Radio 4VEH Haiti

History of 4VEH - La Voix Evangelique d' Haiti

On June 2, 1950, a test transmission, took place from the central American country of Haiti. From HCJB, The Voice of the Andes radio station in Equador, the test transmission was acknowledged with the mesage "4VEH, you are coming in clear and stgrong". It was the first ever transmission of Radio 4VEH, an evangelical Christian radio station which was to become known to shortwave listeners around the world.

That first test transmission originated in the back room of a church building on the compound of the East and West Indies Bible Mission in Vaudreuil, in Northern Haiti. Under the Rev G T Bustin, the organisation ran Radio 4VEH, "La Voix Evangelique d' Haiti" (the Evangelistic Voice of Haiti) for the next eight years.

In 1952 the first broadcasts in Spanish started.

By 1953, 4VEH was broadcasting in Frech, Creole, Spanish and English using a 3kW shortwave transmitter on 9690kHz.

In 1954 the station moved to new studios in the salt flats beside the harbour of Cap-Haitien.

In 1958, operation of the station was taken over by the Oriental Missionary Society, known today as OMS International.

In 1965 a new 10 kW shortwave transmitter went on the air. An FM link was established between the radio studios and the transmitter site - prior to this programmes were recorded then transported to the transmitter site.

In 1968 a second 10kW shortwave transmitter was added.

In January 1969 Radio 4VEH began broadcasting in two languages simultaneously, with Spanish and English on one frequency and French and Creole broadcasts on the other.

By 1970 the small missionary staff of 4VEH had been augmented with at least 20 Haitian staff.

In 1975 4VEH, which was originally an international shortwave broadcasters, began concentrating it's broadcasts on the Island of Haiti with one 10kW transmitter on 840kHz broadcasting in Creole and French.

In 1982 a new ministry commenced from 4VEH when a second radio station began Englisha nd French language broadcasts on 94.7 MHz FM with a 2 kiloWatt transmitter.

In the first half of the 1990's, 4VEH was using 4930, 9770 and 11835kHz on shortwave.

In 1995 4VEH took the decision to end international broadcasting and concentrate on covering Haiti with a transmitter on 840kHz and a second transmitter on 1035kHz.

Today, a 10kW mediumwave transmitter on 840 kHz carries programmes in French and Creole for 18 hours a day. On FM there are music and programmes in French and English for 17 hours a day.

As the station neared its 50th birthday, in 2000, ambitious plans were developed to take the station forward into the 21st century.