CBH: Christians Broadcasting Hope

CBH Oriya Switches From Shortwave to AM

I remember vividly one hot evening in early 2007, getting into an auto-rickshaw, and heading out into the city of Cuttack with our then CBH India coordinator, Asim Das. We were headed downtown to a local electronics store to buy radios for the local pastors. The next day, more than twenty pastors would be coming to town to meet with CBH coordinator John Walters and me so that we could present each pastor a radio. The goal? Each pastor would invite local villagers to come listen to our CBH radio broadcast and then have discussion about the content of the radio program. These groups, called “radio clubs” would serve as a way to reach out to the community with the hope of Jesus Christ. From these radio groups, individuals who showed interest in learning more about what it means to be a Christian would then be invited to a Seekers Conference where they would have more in depth training.

As the radio clubs were launched one challenge became apparent—our radio signal, in some areas of the Indian state of Orissa was weak, making it difficult to receive our radio program on a regular basis, and in some areas, not at all. So we began looking into other options. The challenge has been both logistical and financial. In India it is not legal to broadcast the Christian message from within the borders of the country. Therefore, we are limited to the small number of radio towers outside the country that broadcast into India. Since the beginning of our radio broadcasting ministry in India we have broadcast via shortwave radio into the country, partnering with Trans World Radio (TWR) for this service. We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with them and as we began seeking solutions to this challenge, our team in India began conversations with TWR. The solution that bubbled to the surface was to switch from shortwave to medium wave radio (AM), but with this switch came challenges—an increase in monthly airtime costs, times slot availability, and which tower will best suit our needs.

We felt God leading us to move forward to make our broadcast as effective as possible, but we wanted to make sure that we were being the best stewards possible, and providing the best solution possible. John Walters visited India in November of 2011 to meet with our team, and discuss how to move forward. Armed with information from TWR, unanimous agreement of our combined India and US teams, and a firm belief that God was calling us to move forward we made the decision to switch to from shortwave to AM. This involves utilizing a tower located in Sri Lanka, an increase in airtime that equates to nearly $5,000/year, and moving our time slot by fifteen minutes. We are moving forward in faith knowing that God will provide the resources, and that God will also provide the harvest. Every day CBH sows seeds of hope in Jesus Christ around the world, knowing that we will never see the full harvest that will take place for the Kingdom’s sake, but understanding that if we do our part, God will bring a harvest beyond our comprehension.

We are extremely excited about this new opportunity to better equip our CBH team in India. Merle Mangum, account representative for Trans World Radio stated, “I believe this change will bring about a significant increase in the effectiveness of your Oriya broadcast.” We also believe this switch will allow our radio clubs to be much more effective while reaching beyond the radio clubs to villagers throughout the state of Orissa and beyond. Please join with us as we celebrate this exciting new adventure. We would like to invite you to partner with us in prayer as we make this switch, effective February 11, 2012. We would also like to invite you to pray not just about the effectiveness of the new AM radio broadcast, but also about how you might be involved beyond prayer. Perhaps God is calling you to make a contribution to CBH to help offset the increased airtime. If you do, know that your contribution will change countless lives in India. There is not a better bang for the buck than radio—it reaches more people with the hope of Christ than any other medium available. We’ll be sure to provide testimonies from seekers conferences as well as additional feedback we receive so that you will know that your funds are making a difference, but know that there will be a harvest that you and I will never see…that’s what faith is all about. No matter how you support us, know that we are extremely grateful, and on behalf of the CBH team in India, as well as our team here in the US we say “Thank you!” and God Bless.

Logan E. Ritchhart
CBH Media Specialist