The studio for the new Spanish language radio station Fuzión is pictured inside the Encouragement FM studios in Tyler on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, the 36th anniversary of the station's first day on the air. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

In an effort to reach more people, East Texas Christian music radio station 89.5 KVNE in Tyler will add two new stations, including one showcasing Christian music in Spanish.

In celebration of the radio station’s 36th anniversary, the announcement was made Tuesday morning during the show Mornings With Mike and Carrie. Another station that will feature daily Bible teachings was also announced.

Both stations are set to premiere in January. The Spanish speaking station will be titled Fuzión 102.3 and 103.1, while the Bible teachings station will be called The Well 94.3 and 95.3.

Troy Kriechbaum, Encouragement FM president and CEO, said there are more Spanish-speaking people in East Texas than ever before in the radio station’s history.

Fuzión will be similar to 89.5 KVNE with Christian music all day, and will be hosted by local Spanish speakers from the community, he said.

“There is no Hispanic Christian music radio station for all of East Texas,” he said. “We want to reach people for Jesus in their heart language.”

Ivette Zavarce, 89.5 KVNE radio station board member for five years, said there’s always been a conversation about having a Hispanic radio station to serve native Spanish speakers.

“Today, the wishes of our heart are coming true,” Zavarce said.

A Hispanic advisory committee made up of several community members of all ages and nationalities came together to start the radio station and suggest names, which then led to Fuzión, she said.

“It means togetherness. We played with the word Zion in the Bible,” she said.

She added that the new station will allow Hispanics to praise and worship the Lord in their own language.

“We know that it’s going to bring hope, unity and especially it’s going to bring people to Jesus,” Zavarce said. “We know that Fuzión is going to be a quality radio station in Español.”

Roughly 47% of the district’s students were Hispanic during the 2018-19 school year, according to Tyler ISD. Hispanics are predicted to become the largest population group in Texas by 2022, according to U.S. Census data.

Zavarce is looking forward to having a place for Spanish-speaking families to hear messages of hope.

“I’m sure that the radio station will share a message of hope, unity, love, family and everything positive,” she said. “We’re super excited to have a radio station in Spanish that’s going to impact many families in this region and bring hope to them.”

The Well was created to help East Texans engage more with biblical teachings.

Pastors and the most gifted Bible communicators of several different denominations across the country will be showcased, Kriechbaum said.

The radio company used a study from the Center for Biblical Engagement, which showed people who are engaged in the Bible four or more times per week are 30% less likely to suffer from loneliness.

“We wanted to start a radio station that engages them with the Bible four times or more so their lives would be impacted by the Bible,” he said.

The study also showed people are more likely to share their faith with others when engaged with the Bible.

The coverage area will include the Tyler-Longview area as well as greater East Texas. Fuzión will reach from Mount Pleasant in the north to Lufkin in the south. The Well will reach from Pittsburg in the north to the Jacksonville area in the south.