Toledo Christian radio station WPOS-FM (102.3) is revising its broadcast lineup to better live up to its slogan, Your Hometown Christian Radio Station.

The changes are an effort to offer the listeners more local programs and less nationally syndicated programs, said Rick Waldron, general manager.

The station, which entered its 42nd year of broacasting on Sept. 6, recently conducted a survey and learned that listeners would like more local programming, he said.

Listeners appreciate what they get from us because they said otherwise all they have to rely on is secular sources like CNN and Fox News, Mr. Waldron said. There is a serious need for news, talk, and commentary from a Christian worldview.

WPOS gets its news from a Christian news media outlet called One News Now, he said, which is a division of the American Family News Network.

The changes officially start Oct. 1 but are being phased in as new equipment is installed.

Among the notable new programs will be a morning show called Daybreak, hosted by Jake Sammons, from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Mr. Sammons joined WPOS s staff about a year ago and, in addition to having a broadcasting degree, is an experienced singer and songwriter, according to Mr. Waldron.

The morning show will continue to feature such programs as Prayer and Praise and Requestfully Yours, Mr. Waldron said.

The host of the current morning show, Mark Siffer, will move to 1 p.m. weekdays for another local programming highlight called Public Impact.

That show will feature a recap of the day s news followed by commentary, interviews with national figures, and phone calls from listeners.

Mr. Siffer has 10 years of broadcasting experience and has interviewed such national newsmakers as Phyllis Schlafly, Randall Terry, Alan Keyes, and Jerome Corsi, Mr. Waldron said.

Another change will involve a longtime monthly program called Social Security and You, which caters to WPOS elderly listeners. It will be integrated into a new weekly program hosted by Mr. Waldron called Mondays at 2.

We ll get 10 or 12 calls during that show and they re usually very involved, with some lengthy questions, he said.

In addition to Social Security questions, Mr. Waldron plans to feature local Christian attorneys, Dr. Dexter Phillips of Christian Health Ministries, and other co-hosts to be named.

Among the behind-the-scenes changes at WPOS are notable weight losses by both Mr. Waldron and Mr. Siffer.

Mr. Waldron suffered a heart attack last Christmas Eve morning and through diet and exercise has lost 55 pounds.

Mr. Siffer also has taken an interest in living more healthfully and has lost nearly 100 pounds, Mr. Waldron said.

WPOS, call letters that it says stands for We Proclaim Our Savior, opened in a former butcher shop at 7112 Angola Rd., Holland, Ohio, on Sept. 6, 1966, and still broadcasts from the same site.

In 1980, it opened the WPOS Christian Center next to the station, where it hosts concerts, banquets, sports events, and more. It went global on Thanksgiving Day, 2003, by broadcasting on the Internet at www.wposfm.com.

Although WPOS does not subscribe to any paid ratings service, research shows the station has about 30,000 unique listeners each week, Mr. Waldron said.

First Published September 15, 2007, 9:03 a.m.