These are exciting times at World Christian Broadcasting. The renovation of the production studios in Franklin, Tennessee, is underway. New equipment is being installed. And training for studio personnel will begin soon. The remodeled studios will double our production capacity and update our equipment. The extra production capacity will be needed when World Christian Broadcasting’s new station, Madagascar World Voice, hits the airwaves.

Last month—we told of the problems with one of the two Alaska transmitters. Problems continue, as the malfunctioning transmitter is 25 years old. The KNLS English Hour is currently available one hour a day on 7355 khz on the 41 meter band at 1200 hours UTC. We hope to have the other three hours available soon. This month, the English Hour will continue to run encore presentations until July 31st. Then we’ll resume first-run programs. If you’re an internet listener, you may think, “This sounds familiar.” So enjoy your favorite English Hour reruns and realize that many shortwave listeners are hearing them for the first time.

The KNLS English Hour continues to serve the Pacific Rim seven days a week with great music, current news, and The Good News. The Pacific Rim is that part of the Eastern Hemisphere that encompasses the English-prevalent countries of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally—English is widely spoken in Indonesia.  

KNLS is on the air daily from 800 hours UTC (Universal Coordinated Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time) to 1800 hours UTC. Eastern Daylight Time is four hours behind UTC; Central Time is five hours behind. So, if you’re in Dallas or Chicago, you can listen between 3:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you’re in Atlanta or New York, you can listen between 4:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

KNLS broadcasts in Chinese, Russian, and English. The English Hour is carried at 800, 1000, 1200, and 1400 UTC. You get times and frequencies of all KNLS broadcasts through this link http://www.knls.org/broadcasting.htm. These frequencies are in effect until October 31st. Then they’ll change for the winter season. You can also use the website to listen to the English Hour if you’re not into shortwave radio.

The KNLS English Hour is the Pacific Rim’s source for music to love, news to know, and a message to live. The KNLS signal stretches throughout the English-speaking world—including the planet’s most populous (1.2 billion people) democracy—India—that has English as its official language.

While we work to provide a geographical balance in the topics we feature, news about the USA is of great interest to many listeners around the world. The English Hour does tell stories about life in the United States and KNLS’ home state of Alaska. Two of the programs are titled The American Highway and Postcard from Alaska. They often include a discussion of “American” principles—principles rooted in Christianity that are universally understood and applied. KNLS’s Paul Ladd recently won a March of Dimes Achievement in Radio Award for a collection of American Highway segments. And our Eye on the World stories often show the interdependence of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Since our target audience is mostly non-Christians, our content is different from a typical Christian format station in America. While we provide our share of positive, uplifting content, some of our programming also provides an honest look at the dark side of life on Earth. Indeed, some program segments, such as a popular music selection and the 2007 AIR-award-winning report about slave trafficking in India, may raise questions that a thoughtful seeker of the truth will ask. And other segments, such as the Bible or Christian lifestyle lessons, serve to answer those questions.

Music is a universal language. Probably 80 per cent of the world’s pop tunes are sung in English, and are enjoyed by people everywhere, many who are themselves not proficient in English. The KNLS English hour features your favorite songs of the 80’s, 90’s, and today. International pop charts show that your favorite music is also the favorite of people who are culturally diverse—whether in Nairobi, Sydney, Singapore, or Jakarta.

The songs are rock, pop, and r&b, with an occasional selection of country or hip-hop. The KNLS English Hour generally features music by artists from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Americans are familiar with Alicia Keys, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, Boys Like Girls, Colbie Callait, Daughtry, The Fray, Iyaz, Jay Sean, Jay Z, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Kevin Rudolph, Kings of Leon, Kris Allen, Lady Antebellum, Leona Lewis, Lifehouse, Li’l Wayne, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Miley Cyrus, Mr. Hudson, Ne-Yo, Nickelback, One Republic, Owl City, Rob Thomas, The Script, Selena Gomez, Shinedown, Taio Cruz, Taylor Swift, Theory of a Deadman, Timbaland, Uncle Kracker, U2, and Christian crossover artists such as Jars of Clay and Plumb—just to name a few.

Since KNLS is a Christian station, we screen song lyrics for their language and their message. Some songs provide a positive, uplifting, or values-based message. Some provide commentary about life, both good and bad. And some are purely for entertainment, to give the listener a chance to take a deep breath and lighten up for moment.

Once an hour, we take a break from pop music and present Profiles in Christian Music with Gayle Crowe. These include Acappella versions of newer songs that have been on Christian Hit Radio charts.

The English hour features reports about topics of current interest. Marcy Bryan reports about entertainment, business, and religious news. Kelly Ann Monahan has the latest developments in medicine, science, and computer technology. Paul Ladd provides special reports about diverse topics, religious and secular. Doug Poling provides commentary on the news from a Christian perspective on Today’s News & the Good News. And Bob Waliszewski of Focus on the Family provides Plugged-in Movie Reviews. Bob rates the latest movies according to family friendliness. This is in addition to Marcy Bryan’s regular movie reviews in her Eye on Entertainment reports. And Fred Osterman reports about the latest news in the world of radio.

Upcoming reports for summer 2010:

* You should soon be able to watch even more TV programs on your mobile phone. Kelly Ann Monahan reports on Eye on Science & Technology.
*Kelly Ann also reports on the risks associated with new epilepsy drugs.
*She’s a survivor of attempted suicide. And she’s had to deal with a stalker. Amy Hillman continues sharing her story with Paul Ladd on Refiner’s Fire.
*Paul also continues his visit with Bonnie Nadley, one of the dancers on American Bandstand.
*McDonald’s teaming up with Weight Watchers?? Marcy has this seemingly-implausible story on Eye on Business.
* Marcy Bryan also brings us a series of segments on the latest inductees into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Find out who they are on Eye on Entertainment.
*Why does the tragedy in Haiti make Doug Poling proud to be an American? He tells us on Today’s News & the Good News.
*A customer gave a very important part of himself to a store clerk. Doug reports “what” and “why.”
*On I Love Life, Jerry Dahmen hears from Shania Twain and Lee Ann Womack.
* Mary Westheimer continues her long-running series about the world’s most interesting websites
*Bob Waliszewski reviews the movies Letters to God and Oceans, the Disney nature flick, rating their family friendliness.
*Paul Ladd interviews the producer of Letters to God.
Souder and Friends

Sometimes funny. Sometimes serious. But always getting your attention. Long-time KNLS program contributor Larry Souder presents his classic collection of interesting people, places, and things on Souder & Friends.

The English Express

Dick Brackett, Marcy Bryan, and Paul Ladd join forces to bring KNLS listeners the stories behind some of the idiomatic sayings of the English language. This is for the benefit of listeners who practice English as a second language—as well as the rest of us who claim to know English.

This is what we’re about and why we’re on the air. Our mission is to present the lessons of the Bible, including and emphasizing the Gospel message, in an interesting, non-threatening way that an unbeliever can relate to.

New Series in Production

A Conversation You’ll Never Forget by Anthony Parker

Ongoing Series

Andy Baker’s Prayer Lesson
Author’s Journal with Dick Brackett
Bible Archaeology, Proofs from the Earth with Bill Humble
First Person with Paul Ladd
Creation Moments with Ian Taylor
God’s Money with Don White
Groundwire with Sean Dunn
Hope in Troubled Times by Anthony Parker
I Love Life with Jerry Dahmen
Journeys in Faith with Larry Souder
Profiles of the New Testament with Bob Borquez
Profiles of the Old Testament with Royce Kessler
 Refiner’s Fire with Paul Ladd
Uplift with Bill McClure