10 songs in Christian music on The NZ Top 10! Tune in to hear a brand new song to WNZR, which is tied to a new movie coming out in February!

Click here for a clue for what artist this new song is from, and what movie the song is connected with!

Thank you for listening!
– Gabriella and Ethan

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Matthew West Talks About WinterJam 2026!

As we’re leading up to WinterJam 2026, we got to talk with one of the three artist headliners, Matthew West!

WinterJam will have its first stop in Ohio on Saturday, January 24, at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio! Make sure you arrive 2-3 hours early when arriving to WinterJam to secure yourself a seat, and beat concert traffic!

WNZR will begin giving away WinterJam passes starting this Thursday on The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive! We will be playing WinterJam artist trivia!

For more information about WinterJam, click here:
https://www.wnzr.fm/winter-jam-2026

Back in 2019, Jason Gray filled listeners in with the battle against cancer that his son, Jacob, was fighting. Through time, Jacob showed no sign of cancer after he went through treatments, and the Gray family believed this chapter of their life was behind them.

Recently, Jacob started showing signs of the cancer returning. Jason Gray shared on his Instagram, “I’m heartbroken to share that Jacob’s journey has taken a sudden and devastating turn.” A swollen eye the size of a baseball led to Jacob having a biopsy revealing that his ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) returned, and the family is once again on the fight with this cancer.

Despite the circumstances, the Gray family is fighting the cancer with a vengeance. Jason Gray has been giving viewers updates on his Instagram, sharing “In late December, he improved enough that we were able to get back on track with the original plan. Whew. And that’s where we are now. He continues to respond well, and it truly seems like the tide is turning.”

The Gray family is looking at the next step with treating Jacob’s ALL. “In February, he’ll begin CAR T-cell treatment, which will require relocating to Seattle for a couple of months,” Jason Gray shared. “It’s drastic. It complicates his life, his ability to work, and how he pays his bills—but it’s doable. Especially with the help you’ve all so generously given. Truly… thank you.”

Please pray for the Gray family as they face this battle of cancer, relocate Jacob to Seattle, and for Jacob to beat this cancer once and for all!

To support Jacob and the Gray family, click here:
Help Jacob Fight Leukemia (Round 2)
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jacob-fight-leukemia-round2

Read the full story on CCM Magazine here:
https://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/jason-grays-son-shows-fight-update-on-jacobs-2nd-battle-with-cancer/

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

Here were this week’s lyrics:

Don’t forget the things that He has done before
And remember He can do it all once more
It’s like the brightest sunrise
Waiting on the other side of the darkest night

These lyrics were from Haven’t Seen It Yet by Danny Gokey!

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

Tune in on Wednesday for some Who Knew? Wednesday fun facts and a game of Who Am I? for another chance to win that $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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Pure hearts and LEGOs!?!

For Monday Motivation and Mystery Monday we shared wonderful insight on how to have a pure heart and how to cleanse yourself. Along with our Family Feud Question! Here’s what we shared:

Jesus said “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. Everything there is in life comes out of your heart and if you have a pure heart you will have a pure life. How do you get a pure heart? Engage in Gods word, surrender your life to Christ, practice faith, be quick to repent and confess sins, and share the gospel to everyone you can.

Meditation is like letting the gospel simmer. Let the word of God stay with you when you are studying the Bible. During this 21 day fast, decide what you want to fast from, it doesn’t have to be from food. Remember to Study the bible and let it stay in your heart through this time.

Starting this Thursday we’ll be doing a fun giveaway! Listen to The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive for your chance to win Passes to WinterJam 2026! During the weeks of 1/12 and 1/19, you will have a chance to answer WinterJam Artist Trivia to win!!

Name something you build with blocks.

  1. Tower
  2. House
  3. Castle (20 votes)
  4. Bridge (10 votes)
  5. Car (5 votes)

Congratulations to Amy of Howard for guessing the top two answers correctly and taking home TWO $5 gift cards to Watts restaurant tin Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Game Time Tuesday with Ethan and Xander!

Thanks for listening!!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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The First NZ Top 10 of 2026!

With the new year settling in, we’re bringing you four brand new songs to WNZR, one of which features a brand new artist! Before we get to that, here is this week’s top 10 countdown:

10. Leanna Crawford – Honest

09. Phil Wickham – What An Awesome God (former #1 for 12 weeks)

08. Hope Darst – Mighty Name Of Jesus

07. TobyMac – Heaven On My Mind (peaked at #2 for 1 week)

06. Lauren Daigle – Let It Be A Hallelujah

05. Crowder – Still

04. Seph Schlueter – Won’t Start Now

03. Josiah Queen & Brandon Lake – Can’t Steal My Joy (former #1 for 4 weeks)

02. Jeremy Camp – No Survivors

01. Jamie MacDonald – Left It In The River (6th week at #1)

New Music This Week:

Sons of Sunday – GOD DID!

A new artist on WNZR, consisting of Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church, Chris Brown from Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake, Leeland, Chandler Moore, and Pat Barrett! We are excited to see this new band on WNZR!

Forrest Frank – THANKFUL

ELEVATION RHYTHM – WASHED

Caleb & John – Finished

If you’re looking for a fun family event this weekend, Mohican, in Loudonville, Ohio is hosting WinterFest this weekend!

If the weather permits, you can enjoy sponsored ice sculptures all around Main Street around 5PM on Friday evening! These sculptures will stay throughout the weekend. Time schedules are subject to change if it becomes to warm on Friday.

More information can be found on Discover Mohican’s website here!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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God Is There In The Unseen!

Today on The Afternoon Drive, we shared some devotionals for Praise Thursday! Here were Ethan and Gabriella’s devotions:

Today, Gabriella shared how as followers of Jesus, we don’t walk alone! In Romans 12, Paul is adamant as believers that we shouldn’t even try to face our life alone. We need Jesus and each other! Instead of thinking that we are self-sufficient and “more highly than [they] ought” (v.3). When we live in harmony with one another as followers, we see that God didn’t create us to live alone, but walk together as an independent body!

Click here to read the full devotional and the story along with it, found on Our Daily Bread Ministries!

Ethan talked about what he has been reading in God’s Word recently: The book of Job!

While the book of Job may be a sadder book to start the new year, Ethan has been trying to see God’s character on every page, even the sad parts!

When reading in chapter 19 of Job today, Ethan notices in the midst of Job’s lamenting, he says this in verse 25:

“I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes— I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns within me!”

Through all of Job’s pain and grieving, he still recognized that God is sovereign over all, no matter the circumstance. And He lives! Keep looking for God in whatever situation you’re going through!

To read the full chapter of Job 19, click here!

This week, we listened to a song clip from a song we listened to today, on The Afternoon Drive!

Today’s Name That Tune song was Black Sheep, from Ben Fuller!

Congratulations to Trevor from Saint Louisville 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 Friday for a special NZ Top 10, featuring four new songs being added to WNZR to start off the new year!

Thanks for listening!
– Gabriella and Ethan

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Katy Nichole Talks About WinterJam 2026!

With WinterJam 2026 being a few weeks away, and this week on Artist News Day, we got to talk with one of the headliners of this year’s lineup, Katy Nichole!

She talks about what she’s excited about returning to the lineup this year, the message she wants to bring to audiences across the country, and more insight about her song “When I Fall”. You can listen to the conversation on our SoundCloud here:

WinterJam will stop in Ohio at three different locations!

Their first stop will be at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Janurary 24!

Their second stop will be at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, February 21!

Their final stop in Ohio will be at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, March 27!

Tickets are $15 at the door for each person; for more information, go to our concerts page on our website here!

If you’re looking for a night of worship, joy, and hope, look no further than The Hope Nights Tour with Danny Gokey and We Are Messengers, with special guest Jon Reddick!

These artists are passionate about bringing you music that reminds you of the love and hope Jesus brings to our lives! You’ll get to hear favorites like “Haven’t Seen It Yet” from Danny Gokey, “Wholehearted” from We Are Messengers, “God, Turn It Around” from Jon Reddick, and many more!

The Hope Nights Tour will be stopping in Archbold, Ohio, at the Archbold Evangelical Church, on Friday, March 13! There are VIP, Early Entry, and General Admission Tickets available!

You can find tickets for The Hope Nights Tour here!

We took some lyrics from a song we listened to during The Afternoon Drive, and turned them into a Song Poetry!

Here were this week’s lyrics:

Don’t forget the things that He has done before
And remember He can do it all once more
It’s like the brightest sunrise
Waiting on the other side of the darkest night

This week’s Song Poetry was a stumper! Next week, these lyrics will be worth two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Give us a call next week at 5:15 on The Afternoon Drive if you think you know the song title and artist!

Tune in on Wednesday for some Who Knew? Wednesday fun facts and a game of Who Am I? for another chance to win that $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant!

Thank you for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

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