RVOG -Radio Voice of the Gospel
Tanzania
Although perhaps not a well known name in Christian broadcasting, Radio Voice of the Gospel has a distinguished history, alongside ELWA in Liberia, of Christian broadcasting in Africa, although modified over the years through political change.
RVOG Tanzania was established in l963, producing radio programmes in Lutheran Radio Centre Moshi which were then sent to RVOG in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for tranmission, the RVOG signal being heard all over East and Central Africa, the Middle East and Far East in 1960's and l970's.
This work came to an end on 12th March 1977 when the Marxist Government of Mengistu Haile Mariam came to power in Ethiopia and confiscated the RVOG tranmission and studio facilities in that country.
In 1978 RVOG reappeared on the shortwave bands from the facilities of FEBA Radio on the Seychelles and then in 1979 from the transmitters of Trans World Radio (TWR) in Manzini Swaziland in 1979. Since then, RVOG has been broadcasting one hour and fifteen minutes of progamming daily on shortwave via TWR.
In 1994 RVOG launched on VHF/FM in Tanzania for the first time. Slowly a small network of FM relays stations has been established, providing coverage to regions such as Manyara, Arusha, Meru, Kilimanjaro and Tanga Regions, mainly in the north of Tanzania and reaching only about five million (compared to a traget population of over 100 million in East Africa).
The present studio facilites remain those built at Moshi in 1963/64 and both buildings and technical equipment are in need of renovation.