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Hallelujah!

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By GEOFF FOX

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

DADE CITY - Cornell Lewis thought he'd had too much to drink.

At the time, that wouldn't have been surprising. Besides alcohol, he was addicted to crack and cigarettes.

In the throes of addiction, he said he heard a voice.

"God told me I'd have Christian radio stations," Lewis said. "I wasn't even a Christian yet. I was like, 'Man, I need to put this bottle down.'"

That was six years ago.

Now clean and sober, Lewis has been general manager of radio station WZHR, 1400 AM - known as Inspiration 1400 - for about a year. He came to the Dade City station shortly after it was purchased by JBM Broadcasting Corp. from the Tan Talk Radio Network.

The station's gospel format is complemented by taped sermons delivered by local and nationally known pastors. The signal can be heard around Brooksville, Dade City, New Tampa, Plant City, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

Before Inspiration 1400 took to the airwaves, Steven Kelsie, pastor of God's Vision For Life church in Zephyrhills, said it was hard to find a local station dedicated to gospel music.

"Sometimes, you could hear your gospel on Sunday, but there were no 24/7 gospel stations in the area at all," he said. "After JBM Broadcasting took it over, we wanted to stay with it. It's a way to get the word out.

"We're a community-based church, nondenominational, and this is one way we reach out, by broadcasting the word and getting out in the community. The station has been a blessing. Whatever they need, we help them - and they help us."

Operating a small-town radio station can be difficult, though, said Dr. Dr. Thayer, who owns and runs WZPH, 96.7 FM, an oldies station in Zephyrhills. Thayer said he hopes Inspiration 1400 does well but that it might be hard for the station to sell enough ads to stay in business.

"I've been there," said Thayer, who makes no money from "The Zephyr" and plays no ads, although he has tried to sell them. "The local sponsors really have to be worked with to develop a relationship. The local gospel station probably will do well with the religious community."

To Lewis, doing well in the religious community is what's important. Contrary to Thayer's experience, advertising support has been good.

"Getting out and getting ads is easy," he said. "What happens is, this area is a newspaper area, and no one from the radio has really approached these businesses. I couldn't believe it.

"At the beginning of this year, we started marketing the station. We're going to different businesses and residents, handing out fliers. Being a Christian station, one of my primary focuses are the local churches."

Lewis said he moved to Tampa with wife Mary about a year ago from Phoenix, where he led a church. He said he picked up a Bible after putting down the bottle and was ordained as a pastor about two years ago.

He worked as a disc jockey at a rhythm-and-blues station in Baltimore in the 1980s and learned about Inspiration 1400 through friends. Nowadays, he spends about 20 hours a week spinning gospel records at the station and the rest of his workweek talking to local residents, churches and businesses.

If not for his church upbringing, Lewis said he doesn't know where he would be today.

"My parents always made me go to church, but I got into the life of drugs and alcohol," he said. "Eventually, I knew I needed some help - some spiritual help. I found Jesus in the meantime.

"We're talking 25 years of this stuff: alcohol abuse, crack addiction, cigarette smoking. I couldn't quit. Now, I can walk into the nearest 7-Eleven and see the beer in the cooler and the cigarette packs, and I know I don't need that stuff anymore.

"I live and breathe Jesus," he said. "All I speak is about him. I'll be doing this until he comes to get me."

INSPIRATION 1400

For information, visit www.inspiration1400 .com or call (352) 567-1009.

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or gfox@tampatrib.com.

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