[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN TRIBUTE TO EDWARD G. ATSINGER III

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to my personal friend, 
Edward G. Atsinger III, who, with his brother-in-law Stuart Epperson, 
started with ownership in Christian radio stations in California and 
North Carolina and grew Salem Communications Corporation into a 
national Christian media powerhouse.
  Based in Camarillo, California, Salem Communications purchased radio 
properties in key markets across the United States and converted them 
to flourishing Christian talk stations. In the 1990s, Salem expanded 
beyond Christian Teaching Talk, successfully rolling out formats 
featuring Contemporary Christian Music, News Talk, Spanish-language 
Christian and most recently, business programming.
  In addition, Salem Radio Network is one of the leading full-service 
networks in the U.S., syndicating talk, news, and music programming to 
approximately 2,000 Christian-formatted and general market radio 
stations throughout the country.
  In 1999, Salem purchased CCM Magazine--an industry standard in the 
contemporary Christian music community. Salem Publishing now circulates 
additional Christian and conservative magazines.
  Salem Web Network began in 1999 with a single website--OnePlace.com. 
Today, SWN consists of the most well-known brands in the faith 
marketplace such as Crosswalk.com, CrossCards.com, and GodTube.com.
  Additionally, Salem purchased Townhall.com in 2006 and conservative 
political blog HotAir.com in 2010, providing conservative commentary, 
news, and blogging to an ever-expanding audience. In 2011, Salem 
launched its Church Products division with the acquisition of Worship 
House Media, an ecommerce retailer of videos and other multimedia to 
churches.
  Throughout it all, Ed Atsinger has been at the helm. He has been 
Chief Executive Officer, a director of the Company and a director of 
each of the Company's subsidiaries since their inception. He was 
President of Salem from its inception through June 2007. He has been 
engaged in the ownership and operation of radio stations since 1969.
  Ed Atsinger has been a member of the board of directors of the 
National Religious Broadcasters for a number of years; he was re-
elected to a three-year term on the board in February 2010. He has also 
been a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Board 
since 2008. He has been a member of the board of directors of Oaks 
Christian School in Westlake Village, California since 1999.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in paying tribute to Edward 
G. Atsinger III for fulfilling his vision of spreading Christian values 
throughout the U.S.