"It's the most wonderful time of the year," croons Andy Williams as his classic Christmas tune plays over the KTIS airways. 

Williams' hit plays as part of a barrage of commercial-free Christmas music. For the Twin Cities legacy station, it might be the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also perhaps the busiest.

KTIS's story begins more than 75 years ago, when on Feb 7, 1949, University of Northwestern-St. Paul President Billy Graham put the station on the air.

Today, the station is two-fold: an AM station that focuses on teaching and an FM station that plays Christian contemporary music.

In 2023, KTIS made history when it pulled a No. 1 spot in the Twin Cities radio market share.

"When we found out, I literally thought the data was incorrect," Matt Deane, station manager, said.

No other faith-based station in the top-50 U.S. markets had ever reached No. 1. Only two others had reached the top five in their respective markets. No one had come close to the market share KTIS had achieved.

"Seventy-six years of history has a lot to do with that — the team that we have has a lot to do with that. Being No. 1 is something that's pretty rare," Deane said. "The next month, it happened again. Then the next month, it happened again."

Deane says during the COVID pandemic, the station saw a surge of listeners.

"Ultimately, I think people are looking for hope. Since the beginning of time, people were looking for hope. I really feel since 2020, all that we went through, all that our city went through, even now, all the division around us, I really think that people need hope," Deane said.

Part of connecting with the listeners, Deane says, is hosting events throughout the Twin Cities. This year, KTIS hosted a "Shoebox Showdown" where they collected more than 7,600 shoeboxes full of donated items.

"It's a big deal to not just say one thing and let somebody else figure it out; it's putting your faith into action. That's one way we do that," Deane said.

Another way the station looks to connect with its audience, Deane says, is through its Christmas music. The station is currently commercial-free, wall-to-wall Christmas music, in a blitz lasting until Dec. 25.

"We see Christmastime as the time where we can open the doors as wide as we can," Deane said. "We look at Christmastime as a time where people are maybe the most open that they are all year to hearing a message about Jesus. They are used to hearing some of those traditional Christmas carols."

The station also offers "Christmas Blessings," a chance for viewers to submit names of friends or family who need a hand up — the station then leverages community partnerships to offer help in any way it can.

"If we're helping a family that lost their home in a fire, that's a practical way we can come alongside and show the love of Jesus," Deane said. "If we're collecting school supplies on our summer sticker stops, for schools that can't fund or provide them for students, or students can't afford them, that's a way where we can come and say, 'God loves you, and has a plan for your life, and we want to help you in this practical way.'"

What's next for KTIS? Deane said he's hoping to bring concerts into prison walls, bringing Christian contemporary artists into jails to perform for prisoners.

"People are looking for hope. Music is such an important part of people's lives. The opportunity to see, I don't want to say our artists, but CCM artists getting more in the mainstream is a thrill for us," Deane said.

"Bigger Than Belief"

You can listen or watch the Rubensteins' full story on "Bigger Than Belief," a new WCCO podcast hosted by Adam Duxter. "Bigger Than Belief" is a weekly interfaith podcast that examines belief through the personal stories of believers – with a goal of discussing faith in a way that is relevant, true and easy to understand.

You can find new episodes of "Bigger Than Belief" each week wherever you get your podcasts, or on WCCO's YouTube page.