Supporting a Local Legacy: JHA Partners with WPEL Radio

At JHA Companies, our projects are about more than just engineering solutions—they’re about strengthening communities and missions that matter. One recent project was especially meaningful as it involved WPEL Radio, a Christian radio broadcaster that has been a part of the Montrose, PA community for over seventy years.

Founded in 1951 and on the air since 1953, WPEL has been a steady voice of faith and encouragement for generations. For JHA founder/owner Joe Hunt, the station has always held a personal connection. “There’s a lot of history with the radio station in the area, and their broadcasting reach has had a spiritual impact in my life and in the lives of people that I grew up with. They have reached thousands of people through their ministry.”

For Aaron Nichols, WPEL Acting President, the station’s identity is rooted in its unique relationship with listeners. “We are, to my knowledge, still the only completely listener-supported radio station that’s Christian. There are other stations that are listener supported, but they also do underwriting. We are one hundred percent listener supported. That keeps us tied directly to our listeners. If they’re not happy, we’re not going to be here.”

WPEL’s signal path has historically utilized phone lines, which are now being phased out. “Since early days, we’ve gotten our signal up the hill, as we call it, by using leased lines from the phone company,” Aaron explains. “As phone companies are doing away with their copper lines in general, we foresee that in the near future they’re going to drop those entirely.”

This problem required a solution, and JHA stepped in to help carry WPEL into the future. “That technology is outdated, and they had a need to transmit wirelessly from their studio,” Joe explains. “The solution to the problem was to put up a tower with a line of sight from their studio to their transmitting tower in Bridgewater Township. The location of the new tower is on property owned by the Montrose Bible Conference. Our first role was to work with the Conference and the radio station to establish an easement to place the tower on their mountain. We did the surveying and provided some of the legal descriptions, and they drafted an agreement, and our documents were attached to that agreement.”

The next challenge was determining the height of the new tower. “One of our earliest questions that we had was whether or not we could even see the new tower from our current studio,” Aaron recalls. “And if we could, how high up do we have to be on both ends to be able to do that? JHA stepped in.”

Joe explains further: “that was the question. How tall does the tower need to be to have line of sight from the studio to the broadcasting tower in Bridgewater Township? We used existing lidar ground topography data that you can obtain publicly. We used the drone to establish the tree canopy height, and then we also used the drone to view in both directions. Then we used our mapping technology to create line of sight profiles and to identify any potential obstructions between the studio and the new tower location. There was one area where we found some potential obstructions. A couple of trees were taken down as a result of our study, which cleared the line of sight for their transmissions.”

The connection between JHA and WPEL extends beyond engineering solutions. “Both WPEL and JHA started in this area, and both have had a fair bit of growth over the years,” Aaron reflects. “JHA in particular has exploded over many states. Joe’s unique approach is a large part of the reason for the success of JHA. The company gives to missions-based organizations out of its own profit. To find a company that’s not only treating their employees with respect and compassion but treats you respectfully and you can trust them to do what you’re paying them to do, you don’t have to question it. But then they take out of the profits and they give money to organizations to support the ministries that they believe in, that’s a very rare thing in today’s day and age.”

For Joe, that philosophy is at the heart of JHA Companies. “I believe business exists for a purpose and profit is also for a purpose. I think it was Billy Graham that said the next big revival of Christ is going to happen in the workplace, and I’m seeing other businesses do the same. It’s a great encouragement to me. And the ongoing success of JHA, our sustainability, the fact that we’ve survived some ups and downs, is a direct result of our commitment to give to causes like WPEL that are in alignment with our core values.”

With the tower project complete, WPEL is positioned to continue broadcasting for years to come. But as Aaron notes, the journey is just beginning. “WPEL has been around for seventy-two years, and God has used us to touch many thousands of lives. It has been a blessing for me to be a part of it. But God is not done with us yet. There are more projects on the horizon. This tower project is just the first of many.”

The experience has been deeply rewarding for Joe: “it thrills me to know that JHA, in a small way, has been a part of ensuring that the mission of WPEL continues and that the latest technology that they need to continue broadcasting consistently in our communities twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. There’s always a place to get good Christian programming, and that’s WPEL. And the fact that we had the opportunity to serve them in this way is something that I think we all can look at and be proud of.”