Long anticipated as a project close to the band’s collective heart, the ultimate timing on this vertically directed project couldn’t be any more perfect for where they find themselves in their depth of ministry journey. A first single from the album, the title track Worship In the Waiting, is currently breaking at AC Christian radio. FFH members Jeromy & Jennifer Deibler, Brian Smith, and Michael Boggs strike a cohesive theme of “waiting on God” as the core of an album that’s filled with a message of hope and trust in God’s sovereignty in the midst of the moments when heaven seems silent.
Coming together from the vantage point of four distinct sets of life experiences and ministry passions, FFH succeeds in blending not only vocals but heartfelt unity of creativity and purpose in this, their first album project in two years. As a sidebar, Jeromy and Jennifer have for the past several years been deeply committed to worship as leaders in their own church in Nashville.
It is, in fact, a commitment that in 2006 ultimately led them into a six month ministry mission in South Africa in a worship mentoring exchange from which they returned earlier this year. Jeromy, a founding member of FFH along with Brian Smith, termed the ministry outreach “profoundly life changing for Jennifer and our whole family. We understand the concept of worshiping God at a whole new depth and through entirely new spiritual eyes.” Just prior to leaving for the mission to Africa, Christian music industry executive Robert Beeson, now president of Advocate Entertainment, had initially made the approach to FFH with the idea of recording the worship album. “We met with Robert and a worship album just felt ‘right’ at this moment in time when over the past two years there’s been such a worship and waiting of God emphasis in our lives,” notes Jeromy.
By Wendy Pearl
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Country radio learned exciting news on Oct. 1 when CMA Horizon Award nominee Jason Aldean called to inform the CMA Broadcast Awards winners of their wins on their station's studio lines. CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year and CMA Radio Station of the Year recipients will be recognized during the "The 41st Annual CMA Awards," which airs live Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8 - 11 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network from the Sommet Center in Nashville.
"The Country radio format is alive and well thanks to these guys who work so hard to help get our music played," said Aldean. "I owe them a tremendous amount of credit for helping me get my career off the ground the past several years, so being able to give them their big news earlier today was a real honor. Congrats again to all of them."
"CMA is proud to recognize these outstanding Country radio stations and broadcast personalities," said CMA COO Tammy Genovese. "Having one of our most exhilarating CMA Awards nominees, Jason Aldean, surprise the winners with the news just adds to the excitement."
The CMA Broadcast Awards finalists were announced at a press conference in Nashville in late August by Montgomery Gentry and Taylor Swift. Many of the radio stations and personalities were first-time finalists for a CMA Broadcast Award. Nineteen percent of the stations and 45 percent of the radio personalities had never made it to the final ballot and that was reflected in the winners.
"It is very thrilling to see so many new faces and stations on the list of winners," said Genovese. "Having several first-time winners speaks to the creativity, talent and dedication of the format's radio professionals."
CMA Broadcast Awards winners are not eligible to enter in consecutive years. For National CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year, syndicated, short-form, hub-tracking and satellite radio personalities heard in at least three markets with a minimum of 40 shows per year were eligible. In addition to the National CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year Award, winners were selected in four market categories (Major, Large, Medium and Small) for CMA Broadcast Personality and CMA Radio Station of the Year. Complimentary CMA lifetime memberships were awarded to all CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year winners.
The categories are established by market size based on Arbitron rankings. Entries for broadcast personalities were judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical information. Radio stations were judged on airchecks, ratings history, community involvement and leadership. CMA members who are full-time, Country on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the United States and Canada were eligible to enter. Winners were determined in two rounds of judging by a panel of broadcast professionals. The accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP tabulated the scoring by the judges.
