Radio host sacked for impersonating God

Virgin Radio UAE, the Dubai branch of Sir Richard Branson's radio brand, was launched earlier in 2008 and is run by the Arabian Radio Network.

Breakfast show host Revin John has been sacked in Dubai after he angered listeners by impersonating God in a comedy skit about a phone call with the Almighty.

Revin John had been satirising a story from the US in which God was subject to legal proceedings. In the US case, Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers sought a permanent injunction against God to prevent "death, destruction and terrorisation". A judge threw out the case, ruling that because the defendant had no address, legal papers could not be served.

Any portrayal of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad, is strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith, including on the radio. The spoof prompted complaints from listeners of "diverse faiths and nationalities", the station said.

Arabian Radio Network chief operating officer, Steve Smith, told Associated Press "He intended to be funny, not to offend anybody. However, what he did was highly offensive to the Muslim and Christian community in the United Arab Emirates."

Revin John was allowed back on air to apologise for the offence caused, before he left the station.

Revelation found to be in breach

Revelation TV is a UK Christian satellite television channel, often featuring discussion and personal view programmes which, according to Ofcom, "from time to time engage viewers with challenging debates on topical issues".

A single compliant was recently received by Ofcom alleging that an edition of the programme Vision for Israel presented by theologian, teacher and author Dan Juster, made abusive and inappropriate comments regarding Islam.

According to the Ofcom broadcast bulletine, during this hour-long programme, which compared the Christian and Muslim faiths, Dan Juster stated that it was his belief that “Islam cannot be defined as a peaceful, loving religion…Islam enforces its own viewpoint through the power of the sword through death…” and “Islam believes that violence is a legitimate means to establish and extend Islam”.

The programme was a lecture, entitled Israel, Islam and the Church, given by Dan Juster at a conference in Israel in 2007 and was the final part of a seven part series.

Revelation TV admitted that they had failed to properly screen this episode of the programme for compliance prior to transmission and that, had they done so, it would either not have been shown, or they would have arranged a discussion/debate on the issues raised.

The Ofcom decision regarding this complaint bore in mind the fact that broadcasters have a right, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, to freedom of expression. This includes the broadcaster’s right to transmit creative material, information and ideas without interference but subject to restrictions proscribed by law. Ofcom state that "broadcasters should therefore always take care to ensure that material it transmits is in accordance with both the general law and the Code".

Ofcom found that the comments made in the programme were said in the context of a specialised religious programme made for a particularly niche and predominantly Christian audience.

Ofcom state that they have "always considered that it is possible for the follower of one religion to reject or critique other religions in the course of sermonising or proselytising and remain within the requirements for Rule 4.1. of the Broadcasting Code. However, this Code Rule requires broadcasters to exercise the proper degree of responsibility when, for example, using hyperbole which may include more extreme views which could be deemed offensive to people in the audience who hold different views and beliefs."

Ofcom found that Revelation TV, having failed to review the content of this programme prior to transmission, placed itself in a situation in which it was not able to put the potentially offensive comments into context. Ofcom therefore found that Revelation TV "did not exercise the proper degree of responsibility with respect to the content of this religious programme as required by Rule 4.1" taking the view that this was a serious compliance error which therefore placed the programme in breach of Rule 4.1 of the Code.

• Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin No. 120
• Revelation TV

ENCO incorporates Google Ads

Starting with version 5.3a, all future versions of the radio automated playout system ENCO DAD will include support for Google's Adsense for Audio.

AdSense for Audio is an automated method for radio stations to supplement their existing revenue streams by making their inventory available to new advertisers using the Google system.

Google’s AdSense for Audio system delivers air-ready commercials directly to a stations’ DAD automation system.

ENCO claim that this is something that will give radio stations competitive advantage in the ever increasingly difficult UK radio market place.

The release of Google's own radio automation software in the UK is understood to me imminent.

Christian Radio Presenter Disciplined and Suspended

Reverend Mahboob Masih presented a weekly Christian radio show on the Glasgow radio station AWAZ FM. With a live 'talk show' format, the Saturday morning programme sought to respond to questions from listeners.

Awaz FM operates under a Community Radio licence issued to serve the Asian (Indian sub continent) population of Glasgow, delivering entertainment, community information, local, national and international news broadcasting in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English. The station claims to be the voice of Glasgow’s ethnic communities and their respective faiths.

Following claims by Muslim academic Dr. Zakir Naik, well known in the Asian community for his critical comments about Christianity, that Jesus was not the only person who was ‘the way, the truth and the life’ and that every "prophet" was in their own way the way, the truth and the life, Rev. Masih's programme received a number of calls asking questions about Dr Naik’s comments.

Mahboob Masih answered these questions in moderate and temporate terms, including quoting the claims of Jesus as stated in The Bible.

Despite Rev Masih's factual and honest answers to these questions, some Muslim listeners, complained the radio station.

Management at Awaz FM asked Rev Masih to offer an apology for any offence which had been caused. But after reading out a prepared apology on air, as he had been requested, the station sought to find further fault with Mahboob Masih and removed him from the rado show.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Reverend Masih continues to seek answers from the radio station as to the way he has been treated and papers have been filed at the Employment Tribunal.

A formal complaint will will also be made to Ofcom that AWAZ FM is breaching the terms of its broadcasting licence.



Mahboob Masih was born in the industrial city of Faisalabad, Pakistan and raised by Christian parents in a Presbyterian Church.

After receiving his first degree in English, Journalism and Literature from the University Of Punjab, Pakistan, he worked as a language teacher in a missionary language school teaching foreign missionaries local languages enabling them to be more effective in their missionary work.

Rev Masih was dedicated to Christian ministry in his childhood and entered into full time ministry when he personally felt a strong sense of calling. He then went to Gujranwala Theological Seminary where he graduated Master of Divinity.

After his ordination he worked briefly as a minister, preaching and teaching, then taking the position of national youth co-ordinator of the Pakistani church.

In March 2000 Mahboob came to Scotland and worked as a community worker with Queen’s Park Baptist Church, at the same time working towards his M.Th (Master of Theology) degree in Biblical Interpretation from International Christian College, Glasgow.

After an attachment to Croftfoot Parish Church, Rev Masih received a call to the West Kirk, East Kilbride, where he was inducted on 1st May 2008.

• See also Apology Demanded from TV Presenter

Apology Demanded from TV Presenter

Venus TV is a satellite television station focused primarily on British Asians in the UK and Europe with the aim of combining the best Asian cultures and heritage and its connection to Asian generations in the UK.

Ashar Mall, a Pakistani Christian who who hosts a regular weekly program on Venus TV, has been asked to apologise over hosting a program on Venus TV on October 3 in which Australian based Pakistani Christian evangelist, Daniel Scott, attempted to address Muslim misconceptions about the biblical concepts of atonement, redemption and salvation.

Mr. Scott in the past was taken to court by Australian Muslims on charges of "vilification of Islam", and was found not guilty by the highest court in Australia.

Ahar Mall reported that in recent weeks his program had come under fire from Muslims as they started asking aggressive questions about the validity of the Bible, the deity of Christ and the nature of God in Christianity.

In the October 3rd programme Daniel Scott very academically dealt with such subjects without being aggressive or insulting to the religion of Islam.

However, some leaders within the Muslim community are complaining about the programmi, claiming that it contained wrong information about their religion and was anti-Islam propaganda.

In Pakistan, the Urdu language newspaper "Daily Jang" contacted community leaders and Muslim scholars in the UK and quoted them as saying that attempts to accuse the person of Prophet Muhammad, and distorting his sayings posed grave dangers to the peaceful environment of European society.

Mr. Qazi Abdul Aziz Chishti, Chief of the Central Party of Ahle-Sunat of Britain and Europe, was quoted as saying: "We outrightly condemn it. A meeting of the party would soon be convened and we would take legal action against it."

Imam Qasim, a prayer leader of the Akhir Foundation, told the Daily Jang that he disagreed with the Christian concept of salvation and demanded that "Christians should call Prophet Muhammad's name with the same degree of respect which is attached by the Muslims when they speak about Jesus Christ".

Anwar Khokhar, a leader of Tehrik-e-Insaf Britain, was quoted as having urged Muslims to write letters to register their protest with the TV channel and "concerned authority".

• See also Christian Radio Presenter Disciplined and Suspended

Radio Verdad - update

Radio Verdad in Chiquimula, Guatemala, is presently off air following a lighting strike which caused damage to its Omnitronix SW 1kW transmitter. (original story here)

Edgar Madrid from Radio Verdad has updated us on the stations's situation and reports that they have now identified a source and placed an order for the output transistors they need to get the station back on air. They hope to receive the spare parts within the next two weeks.

Christian Radio Fosters Unity

HCJB GLOBAL RADIO BROADCASTS FOSTERED UNITY ON EVE OF ECUADOR'S CONSTITUTION VOTE

Ecuador now has its 20th constitution in the nation’s history. Leading up to a referendum on the matter, HCJB Global Voice emphasized the need to seek God’s will in matters of governance.

Doug Weber of Radio Station HCJB said instead taking a side, his staff provided airtime to pastors to pray for the Sept. 28 referendum that determined whether or not Ecuador would adopt the charter.

About 64 percent of Ecuadorians voted in favor of the new constitution.

Weber believes the programming on Radio Station HCJB built church unity. He said the station’s apolitical approach to the election spoke volumes to the government.

“There was a lot of media outlets in the country that were taking a very distinct position one way or another, and we have always tried to maintain a neutral position, even in our news broadcasts and our daily programming,” Weber said.

He believes this puts HCJB Global on a more solid footing for ministry in the future, and he’s hoping this will allow HCJB Global to accomplish its future goals.

“One of the big things we want to begin doing is mobilizing and helping mobilize Latin Americans to move into missions in other parts of the world. We’re trying to figure out our strategy. We don’t want to duplicate what other people are doing, but we want to complement what other mission and church groups are doing.”

Flame CCR needs you prayers

It's been a long haul for Flame CCR as they endeavour to establish full-time local Christian radio on the Wirral in north-west England.

With an AM licence just waiting to be activated, Flame have now been advised that their planning application for the antenna is being 'heard' on Thursday 9th October, round about 't-time'.

There is resistance to the planning application because the simple mast radiator needs to be sited in what is considered a "Greenbelt Area".

Flame CCR ask for your prayers.

Weblinks

• Flame CCR

ELWA now on 6070kHz

Shortwave Broadcasts
Liberian Christian radio station ELWA has been reported broadcasting on a new frequency of 6070kHz with signals sometimes audible in Europe.

The activation of this new frequency is believed to follow the news of the delivery of a new 5 kilowatt transmitter which will augment the existing 1 kW broadcasts on 4760 kHZ (60 meters)

The plan is to recommence vernacular broadcasts into the interior of Liberia. At the moment the vernacular programming is broadcast only on ELWA's FM transmitter from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm daily, reaching only a very small portion of the target area.

Finance & Transportation
Finance has been very tight at ELWA, making spending decisions very strenuous. The absence of a functioning vehicle within the department has also contributed to less work being accomplished in downtown Monrovia because a lot of valuable ministry time is spent trying to catch a public transport.

Back Up Equipment
Lack of Back up equipment is seriously affecting the radio ministry. This includes a need for back-up mini disc player, control board, cd players, etc. Having back-up equipemnt available would provide options to fall back on in times of break downs and repairs.

FM Broadcast Signal
Since the construction of the 350 foot tower, the FM broadcast signal on the 250 watts transmitter has been able to reach Monrovia and the surrounding areas. However there is an ongoing need to repair the 2 kilwatt FM transmitter which would boost the signal to cover central Liberia and beyond.

Moving to Digital Production Techniques
The introduction of the digital studio system is step number 1 in the upgrade of ELWA's broadcast equipment and the beginning of broadening the skills of the ELWA staff with the digital system having made recording and editing easier.

Rebuilding ELWA
ELWA has been a significant presence in Monrovia for many years. But two civil wars brought damage and destruction to the station's studios and transmitters, putting it off air and, at one point, leaving it's return very much in doubt.

But ELWA Radio is now working towards the goal of renovating and improving buildings and equipment in order to maximize the impact of their broadcasts.

This includes renovation of an existing building which once housed a 50 kilowatt shortwave transmitter. The existing FM and shortwave transmitters will then be moved into this new building, with the introduction of an additional power amplifier for the FM signal and the second shortwave transmitter

Broadcasting hours on shortwave are limited, and the rural target audience typically works on farms, meaning that only a few time slots are suitable - generally 5:30am to 8am and 6pm to 9pm)

ELWA Radio currently broadcasts in nine languages for 15 minutes each broadcast.

Grebo, Kru, Gola, Bassa, Kpelle and Kissi are aired every week day, and Dan, Krahn and Loma on the weekends. ELWA Radio intends to add Mandingo, Vai and Bandi, with the ultimate goal of fourteen or fifteen different language broadcasts.

Lightning hits Central American station

• An update to this story is available here

Radio Verdad in Chiquimula, Guatemala, is reported to be off air following a lighting strike which has caused damage to its transmitter and associated transmission equipment.

With finance in short supply, the station is now trying to raise funds for repairs which will allow it to return to the air. Information about assisting the station financially can be found onthe station's website at http://www.radioverdad.org/

Radio Verdad - which translates as Radio Truth - broadcasts on shortwave in the 75 metre band on 4.0525MHz using an Omnotronix SW 1kW transmitter.

After many years of planning and false starts “Radio Truth” came on the air on shortwave on the 25th of February of the year 2000, at 5:20 p. m., and was formally dedicated on the 5th of March of the year 2000.

The station has also been making efforts to obtain an FM frequency with which to broadcast to their own locality but has been encountering many obsticles from government departments. Nevertheless, the station states that it will continue with its efforts to get an FM frequency allocated, a vital step, they believe, in satisfying their desire to serve the social and economical development of Guatemala's most needy people.

Web Links

• Radio Verdad

Christian radio engineer goes to be with his Lord

Source: HCJB Global

Duncan Bell, an HCJB Global missionary engineer for 18 years before retiring in 2006, died of an apparent heart attack at Hospital Vozandes-Quito in Ecuador on the morning of Friday September. 26th at the ago of 77.

Born in Hamilton, Scotland, on Aug. 4th 1931, Duncan married Wilma Chapman in Washington state in 1974 and have two children, Duncan and Shona, 28.

In his application to join HCJB Global, Duncan wrote:-

“For most of my life I believed that Christianity was old-fashioned and that in this modern era that we had outgrown the need for superstition and religion,” Duncan wrote in his application to HCJB Global. “I believed in a god because I assumed that it all had to have come from somewhere, but the god that I believed in was one of my own imagination and certainly not the God of the Bible. I had no need for the person of Jesus Christ.

“Twelve years later [at the age of 43], I started attending church to please my wife, and after two years I was converted, having seen for the first time my fallen life, my despair and my need for a Savior, Jesus Christ.

“My almost immediate action was to serve directly then in the work of the church. Wisely, the pastor recommended that I wait on God and get involved in Bible studies. I rejoice to see the path the Lord has led us in the past 10 years.”

The Bells’ first exposure to missions and Hispanics took place when they got involved in an outreach with a missionary in Tijuana, Mexico. “The local missionary challenged us by asking what we were doing among the Hispanics in Los Angeles. We enrolled in conversational Spanish and completed the available three semesters.” Then they began attending Spanish-language church called Iglesia Bautista Bethany.

When the Bells joined HCJB Global in 1988, Duncan already had 28 years of experience as an engineer in Scotland and in the U.S. His last job before joining the mission was at Hughes Aircraft where he had worked for eight years.

Upon arriving in Quito, Duncan served on the development team in the engineering department, working alongside engineers such as Charlie Jacobson, now manager of engineering and development at the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind. “I appreciate people like Duncan who, after serving in a career in industry, came to Ecuador to use their electronic skills in missions to make an impact for Christ,” Jacobson said.

After the Bells retired from HCJB Global in 2006, Duncan went on to serve with ASOMA, a Christian television ministry in Quito started by HCJB Global two decades earlier. He also taught at the Berean-affiliated Buen Pastor school in Pifo. He enjoyed bird watching, and he constructed at least two homes—one in California and one in Ecuador. He held passports from the U.K. and U.S. as well as residency status in Ecuador, and he never entirely lost his Scottish accent. His wit was quick and he enjoyed a laugh with friends.

A service to remember Duncan was held the morning of Sunday, Sept. 28, in Yaruquí, a small town near Radio Station HCJB’s international transmitter site in Pifo. Yaruquí is also where Duncan and Wilma made their home and had many friends and church family.