FLN News Staff
Bob Price, News Director | email
As news director, it's Bob's job to motivate the news troops and manage the product. He finds great pleasure in working along side his staff - four greatly talented and hard-working people that God personally led to the ministry. Each shares a commitment to excellence and it’s his privilege to “labor in the vineyard” along with them.
Each day, Bob hosts a half-hour noon report that includes national, state and local news, plus feature reporting. He’s also responsible for hosting the afternoon shift from 2 pm to 6 pm, as well as the 5 o’clock report. What most excites him about his job is the fact that the news audience is not necessarily Christian – and if we’re doing our job right, listeners might stick around to hear something that’s going to change their lives. That jolts Bob to no end!
Before Family Life – Bob was a student at Houghton College where he majored in mass communications. He fell in love with radio while announcing college soccer and basketball games on WJSL. Bob was fortunate enough to get a job with Family Life right out of college after interning at the station for a summer. He figured since the NBA wasn’t knocking down his door, he’d give it a shot.
Bob love sports – anything where there’s a ball involved. He also loves history (all kinds), reading, and exercising (sometimes). His wife Joanna is a reading teacher at Addison Central School. They have two children, Gracie and Ryan. The Price family loves to play together and read books. Bob is so blessed to work for a ministry that allows him to spend time his family. Bob Price lives in Painted Post – just outside of Corning.
Sarah Harnisch, Morning News Anchor | email
Sarah Harnisch is a horseback riding, scrapbooking mom of five who anchors news by dawn and homeschools by… well, the rest of the day. Sort of like those secret CIA spies, Sarah slips out of her house at 2:30 am under her double persona — and returns home shortly after breakfast, shedding her Morning Show secret suit (complete with utility belt) to don supermom garb instead.
Before Family Life, Sarah anchored news on the 4th largest radio station in Chicago: WLS. She's interviewed everyone from Barack Obama to Jesse Jackson. Sarah has worked on 38 radio stations and had her own talk show in suburban Chicago.
Other little known facts about Sarah: She never went to college for broadcasting, but double majored in English Linguistics and Ancient and East Asian History, with a minor in Japanese. She delivered 4 of her 5 kids in college—either during midterm or finals week. On one occasion, she delivered her son, then drove to school to take her midterm 18 hours later (baby in tote) — before heading home.
Sarah met her husband John in a bowling alley when she was 16 years old, and they got engaged 3 weeks after their first date. They have 5 amazing kids nicknamed: alligator, bear, bug (the only girl), tigger, and fluffer. She believes God uniquely prepared her to put up with Sonny and Denny's antics by giving her 4 little boys. It's sort of like Sonny-Denny boot camp every time she walks in her front door... except the kids are more mature!
Elizabeth Weaver, Mid-Day News Anchor | email
Elizabeth works in the news department, masquerading as “Liz Weaver” when she’s on-air, writing headlines and producing the local morning news. Every day, she gets to spend the wee-morning hours cracking jokes at Alan and helping Sarah get the top stories for the day.
On Saturdays, Elizabeth is off to one of the three locations for Bible Quizzing - a program she's overseeing for Family Life. Having quizzed in high school and helped out with quizzing during her college years, she believes this program is a very important and beneficial ministries at Family Life.
After graduating college in 2006, Elizabeth spent a year in Jamaica working as a paralegal and researcher for a human rights organization, Jamaicans for Justice. Although committed to her work on the island, her year-long term came to an end and left her the question, where do I go from here?
Ed Thomas, Feature Reporter | email
Ed serves as feature reporter, editor and anchor for the FLN News team, helping to recount and add perspective to the fast-moving events of our nation and world for FLN listeners. Ed loves following current events, and is fascinated by broadcast news, since his years growing up watching WHEC's "Rochester Report" more than forty years ago. That fascination led to eventual training in broadcasting for Armed Forces Radio and Television, and a desire to use those talents for the kingdom of God.
After discharge from military service, that journey took Ed to Georgia, Florida, Virginia and through four years as afternoon news anchor for Mississippi's American Family Radio, before believing that God was calling him back north toward home to help fulfill God's purpose for Family Life. Some four years after initial contact with the ministry, that calling was confirmed! Ed is blessed to serve both God and FLN listeners during some of the most important times in the nation and New York State's history.
Ed's wife, Natalie (who also works at Family Life), and three stepsons call the Painted Post-Corning area their home. He's also a big fan of Syracuse Orange, Boston Celtic and Section 5 basketball games. His family loves hiking and hanging by the Finger Lakes during the spring and summer months.
Martha Manikas-Foster, Feature Reporter | email 
If a group of people plan to sit in trees all night, or if there’s a chicken wing festival planned within the Family Life Network listening area, Martha want to know about it. She spends her time with the Family Life looking for slices of Americana to highlight in one of our weekly “Neighborhoods in the Network” feature stories.
Martha gets a charge out of talking with the people who dedicate so much of their time to planning festivals about Lucille Ball, for instance, or the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” . . . and she enjoys sharing their stories with you.
Writing is a big part of this job, and it’s an essential part of what Martha enjoys. She has worked as both a book and Bible editor, written magazine and newspaper articles, and served as a school district Writer in Residence. Martha came to work at Family Life because a few years ago she left a routine telephone message with people at Family Life. They heard something in her voice that made them think she could work in radio. And she can!
In addition to writing, Martha loves throwing pottery, teaching her inquisitive high school Sunday school class, and looking through a camera viewfinder as often as possible. But more often than not you'll find Martha spending the bulk of her time catering to the every whim of her husband and quasi-adult children. Maybe you can relate.
Alan Gustafson, News Producer | email
Alan is a writer in the Family Life newsroom, and puts together stories for local news broadcasts. When he is not producing feature reports, he is busy uploading podcasts and other content to the Family Life website.
Throughout college, Alan worked in the retail world at OfficeMax. While he enjoyed technology sales and printing services, he was also very interested in broadcasting. So during his quest for an undergraduate degree, Alan interned in the Family Life news department.
During the summer of 2007, he learned a great deal about broadcast journalism under the Family Life “newshounds.” Alan understands the impact the news can have on a culture (both good and bad). He also believes Christians can have a positive influence on their world by becoming involved in the media, the very reason he joined Family Life.
Alan earned his Associate’s degree from Jamestown Community College, and received his Bachelor’s in Communication Studies from Grove City College. He likes dabbling in technology, and probably spends too much time researching it on the Internet. He also enjoys taking walks in the country with his awesome wife, Nicole.