Nearly 100% of cars have these. Sixty-eight percent of homes have at least one of these.1 Eighty percent of Americans tune into one of these at least once a week.2 And the most listened to program is The Dave Ramsey Show.3 If you haven’t figured it out, I’m talking about a radio, and today is National Radio Day. This celebrates an invention that revolutionized how we got our news to become a more connected society.
It’s hard to trace the invention of the radio down to a single moment. Beginning in the late 1800s, inventors discovered principles of electricity or developed components that would be brought together to create the radio.
“In Germany, Heinrich Hertz’s research proved electricity could be transmitted wirelessly. Elsewhere, the prolific inventor Nicola Tesla patented multiple inventions. He provided the radio with the Tesla coil. Born in Croatia, Tesla also contributed many patents involving alternating current. Not only did Tesla make the radio possible, but he also advanced the science and production of numerous other inventions. However, when it comes to the first commercially available wireless, Italian, Guglielmo Marconi receives the honor.”4
“Established by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, KDKA is widely recognized as the first commercial radio station. Westinghouse used vacuum tube transmitters to develop this audio communication, a stark contrast from earlier spark-gap technology that could only transmit Morse code. Realizing its new capabilities, Westinghouse added radio receivers to its home appliance line and planned to produce regular radio programming…
“In October 1920, Westinghouse obtained a commercial broadcasting authorization from the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Navigation. On November 2, 1920, KDKA transmitted its first scheduled broadcast, airing the continuous live returns of the presidential election between Warren G. Harding and James Cox. The station went on to provide regular programming thereafter. It was first to broadcast professional baseball by announcing a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies on August 5, 1921, and on October 8, 1921, KDKA aired the first live football game between West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh.
“Within four years of the initial broadcast, there were 600 commercial radio stations in the United States. By 1954, there were more radio receivers in the world than printed daily newspapers.”5
We might think that in this age of smartphones, streaming is surpassing the need for radio. To some degree, this is true. However, radio stations are not obsolete. They have merely adapted as technology advances. And radio is still one of the easiest and most affordable ways to get the Gospel into regions of the world where internet and cell phone towers are unavailable.
Trans World Radio first aired an evangelistic broadcast on February 22, 1954 in Tangier, Morocco. By October 1960, this small transmitter was moved to a permanent site in Monte Carlo. In 2021, their 18th transmitter site was established in SE Asia. Today, TWR communicates in over 200 languages on air, online and on the ground in 190 countries.6 It is impossible to estimate the billions that have been reached through the airwaves with the Gospel.
I know that we all get frustrated with technology, computers, and social media. As technology rules the world, we also see what happens when that technology crashes. Our temptation is to want to abandon technology, shunning it as if it is the Devil incarnate! However, if we do that, we are neglecting some great opportunities to share the Gospel.
The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Mark 16:15 streamlines the commission with these words, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Many avenues are available through which we can share the Gospel. We must not miss any of those opportunities, whether it be radio, television, social media, print, or anything else. While we cannot possibly invest financially in every possible medium or even understand how certain mediums of transmitting the Gospel work, we must do something. We must do what we can.
You may not like one particular way of sharing the Gospel. Okay. So, how are you doing it? The person who throws shade tends to be doing nothing themselves. Wouldn’t you rather be doing something than nothing?
Feelings of inadequacy to accomplish such a monumental task are lifted when we all take to heart the truth of Acts 1:8. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
1Infinite Dial: Mean Number Of Radios In Home Drops In Half Since 2008. RadioInsight.com (March 3, 2020)
2https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/17/for-national-radio-day-key-facts-about-radio-listeners-and-the-radio-industry-in-the-us/
3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-listened-to_radio_programs#cite_note-11
4https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-radio-day-august-20
5https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2020/11/02/celebrating-100-years-commercial-radio
6https://twr.org/about-us
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
