Hope FM 90.1 Launches

At the stroke of 3pm on Sunday 27th May, Hope FM Community Christian Radio launched as a full-time community radio station for the Bournemouth area on 90.1 FM.

The Bishop of Southampton, the Very Revd Paul Butler dedicated the station in prayer after Martin Meissner, President of the World Alliance of YMCA's, launched the station with a few words.

For Monday morning it had been planned that the Mayor of Bournemouth, Ann Filer would bring a word of support during the Breakfast Show, being interviewed by show presenter, Blair Crawford. However, gremlins in the form extreme high winds struck at 8.20am, moving the stations link aerial out of alignment and resulting in dead air.

After some rapid hard work the station returned to the airwaves and the interview with the Mayor of Bournemouth has been rescheduled for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday morning (29th May)

Blair Crawford, Breakfast Show presenter, is also Executive Director of both the YMCA and Hope FM. It was Blair's original vision that brought Hope to the air and it has been his long-felt desire and prayer to see it on air as a full-time community Christian radio station.

Web Links

• Hope FM website
• Programme Schedules

Phare Network Grows

Phare FM broadcasts from Mulhouse in the Alsace area of France with local transmissions on 95.3 FM.

Earlier this year the first stage of a French Christian radio network opened with Phare FM's output now audible from Porte du Dauphine (107 FM) and Grenoble (96.6 FM) in south-eastern France.

The format of the Phare FM service includes four-hour local opt-outs from each of the remote locations.

During the summer of 2007, two further local stations will be added to the Phare FM network, at Normandy (94.9 FM) in north-western France and Montauban (92 FM) in south-western France.

Web Links

• Phare FM website
• Phare FM on Christian Broadcasting UK
  

Spirit of Ireland

Spirit Radio wins Irish National Radio License

After months of preparation and undergoing a rigorous process of application it has been announced that Spirit Radio has been successful in winning the national licence for Christian Radio in Ireland.

Spirit Radio and Yes Radio were left in the frame after the initial round of applications, with both of them making a final oral presentation to the Broadcasting Commission for Ireland in March.

Spirit Radio, under the guidance of David Heffernan, now begins the process of fitting out studios,recruiting staff, and developing an attractive schedule for a whole new audience.

The main AM transmitter for the service from Spirit Radio with be located near Athlone with FM "in-fill" transmitters will be located in various areas of Ireland. On-air day is presently being proposed as September 2008.

Christian Radio for Dumfries

The team at Alive Radio have carried out three 28-day broadcasts to the area around Dumfries in south-west Scotland under Restricted Service Licence conditions.

On Friday of last week they received the news of the award of a five year full time Community Radio broadcasting licence.

Alive Radio now have two years to bring the station on air.

Web Link

• www.aliveradio.net

Partnering for the Ticuna

A widespread radio partnership has taken a project forward to benefit the Ticuna, an isolated, nomadic people living along the Amazon in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

There are churches among the Ticuna people, but because they are a nomadic group, and living in jungle, there are a lot of isolated communities. Radio is an ideal medium for reaching these people with the Gospel - for evangelism, teaching and building up the church."

In Brazil's 70-plus Ticuna villages, the people have access to both a writing system and education in their language, as provided by the country's National Foundation for Indians (FUNAI). The New Testament has also been translated into Ticuna.

That led Trans World Radio to move forward with getting the Gospel into an audible form for them. It's been a year now since the first Ticuna-language radio program went on the air, followed by a Portuguese block produced by TWR-Brazil. Daily radio transmissions have a large coverage area, reaching the majority of the Ticuna villages of Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

Part of the plan was to distribute radios to the Ticuna peoples, free of charge. The radios, designed by HCJB Global's technologies centre, are fixed-tuned and solar powered. American radio stations Carolina Christian Radio, WWIL, and Tacoa Falls Radio Network, WRAF raised funds for the radios.

Trans World Radio reports that the Ticunas are reaching their people through 15 minutes of programming every day, recorded by their own trained program producer. But the are praying for their own recording studio and have a vision to reach their people by way of their own local radio station.

Solomon Islands Earthquake and Tsunami Update

HCJB Global sent a medical team from their hospital in Ecuador, South America, to serve the people devastated by the earthquakes and tsunami that struck the northern Solomon Islands on April 2nd this year.

With the help of Tina and Charlie from Gud Nius Redio they brought supplies, medical help and Christian encouragement to the people, many of whom are still hiding in the mountains and jungle for fear of further big waves. Now, the medical relief team is on its way home.

Charlie reported by e-mail when he got back to the radio station in Honiara

". . . I went with Dr Stephen's team to the Choisuel Province while Tina went with the other team to the Shorthand Islands. We visited about 15 villages, 6 of them had clinics, which made the work of the doctors more convenient but still the other villages with out clinics were able to provide chairs and tables under the traditional leaf hut houses.

At Puzivai Community High School I interviewed the principle who gracefully related an astonishing testimony of two female students whom an angel of the Lord safely led to be with the rest of the School at a higher ground . . . Many of the locals were traumatized by the effect of the Earth Quake and the Tsunami, as a result, most of them were still hiding away in the mountains.

In fact, the little activities and games conducted by Dorothy Nelson (Dr Steve's wife) and I were very effective since it got the mind of the children from the memories and the anxiety of the lost loved ones and damaged properties. But still I see a great need for more intensive counseling because of the limited amount of time. Many houses, kitchen utensils, dugout canoes and out board motors were never to be seen again as they were washed away by the waves.

Nevertheless, I can be thankful to God because of the positive comments about the work of the doctors made by the locals . . . [they] were always patient and faithful in performing their duty despite the fact that translation into Pidgin English by the assistant Nurse and I takes a bit of time. . ."

Web Links

• Gud Nius Redio
• Medical Team Pictures