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| {{flag|Russia}} || [[Moscow, Russia|Moscow]] || Center || 1503 kHz || Weekdays 11pm - 12:30am and 8pm - 9:00pm
| {{flag|Russia}} || [[Moscow, Russia|Moscow]] || Center || 1503 kHz || Weekdays 11pm - 12:30am and 8pm - 9:00pm
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| {{flag|Turkey}} || [[Istanbul, Turkey|Istanbul]] || Radio Joy FM || 89.6 MHz || Weekdays 5am - 8am and 8 pm - 11pm
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Revision as of 13:56, 23 July 2013

Not to be confused with Family Radio Service, American Family Radio, or Family Life Radio.
Family Stations, Inc.
Founded1958
FounderHarold Camping, Richard H. Palmquist, and Lloyd Linquist
Location
ProductsRadio, television
OwnerIndependent
Key people
Harold Camping, Family Radio's President and General Manager
Websitewww.familyradio.com

Family Radio, also known by its licensee name Family Stations Inc., is a Christian radio network based in Oakland, California, USA, founded by Lloyd Lindquist, Richard H. Palmquist and Harold Camping.[1] The network consists mainly of FM radio stations with non-commercial licenses (and a few commercial licenses used as non-commercial) and relays, with some AM stations and two television stations. In mid 2013 Family Radio announced WYFR its shortwave station in Okeechobee, Florida will shut down permanently on June 30, 2013.[2] The network produces programming in more than 40 languages.[3][4]

Family Radio is best known for the false predictions made on the air by Harold Camping. He has predicted that the Rapture would occur on four different occasions; first he said it would happen in September 1994, then he revised the date to March 1995. More recently on May 21, 2011, his third prediction attracted worldwide media interest. Following the failure of that prediction, the Family Radio website was updated to a new design that falls back to the date of October 21, 2011 for the end of the world, which originally was the end of the "five months of torment" including:

"We always look at the word 'earthquake' to mean the earth, or ground, is quaking or shaking violently. However, in the Bible the word 'earth' can include people as well as ground.

"In Genesis 2:7 we read:

'And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground…' Thus the word 'earthquake' can also be understood to teach that mankind shakes from the cold. Therefore we have learned from our experience of last May 21 what actually happened. All of mankind was shaken with fear. Indeed the earth (or mankind) did quake in a way it had never before been shaken."[5]

To see earlier versions of the Family Radio site one may go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.[6]

Programming

Family Radio's music programming consists mainly of early American hymns and avoids other genres generally, including Contemporary Christian Music and southern gospel.

One of Family Radio's oldest broadcasts was a call-in program called Open Forum in which Harold Camping, the station's president, responded to callers' questions and comments as they relate to the Bible and he used the platform to promote his various end-time predictions. The program was finally cancelled not long after Camping's third failed "rapture-less" prediction and a stroke which he suffered in June 2011. Other programs include Family Bible Reading Fellowship, Family Bible Study, Sunday Preaching, Beyond Intelligent Design, Christian Home, and Family Radio World Wide.[7]

Support

Family Radio relies solely on listener-supported funding and donations, and is unaffiliated with any other religious denomination.[8] Outside programming broadcast over the Family Radio network is limited as Camping considers the organized church "apostate", and therefore devoid of God's Spirit and under Satan's control.

Family Radio had net assets of approximately $122 million in 2007[9] and received $18.3 million in donations in 2009.[10]

Family Radio spent over US$100 million on the information campaign for Camping's 2011 end times prediction, financed by sales and swap of broadcast outlets.[11] Financial support for Family Radio has dwindled considerably since Camping's recent failed predictions.

Politics

Family Radio does not discuss politics directly, campaign for political candidates, or endorse candidates or issues. Family Radio attempts to distance itself from political and social issues. Nevertheless, Family Radio has presented programs that may have political and social ramifications, such as those that advocate creationism.[12]

History

Family Radio began obtaining FM broadcasting licenses on commercial frequencies early in FM's history,[when?] and by 2006, was ranked 19th among top broadcast companies in number of radio stations owned.[13]

In 1958, a Family Radio founder, Harold Camping, joined with other individuals of Christian Reformed, Bible Baptist, and Conservative Christian Presbyterian to purchase an FM radio station in San Francisco, California, KEAR, then at 97.3 MHz, to broadcast traditional Christian Gospel to the conservative Protestant community and minister to the general public. With the primary purpose of broadcasting doctrines of Christianity reflective of the teachings of the Holy Bible, Family Radio remained independent, never merging with any particular church organization or church denominations.[14]

Through the 1960s, as a ministry, both non-profit organization and non-commercial, Family Radio acquired six additional FM stations and seven other AM stations under guidelines established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[15] The flagship station for the network of both full-power and low-power translator stations is KEAR in San Francisco (now at 610 kHz, since 2005 at 106.9 MHz). Due to FCC rules regarding translator stations, the legal primary station for the translators was changed to KEAR-FM in Sacramento, after the former primary FM station in San Francisco was sold to CBS Radio.[16]

With the sale of KEAR-FM to CBS Radio in 2005, broadcasts from San Francisco moved to an AM radio frequency.[17]

Many program productions broadcast throughout the Family Radio station network were produced in the Oakland, California facilities. The production process involved pre-recording two weeks of broadcast programming on reel-to-reel tapes distributed to each local Family Radio station for broadcast on the specified date. Free broadcast time was provided by Family Radio to national fundamentalist and evangelical ministries—outside ministries' programs were sent in cassette and reel-to-reel tape formats to respective Family Radio stations for local broadcast. Popular network announcers and the programs they hosted included Jon Arthur (The Quiet Hours, Big Jon & Sparky, Radio Reading Circle); Omar Andeel (The Morning Clock); Harold Hall (The Christian Home); Ken Boone (Music to Live By); Bob Swenson (Transition); and Jerry Edinger (Nightwatch). Each local Family Radio station had local board operators providing world, national, and local news and weather at various intervals throughout the day; regular public service announcements and daily public affairs programming; and local traffic reports via phone call-in during morning and afternoon weekdays. Outside ministry programs included Focus on the Family, Freedom Under Fire, Unshackled, Back to the Bible, Family News in Focus, Beyond Intelligent Design, and "Walk with the King" with Dr. Robert A. Cook. This last program, known as The King's Hour, still airs today, although now often edited in places deemed incompatible with Camping's odd end-times and "apostate church" doctrinal stands.

By the late 1980s, programming was delivered via satellite, local news was taken off the stations in favor of a various national news from a Christian news source, and all but a few local announcements are produced at their Oakland, California facilities.[4]

Beginning in the late 1990s, Family Radio began gradually dropping outside ministries because of doctrinal changes in the ministry. As board members left the ministry, they were not being replaced. Harold Camping's views as they were changing became the focus of the entire ministry. Up until the late 1980s, Family Radio endorsed local church attendance but once Camping stated the church age was over, they now claim that Christians should NOT be members or attend church services of any type. Today Family Radio produces 95% of their programming and runs very few outside ministries. Most teaching programs were hosted by Harold Camping himself up until June 2011; after Camping suffered a stroke, his programs were gradually phased out.

Music broadcast by Family Radio in the 1960s and 1970s was typical of religious stations, commercial and non-commercial. Some commercial stations played Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) for a few hours a week, but in the 1980s, as commercial and some non-commercial Christian stations evolved to Contemporary formats, Family Radio remained with a mainly traditional music format composed of choir hymns, various Gospel singing groups such as the Bill Gaither Trio, Christian college choirs, instrumental orchestral hymn renditions from conductors such as Paul Mickelson and Ralph Carmichael, vocalists such as George Beverly Shea, Frank Boggs, Doug Oldham, Mahalia Jackson, John McGill, Dave Boyer, and others, and softer urban contemporary gospel songs. From the 1970s onward, Family Radio included a few selected tracks from some lighter contemporary Christian artists such as Maranatha, Pam Mark Hall, Cynthia Clawson, the New Creation Singers, Ken Medema, Michael Card, Steve Green and others, but largely abandoned this direction by the early 2000s, although this genre is still occasionally heard.

In the mid- to late 1970s there began a policy of not announcing the names of artists behind the music aired. Listeners had to write in for information about music heard that they were interested in.

Family Radio's text publications, continue to be based on the text of the authorized King James Bible, also known as The Holy Bible in the King James Version.[18][19] Prerecorded Bible readings broadcast over satellite, shortwave, radio frequencies and the internet are generally based on the Modern King James Bible.[20]

Leading up to May 2011, Family Radio spent millions of dollars to advertise the now-discredited 2011 end times prediction.[21]

Two days after this supposed "Rapture" failed happen, A Bible Answer, a Bible teaching ministry who had been tired of the "Rapture", threatened to buy 66 full-powered radio stations from Family Radio founder Harold Camping in an effort to get him to resign from preaching this doctrine. The threat came with a catch – they were not take possession of the stations until October 22, the day after Camping's revised set-date for the end of the world. A Bible Answer's website calls for Camping to resign from the Family Radio board, citing "the self-proclaimed expert on the Bible has brought reproach upon Christ, the Bible, and the church," and adds "After taking the money of his supporters, let Harold give up all he has, to show he believes what he is preaching. He does not or else he would sell. It is time to get new leadership at Family Radio."[22][23]

On August 3, 2011, the radio industry website Radio-Info.com reported that Family Radio was putting two of its stations up for sale: WKDN, 106.9 FM, in Camden, New Jersey (covering Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and WFSI, 107.9 FM, in Annapolis, Maryland (covering the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. the article indicated that the ministry may have sold the stations to pay off "operating deficits accumulated over the last several years".[24] WFSI would be purchased in November 2011 by CBS Radio, which converted the station to a Spanish language dance music format under the WLZL call sign. Merlin Media, LLC struck a deal in December 2011 to acquire WKDN,[25] which was relaunched with a talk format under the WWIQ call sign.[26]

In January 2012, Family Radio applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the license of station WFME 94.7 MHz in Newark, New Jersey from non-commercial to commercial. The application quickly prompted conjecture from radio industry monitors that the station would soon be sold.[27][28][29] Those rumors were confirmed on October 16, 2012, when it was announced that Family Stations would sell WFME to Atlanta-based Cumulus Media for an undisclosed price.[30] A November message from Camping posted on the Family Radio website admitted, "Either we sell WFME or go off the air completely!" The 94.7 signal would be relaunched as country-formatted station, WNSH. Shortly after 94.7's sale to Cumulus, Family Radio would buy a low-powered FM station in Mount Kisco, New York from Cumulus, WDVY 106.3 MHz, which would soon after adopt Family Radio's programming and WFME callsign.

Teachings and beliefs

Family Radio sign in Denver predicting the end of the world on 21 May 2011
File:Endtimes.png
Website showing 00 days until the end.

Central to Family Radio's and Camping's teaching is the belief that the Bible is the Word of God and completely true. However, he emphasizes, this does not mean that each sentence in the Bible is to be understood only literally. Rather, the meaning of individual Biblical passages needs to be interpreted in the light of two factors. The first is the context of the Bible as a whole. The second is its spiritual meaning: in Camping's words, "the Bible is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning." In Camping's latest publication, "We are Almost There!",[31] he stated that certain Biblical passages pointed unquestionably to May 21, 2011 as the date of "Rapture", and pointed to October 21, 2011 as the end of the world. This event did not occur on 21 May or 21 October. No acknowledgement of false teaching has yet been offered concerning the 21 October event.[32] The organization's website became inaccessible early that day, and wasn't reachable until the early morning of May 22.

As a result of spending millions of dollars to promote his "end of the world" theory, many people sold everything they owned and donated it to Family Radio, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of dollars.[citation needed] The California Attorney General's office has been asked by the Freedom from Religion Foundation to investigate Camping and Family Stations, Inc. for "Fraud and Deceit".[33]

Since leaving the Reformed Church in 1988, Camping has taught doctrines that largely conflict with doctrines of the Reformed Church and traditional Christian teaching. The principles of Biblical hermeneutics upon which Camping frames his present teachings are:

  1. The Bible alone is the Word of God.
  2. Every Biblical passage must be interpreted in the light of the Bible as a whole.
  3. The Bible normally conveys multiple levels of meaning or significance.[34]
  4. Numerology cannot be applied to numbers in the Bible when following the Biblical rules—some individuals have attempted to apply the concept to Camping's research.
  5. That salvation is unmerited and cannot be achieved by good works, prayer, belief or acceptance. It is a pure act of God's grace and that those to be saved were chosen "before the foundation of the world". He has added conditions to salvation and teaching relative free will of humanity. However, he has admitted that some, though very few, could be saved, while still in the worldly churches, just as there would be those saved inside the nation of Israel, and that leaving the churches is something a believer should do, just as a believer should not lie or cheat. He also gives credit to God for what has been called "common grace", where the unsaved, the yet to be saved and the saved are blessed to do good works, but this is not considered the gift of salvation itself.

Stations

Satellite

Eutelsat Hotbird 6 - 13 degrees east, Transponder # 89, Vertical LNB polarization; Satellite frequency: 12.597 GHz

  • Family Radio Europe (English): channel 8222
  • Family Radio International 1: channel 8233
  • Family Radio International 2: channel 8234

Astra 2B - 28.2° east, Transponder # 36, Vertical LNB polarization, Satellite frequency: 12.4024 GHz

  • Family Radio Europe (English) : SID 9558

Full-powered stations

 United States
City of license State Call sign Frequency
Birmingham  Alabama WBFR 89.5 FM
Phoenix  Arizona KPHF 88.3 FM
Fort Smith  Arkansas KEAF 90.7 FM
Bakersfield  California KFRB 91.3 FM
Chico  California KHAP 89.1 FM
China Lake  California KFRJ 91.1 FM
Coalinga  California KFRP 90.7 FM
El Cajon  California KECR 910 AM
Fresno  California KFNO 90.3 FM
Le Grand  California KEFR 89.9 FM
Long Beach  California KFRN 1280 AM
Rocklin  California KEBR 1210 AM
Saint PetersburgSacramento  California KEAR-FM 88.1 FM
San Francisco  California KEAR 610 AM
Soledad  California KFRS 89.9 FM
Ukiah  California KPRA 89.5 FM
Pueblo  Colorado KFRY 89.9 FM
Vernon  Connecticut WCTF 1170 AM
Florida City  Florida WMFL 88.5 FM
Jacksonville  Florida WJFR 88.7 FM
Okeechobee  Florida WYFR shortwave
Stuart  Florida WWFR 91.7 FM
Americus  Georgia WFRP 88.7 FM
Columbus  Georgia WFRC 90.5 FM
Joliet  Illinois WJCH 91.9 FM
Des Moines  Iowa KDFR 91.3 FM
Fort Dodge  Iowa KEGR 89.5 FM
Shenandoah  Iowa KYFR 920 AM
Emporia  Kansas KPOR 90.7 FM
Baltimore  Maryland WBMD 750 AM
Baltimore  Maryland WFSI 860 AM
Schoolcraft  Michigan WOFR 89.5 FM
Butte  Montana KFRD 88.3 FM
Great Falls  Montana KFRW 91.9 FM
Buffalo  New York WFBF 89.9 FM
Kingston  New York WFRH 91.7 FM
Mt. Kisco  New York WFME 106.3 FM
Smithtown  New York WFRS 88.9 FM
Webster  New York WFRW 88.1 FM
Bismarck  North Dakota KBFR 91.7 FM
Cuyahoga Falls  Ohio WCUE 1150 AM
Toledo  Ohio WOTL 90.3 FM
Youngstown  Ohio WYTN 91.7 FM
Newport  Oregon KYOR 88.9 FM
Pine Grove  Oregon KPFR 89.5 FM
Springfield  Oregon KQFE 88.9 FM
Bedford  Pennsylvania WUFR 91.1 FM
Erie  Pennsylvania WEFR 88.1 FM
Johnstown  Pennsylvania WFRJ 88.9 FM
Philadelphia  Pennsylvania WKDN 950 AM
State College  Pennsylvania WKDN-FM 88.3 FM
Charleston  South Carolina WFCH 88.5 FM
Aberdeen  South Dakota KKAA 1560 AM
Rapid City  South Dakota KQFR 89.9 FM
Redfield  South Dakota KQKD 1380 AM
Bay City  Texas KEDR 88.1 FM
Beaumont  Texas KTXB 89.7 FM
Kirkland  Washington KARR 1460 AM
Longview  Washington KJVH 89.5 FM
Milwaukee  Wisconsin WMWK 88.1 FM
Salt Lake City  Utah KUFR 91.7 FM

Family Radio can be heard in English from the following local international stations:

Country City Station Frequency Day/time
 Lesotho Maseru 1197 kHz 6pm - 9pm and 10pm - 1am
 Philippines Metro Manila DWSS (Tagalog) 1494 kHz Weekdays 6pm - 10pm
 Russia Moscow Center 1503 kHz Weekdays 11pm - 12:30am and 8pm - 9:00pm

Family Radio also offered international coverage via Short Wave Radio in several languages.

Translators

In addition to its full-powered stations, Family Radio is relayed by an additional 54 low-powered translators:

East Coast translators

Call sign Frequency City of license FID FCC info
W212AP 90.3 FM Notasulga, AL
W203AT 88.5 FM Albany, GA
W220AN 91.9 FM La Grange, GA
W220BD 91.9 FM Roanoke, VA
W203AL 88.5 FM Duluth, MN
W209BC 89.7 FM Wakelee, MI
W205AP 88.9 FM Pascagoula, MS
W207AB 89.3 FM Atlantic City, NJ
W212AG 90.3 FM Berwick, PA
W204AC 88.7 FM Emmaus, PA
W207AG 89.3 FM Freeland, PA
W215AF 90.9 FM Muncy, PA
W208AF 89.5 FM Nanticoke, PA
W280CV 103.9 FM Scranton, PA
W207AE 89.3 FM Reading, PA
W207AX 89.3 FM Burlington, VT
W206AH 89.1 FM Eau Claire, WI

West Coast Translators

Call sign Frequency City of license FID FCC info
K202CG 90.3 FM Jonesboro, AR
K205CI 90.3 FM Phoenix, AZ
K201CQ 88.1 FM Prescott, AZ
K217BJ 91.3 FM Banning, CA
K219AO 91.7 FM Fairmont, CA
K268AH 101.5 FM Palm Springs, CA
K241AJ 96.1 FM Palmdale, CA
K220EY 91.9 FM Porterville, CA
K227AH 93.3 FM River Pines, CA
K213BZ 90.5 FM Richvale, CA
K213CH 90.5 FM Ridgecrest, CA
K238AC 95.5 FM Salida, CA
K204CL 88.7 FM Smith River, CA
K223AL 92.5 FM South Lake Tahoe, CA
K290AG 105.9 FM Stockton, CA
K214CA 90.7 FM Grand Junction, CO
K209BQ 89.7 FM Amana, IA
K236AA 95.1 FM Cedar Rapids, IA
K206BF 89.1 FM Fort Dodge, IA
K205CA 88.9 FM Ottumwa, IA
K206DU 89.1 FM Lafayette, LA
K272DU 102.3 FM Black Eagle, MT
K217CD 91.3 FM Great Falls, MT
K259AN 99.7 FM Billings, MT
K203EP 88.5 FM Shepherd, MT
K214CQ 90.7 FM Grand Island, NE
K220GM 91.9 FM Placitas, NM
K206BI 89.1 FM Carson City, NV
K254AK 98.7 FM Reno, NV

Television

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.truthradio.com/Camping.pdf
  2. ^ http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2013/06/wyfr-to-close-all-shortwave-services.html
  3. ^ Family Radio Worldwide. Family Radio. 21 January 2008 <http://www.familyradio.com/>
  4. ^ a b Family Stations, Inc., Goliath Business Knowledge on Demand Cite error: The named reference "Family Stations fact sheet" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ http://www.familyradio.com/x/whathappened.html
  6. ^ Family Radio announcement of the Rapture, retrieved, archived from the original on October 23, 2010
  7. ^ Family Radio broadcast programs, Family Stations, Inc.
  8. ^ Family Radio General Information, Family Stations, Inc.
  9. ^ Family Radio profile, Ministry Watchers.
  10. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110524/ap_on_re_us/us_apocalypse_saturday
  11. ^ Goffard, Christopher (May 21, 2011). "Doomsday prediction: Harold Camping is at the heart of a mediapocalypse over his Doomsday prediction". Los Angeles Times. Oakland. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  12. ^ Family Radio Monday/Friday Program Schedule, Family Stations, Inc.
  13. ^ State of the News Media 2006., Journalism.org
  14. ^ Who or What is Family Radio?, Family Stations, Inc.
  15. ^ Multiple Ownership;Radio Broadcast Stations, Small Business Administration, retrieved 2008-05-22
  16. ^ Infinity Broadcasting, CBS RADIO pressroom, retrieved 2008-05-22
  17. ^ Family Stations, KEAR 610 AM, Radiotime your guide to radio, retrieved 2008-05-22
  18. ^ "Family Stations text Bible". FamilyStations, Inc.
  19. ^ Harold Camping. "Open forum/text, authorized King James". FamilyStations, Inc. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  20. ^ "Family Stations audio Bible". Family Stations, Inc. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |publisher= at position 7 (help)
  21. ^ "Apocalypse Not Yet: 'Rapture Hour' passes quietly". CBC News. May 22, 2011.
  22. ^ Family Radio gets a $1 million offer to sell their 66 stations - Radio-Info.com (released May 30, 2011)
  23. ^ Goodbye Harold - A Bible Answer (released May 23, 2011)
  24. ^ "Round 3 of the bidding for Family Radio FMs in two markets", News article from Radio-Info.com, http://www.radio-info.com/news/round-3-of-the-bidding-for-family-radio-fms-in-two-markets 3 August 2011; retrieved 8 August 2011.
  25. ^ "WKDN Philadelphia Sold," from Radio Insight, 12/6/2011
  26. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 16, 2012). Merlin hopes for high IQ in Philadelphia (free preview). NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  27. ^ Taylor, Tom (9 January 2012). "New York scramble?: Is New York-market WFME (94.7) for sale? Family Radio applies to change its crown jewel to commercial operation". TRI: Taylor on Radio-Info. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  28. ^ Taylor, Tom (10 January 2012). "Gotham guessing game: Yes, Family Radio's New York-market WFME (94.7) will be for sale. But not just yet". TRI: Taylor on Radio-Info. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  29. ^ Venta, Lance (7 January 2012). "WFME Applies to Go Commercial, Prepares for Sale". Radio Insight. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  30. ^ "Cumulus buys WFME/New York". ALL Access Music Group. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  31. ^ ...Multiple Ownership of Radio Broadcast Stations in Local Markets, Small Business Administration, retrieved 2008-05-22 {{citation}}: line feed character in |publisher= at position 15 (help)
  32. ^ Pilkington, Ed (May 24, 2011). "Apocalypse still imminent: Rapture now coming in October". The Guardian. London.
  33. ^ http://ffrf.org/legal/Camping%20Letter.pdf
  34. ^ Harold Camping. "First Principles of Bible Study". Family Stations, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
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