We are pleased to present in this issue of the Ministry a symposium of Pacific Union Conference broadcasters. Here is an array of writers who Present their various methods and experiences. The response to our invitation was so hearty that space does not Permit reproducing all the articles in one number. Some must be held over for future issues.
In conjunction with evangelistic services held five nights a week, we have been broadcasting three times a week. These three periods are each fifteen minutes in length. Occasionally the radio talks cover the same material as the sermon for a given evening. For instance, one night's sermon on "Will Sinners Have a Second Chance?" was preceded by a radio sermonette on "The Millennium." This was done to create an interest in the evening service.
"Radio Bible School" is the name we have been using here in Santa Rosa. This name was chosen that we might be able to keep this one idea before all our listeners, for the Radio Bible School is our main objective. All enrollees in the Radio Bible School send or give their names to us ; then we send them to the conference office. The conference stenographers and two of our Bible workers located near the office care for the correspondence and correct the examination papers.
The names of Radio Bible School enrollees are listed along with names of other interested persons. New names are constantly coming in. These are listed and given to each worker in our company. Each worker has a small loose-leaf notebook in which these names are kept. As new names come in, they are typed on this notebook paper and passed out to each worker. Thus every few days, the worker's visiting list is brought up-to-date. The enrollees in the Radio Bible School are allowed to work a while on their lessons before a worker calls, and they are usually glad to see one of our workers when he calls.
The fifteen-minute radio program is broken down into definite periods: Theme song, 30 seconds ; announcements (which we write) by the radio station announcer, 30 seconds ; announcements which we make regarding our meetings, coupled with acknowledgment of letters and cards, and our appeal for financial assistance, 2 minutes. The amount of music varies, since it must serve as filler, but usually we use just two songs, and normally only two stanzas of any given song. The songs take about 4 minutes. If time is running too close at the end, using just one stanza gives us a little margin. This schedule allows about 7 minutes for a sermonette, and works very well. We believe a short broadcast, recurring often, has quite an advantage as an advertising feature.
The broadcasting time is 5:15 P. M. on Wednesdays and Sundays, and 6:15 P. M. on Fridays. This arrangement gives us a broadcast just before our evening meeting, with a chance to do a little advertising. These hours are close enough to mealtime so that at least some of the folk are likely to be at home during the broadcast. KSRO is a 1,000-watt station. It is a home-interest station, and consequently the folk in this territory listen. Many of these conditions would vary greatly in other communities.
Our night meetings are being held in a theater on one of the business streets of Santa Rosa, a city about fifty miles north of San Francisco. Our broadcast covers a territory about seventy-five by forty miles. This block of territory is quite thickly populated in certain localities. Present interest indicates that with God's blessing we will gather a harvest of souls in this locality.
