From 1973 through 1986, he was President of Palomar Broadcasters and Radio Del Rey. He then joined the San Diego properties associated with the company today known as Salem Media Group, launching KPRZ-AM at the end of 1984 before taking leadership of a property it assumed control of in Washington, D.C., on a snowy February morning in 1992.
David Ruleman is now being remembered, as the veteran religious broadcasting executive has lost his battle with cancer.
While at Salem, Ruleman provided oversight for the acquisition of more than 20 stations across nine markets. But, he’s perhaps best-remembered as the man who took on VP/GM duties for WAVA-FM 105.1 following its sale by Emmis Communications, a move that left a Top 40 void in the National Capital Region from February 14, 1992 through early 1996.
He would later serve as a Regional VP of Operations for Salem, taking oversight of its Philadelphia, Boston and Pittsburgh stations. Ruleman also played a pivotal role in adding three Salem channels to the XM Satellite Radio platform in its early days as a Washington, D.C.-headquartered company competing against Sirius Satellite Radio. One of those stations, “Family Talk,” remains on the SiriusXM lineup.
Ruleman retired in 2017.
Salem Executive Chairman and co-founder Ed Atsinger commented, “David Ruleman served as one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Salem Media. His passion and impact for Salem in San Diego led to our decision to put him in Washington DC when we acquired WAVA, our most expensive acquisition at the time. He served there for many years and did a tremendous job in one of the most influential cities in the world, our nation’s capital. David’s presence has been and will be missed at Salem, but the legacy of his leadership will last into future generations of Christian leaders.”
Salem CEO David Santrella added, “When I joined Salem in 2001, David Ruleman was one of the first people I was told to talk to learn more about the company. He’s been an inspiration to me ever since. Always encouraging, always knew how important our Christian Teaching & Talk formats are. His spirit carried on with our company long after his retirement and we’ll miss him greatly but rejoice in his Homecoming.”