Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School will celebrate our 90th anniversary! Here, we introduce our community to “90 Faces of LBC” each week. Keep up with all the news and events of our 90th year, read stories and more at lbc.edu/90.
UPDATE…
Another LBC Grad Hired at WJTL After Graduation
Brennen Eshleman (’23) is another LBC alumnus working at WJTL.
By Lilly Rutkowski (’25)
After the Spring 2024 issue of The ECHO Magazine was in the printing phase, another Lancaster Bible College Communication & Media Arts graduate was hired at WJTL as well. Brennen Eshleman (’23), who officially completed his degree requirements in December 2023, walked across the graduation stage in May 2024. After completing an internship at WJTL, he was brought on at the station as a part-time staff member.
As a DJ, Eshleman’s duties include discussing various topics on air such as weather, news, upcoming Junction Center concerts, local community events and much more. His role also includes participating in special events like parades and concerts.
Eshleman took a radio course at LBC in his sophomore year, and his enthusiasm for radio was sparked. “I learned the exact set-up and system that WJTL uses,” he said. “I was able to build my confidence and technique of speaking on the air through courses and a variety of radio shows I did on campus. The Charge and Go Morning Show was what really cemented my desire to pursue radio as a career, and that’s where I felt ready to go out into the world as a DJ and radio professional.”
In June 2023, Thom Scott, a professor at Lancaster Bible College in the Communication & Media Arts Department, emailed Eshleman about an internship opportunity at WJTL. After praying and reflecting, Eshleman contacted Stacey Gagne at the station and started the internship process. Following graduation, he was given the opportunity become a part-time staff member.
“The radio industry can be a difficult one for Christians to interact with,” Eshleman shared. “Between the content of songs, messages of businesses and beliefs of individuals, there’s a lot of secular and negative influences that can impact a Christian employee in a way that distracts from your faith. WJTL supports your spiritual life by offering fellowship, Christian music and biblical radio programs that you miss at the average station. They are a tight-knit family of believers that will pour into you and support you on your walk with the Lord.”
Several LBC alumni and friends help create community at WJTL. From left, WJTL CEO and President Fred McNaughton, on-air host Abi Horst, Junction Center technical coordinator Ethan Scott and producer/music director and former LBC Adjunct Professor Kristi Leigh.
Both Marking Milestones, LBC and WJTL Celebrate a Shared Vision of Serving the Community
In 2024, two prominent Christian organizations in Lancaster, Pa., are celebrating milestone anniversaries. As Lancaster Bible College marks 90 years, friend and ministry partner WJTL, Lancaster’s local Christian radio station, is celebrating 40 years of providing Christ-centered music to the community.
The partnership is a natural one, as WJTL originally began on LBC’s campus while run by an independent, nonprofit ministry. Four decades later, WJTL has grown into an organization that reaches tens of thousands of listeners each week. A dedication and passion for bringing Christ to the Lancaster community sets WJTL apart from other media outlets in tangible ways.
“We’re one of the last stations that still have real, live people on the radio,” said Fred McNaughton, CEO and President of WJTL. “Most radio is piping in from somewhere else. We’re all real people who live here locally, and we’re very involved in the community. We’re going out to 100-plus events every year.” With several LBC alumni part of the WJTL family, the station supports local nonprofits by participating in events like parades, banquets, auctions and other live events.
WJTL is intentional about promoting the many nonprofits and ministries around Lancaster County through on-air interviews and features, including welcoming LBC staff and students to its morning show, in addition to speaking in Christian schools. This allows WJTL to use its platform to expand the influence of faith-based organizations as they serve the community.
“I believe the heart behind both WJTL and LBC is the same: to show our community the love of Christ, encourage people in their faith and journey alongside them,” said WJTL on-air host Macaylah (Mutchler ’21) Bortner. Even as WJTL has expanded and moved locations, the two organizations have remained close, sharing a community of adjunct faculty, staff and volunteers.
“So many of our early staff had graduated from Lancaster Bible College, or our volunteers had been LBC students,” McNaughton said. “LBC has trained up all these people (who) have poured into these ministries that are making impacts in our community that we wouldn’t have here if it wasn’t for Lancaster Bible College.”
Added Kristi Leigh, WJTL producer/music director and former LBC broadcasting Adjunct Professor, “Now that we’ve seen generations of families attending LBC and listening to WJTL, when we host concerts at Good Shepherd Chapel or have Kids Cookie Break on location for Homecoming Weekend, it feels like a reunion.”
This relationship has been strengthened by the number of students from LBC’s Communication & Media Arts Department who intern and start their careers at The Junction Center, WJTL’s broadcast studio, office space, community event center and concert venue.
“Our connection with the (Communication & Media Arts Department) has been rewarding in many ways: seeing students realize their gifting and passion for broadcasting and podcasting, and giving them opportunities to shadow, intern and even join our team at WJTL,” Leigh said. Because the LBC radio station is modeled after the one at WJTL, Leigh also appreciates how these alumni already know how to properly run and take care of the equipment at The Junction Center.
Another WJTL on-air alumna host, Abi (Rockafellow ’22) Horst, shared how the campus radio studio played a significant role in preparing her for a career in broadcasting. Her leadership as station manager as an upperclassman encouraged Horst to pursue radio as a career and set her up for a senior internship at WJTL.
“I love driving around and seeing WJTL and LBC bumper stickers on people’s cars,” Horst said. “It really speaks volumes to the impact we have as a station (and) I just love the community that LBC professors have made in the Lancaster area.”
Macaylah Bortner with her former LBC Communication & Media Arts professor Kristi Leigh.
Bortner also appreciates the WJTL-LBC connection, as her journey to the radio station started in her basement.
“As a young girl, I was inspired by WJTL to host my own radio show,” she remembered. “I spent hours on my own pretending I was a radio DJ. I had the dream setup: a karaoke machine, CD player and iPod speaker.”
As a student at LBC, Bortner hosted her own weekly show called “Songs and Stories.” For her senior project, she developed the Charge & Go Morning Show, an LBC Radio tradition that continues to be hosted by student station managers. Through these opportunities at LBC, Bortner’s confidence grew as she learned to manage her nerves and overcome the fear of being judged if she made mistakes.
Ethan Scott (’24), who serves as the technical coordinator at The Junction Center, agreed that his confidence in his future career grew at LBC.
“The professors are definitely a big part of what gave me the experience and confidence to actually be able to get out there and accept these roles and do the small gigs that ended up leading to a job offer,” he said, adding that his LBC opportunities helped him grow in his interpersonal skills, as well as equipped him with the technical knowledge needed for his work at The Junction Center.
The heart behind Christian music is to share the hope, love and victory that can be found in Christ, and the impact it has on listeners is a source of encouragement for the WJTL staff.
“It’s very moving to know that every song that plays while I’m working my shift could have such a big impact on somebody else listening, even if I don’t know them or even if I will never see them in person,” Horst shared. “There’s a real sense of community when it comes to Christian music. I love the way that it brings us all tighter together.”
These stories culminate into the impact that two like-minded Christian organizations can have when they partner to serve the Lancaster community.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind, full circle story that I grew up listening to WJTL, and now I work there,” Bortner said, “turning my childhood dream into a reality because of how LBC prepared me for radio broadcasting. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Kaylisa Montijo is a recent LBC Communication graduate who served in leadership at LBC Radio.
Add these two stations to your playlist at lbcradio.live and wjtl.com.