It’s a crisis that has “use shortwave radio” written all over it. Pakistan has experienced the worst flooding that anyone can remember. UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteras describes it as a “monsoon on steroids.” And a staggering one-third of the country has been put under water. The floods have killed about 1,000 and have affected 30-million in one way or another.
With electricity, the internet, and local radio stations impacted by the flooding—Radio Pakistan has provided an emergency SMS service for those affected. And emergency personnel have attempted to broadcast via local radio stations that remain in operation.While it’s difficult-to-impossible to know exactly how many people are unable to access SMS messaging or how many local stations have been knocked off the air—we know that long-distance shortwave radio provides a source of information for those with battery-operated or hand-cranked radios.
Your New Life Station broadcasts by shortwave radio and over the internet.
With waters now receding—Your New Life Station is providing cautionary information for affected listeners—as they attempt to move back into their homes and clean up after the flooding. Information includes tips about wading through the remaining water, avoiding snakes and live electric wires, and disinfecting locations contaminated by flood water.The flood recovery information was provided by making last-minute changes in our program order and content—changes that still preserved the core content of our daily programs. The only content set aside were promotional announcements; these took a back seat to information that flood victims needed to hear soon rather than later.
The Pacific Rim and Southwest Asia
The Pacific Rim, the Indian subcontinent and southwest Asia provide the reasons Your New Life Station broadcasts the International English Hour. The Pacific Rim is that part of the Eastern Hemisphere that encompasses English-prevalent countries Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and New Zealand. Additionally—English is widely spoken in Indonesia. And English is the official language of government and commerce in the southwest Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In Japan and in countries of the Middle East, many speak English as a second language.
Your New Life Station’s broadcast schedule makes use of Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), a 24-hour system also known as Greenwich Mean Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behind UTC; Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind. When some parts of the world switch to daylight saving time for the warm weather months, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is four hours behind UTC, and Central Daylight Time (CDT) is five hours behind. Outside the U.S.—most locations are on standard time all year rather than daylight time. Karachi is five hours ahead of UTC. Mumbai and New Delhi are five-and-a-half hours ahead. Manila, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lampur are eight hours ahead. And Tokyo is nine hours ahead of UTC.
You can use our listener website www.knls.org to hear the English Hour if you have internet access. You can also access the broadcast through the KNLS app on your mobile device or through Google or Safari. If you listen via shortwave radio, you can access knls.org to get our broadcast frequencies or you can write us and request a schedule.
The English Hour is the Asian continent’s source for the music of our time and the message of all time. We work to provide a geographical balance in the topics we feature as we take you from “Alaska to Asia to Africa to America.” 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 and music selections may raise questions that a thoughtful truth seeker will ask. And other segments, such as the Bible or Christian lifestyle lessons, serve to answer those questions.
Music to Love
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 English Hour features your favorite songs from today’s best music. 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 pop, rock, r & b, and occasional hip-hop and country music that crosses over to the pop charts. The English Hour generally features music by artists from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. But music artists from all over the world, including European deejays and South Korean boy bands, have found their names on or near the top of international pop charts.
In September—you’ll hear new music from Dermot Kennedy, Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean, Halsey, and Steven Sanchez.
News to Know
The English hour features reporting about topics of current interest. Marcy Bryan reports about entertainment, business, and news about religion and social issues. Kelly Ann Monahan has the latest developments in medicine, science, and computer technology. Paul Ladd provides special reports about diverse topics, religious and secular. Larry Souder interviews interesting people, sometimes in front of a live audience, on Souder & Friends. Doug Poling provides commentary on the news from a Christian perspective on Today’s News & the Good News. And Adam Holz, Jonathan McKee, and Paul Asay of Focus on the Family provide Plugged-in reviews of the latest movies, online games, and TV shows.
Upcoming Reports for September
- Processed food can make us crazy. Kelly Ann Monahan reports on research linking processed to early onset of dementia.
- Be careful when taking that power nap. Kelly Ann reports that excessive napping has been linked to an increased risk of stroke.
- Parents will have more control over what kids will be able to access on Snapchat.
Kelly Ann also reports on the Snapchat Family Center.
- And Kelly Ann reports on accelerated warming in Earth’s Arctic regions, the recovery of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the conservation status of the beloved, but endangered, monarch butterfly.
- Supersonic passenger transport is on its way back to the world’s skies and airports. Marcy Bryan reports on American Airlines’ purchase of new supersonic jets even as the carrier prepares to cut back on the number of flights.
- *If you’re already mad at yourself for throwing away your vinyl records—then get even madder. Marcy also reports on the comeback of the vinyl.
* And Marcy reports on the effort to get museums to return artifacts and artwork that was stolen from their rightful owners—especially those stolen by the Nazis.A Message to Live
This is what we’re about and why we’re on the air and on the internet. Our mission is to present the lessons of the Bible, including and emphasizing the Good News in an interesting, non-threatening way.
Ongoing Series:
• Andy Baker’s Prayer Lesson
• Believer’s Hall of Faith with Bill Young
• Bible Archaeology—Proofs from the Earth with Bill Humble
• Creation Moments with Paul Taylor
• Direction with Rubel Shelly
• Encounters with Jesus with Larry Souder
• Family Minute with Brit & Kate Ryan
• First Person with Paul Ladd
• God’s Money with Don White
• God’s Passion for Humanity with Bill Young
• Groundwire with Sean Dunn
• Hope in Conflict with Larry Souder
• Immersed in Life with Greg Taylor
• Jim Daly commentary
• Journeys in Faith with Larry Souder
• Joy of Peacemaking with Larry Souder
• Life Stories with Joe Norris
• Paradoxes with Bill Steensland
• Profiles of the New Testament with Bob Borquez
• Profiles of the Old Testament with Royce Kessler
• Promises with Royce Kessler
• Refiner’s Fire with Paul Ladd
• The Big Picture with Steve Diggs
• The Good Book with Greg Taylor
• The Journey with Greg Taylor
• Today’s News & the Good News with Doug Poling
• True Stories of the Bible with Bill Steensland
• Unforgettable Conversations with Larry Souder
Categories: ENGLISH
