My favorite title for radio broadcasting is "The Bible Forum." Other titles which I have used to meet particular local needs and to fit into certain local station requirements are "Behind the Headlines," "The Open Bible," "Bible Gems," "Evensong," and "The Flight of Time."
Evensong was a free program on several stations for sacred music only, with an announcement at the close that "Donald Haynes will be heard again on Sunday on The Bible Forum." The Open Bible and Bible Gems were programs which consisted of nothing but the actual reading of the Bible, much after the style which is now exploited so widely by Mutual on Bill Hay Reads the Bible. The Flight of Time was a prophetic approach to the current news trends. On my Behind the Headlines, a free six-nights-aweek program, I could frequently work in a prophetic slant on some outstanding development. I had access to the news services coming into the newspaper which owned the station as well as the news services of the station itself. While on this program I was invited to join the National Association of Radio Newsmen.
As to the best time of day for the broadcast, a daily program on a small station seems to do better between nine and ten in the morning or just before or after supper. For a daily program on a large station, around seven or nine in the evening seems to be best. If on the air two days a week, I would say, broadcast on Sundays and Fridays; if three days a week, Sundays, Fridays, and Sabbaths. For these limited-time schedules during the week I have found that it does not make very much difference which time of day is used.
In Greeley, Colorado, on KFKA, a 1,000-watt station with very wide coverage, owing to the absence of smaller neighboring stations, I used the same title for the broadcast at two totally different times, Sundays 1 to 1:30 P. au., and Sabbaths, 4:30 P. 11., with very satisfactory results. All that the two broadcasts had in common was the themes and the name. Sundays I put on a worship-evangelistic type; on Sabbaths, "The Bible Question Box" with questions supplied by the listeners. I talked about financial help from the audience on Sundays only.
A Sunday audience usually is composed of people who haven't been to church at all; people who never go to church and are allergic to it ; people who are prejudiced against religion in general; people who have been to church and whose taste is favorable to religion.
Prejudices must be broken down; the desire on the part of many for the truth must be satisfied; and the message must be brought to people who think they are completely satisfied with their present religion. So I build my Sunday program on that basis. Most of the music is worship music, the fine, stately hymns.
The first part of my program is formal, with a brief scripture, a choral response (if a choir or quartet is available), and a sample of the church's very best hymnology. This is followed immediately by the address. The address is closed with prayer, and a sung "amen." The rest of the music can very well be evangelistic. There are announcements of meetings, books, and the need for further financial support; and in closing I use a challenging or appealing thought. I am constantly adding to my file of helpful sayings, each one of which is written on a 3" x 5" card and kept in my card index. When I use one, I put it in the back to avoid any chance of too-early repetition.
For a half-hour program I use a twelve to fifteen minute address—never more than fifteen minutes. I think a great deal of good music is essential.
The purpose of my broadcasting is to announce the good news of the coming kingdom, to catch the attention of individuals for further personal follow-up work, either by visits or by mail, and to draw the attention of the multitudes to the meetings I am conducting in some central place. The broadcast is not an end in itself ; that is it is a mistake to count on radio's taking the place of public evangelism. And yet, on the other hand, it does produce definite results in soul winning.
I have found that our people are eager to support a truly representative broadcast. It puts a new light in their eyes and a spring in their step. They have something to be proud of. The isolated folk come to think the conference loves them again when they can have a weekly or daily contact with their district superintendent.
We had exceptionally good support in Greeley, Colorado. Six months of The Bible Forum cost more than $800. The bills were all paid and there was a surplus in the treasury. More than half the amount was contributed by the local church through the church treasurer. The rest came in from listeners.
The conference committee has not contributed a cent to the support of the prograin, and we have not asked it to. The most helpful feature in raising money has been to tell the frank, simple truth about our needs. Then it starts to roll in. The dangers are failure to plan adequately for the support of the venture and the menace of debt. It is better to stop broadcasting than to go into debt.
The owner a KFKA asked me to supply him with spot announcements suitable for broadcasting over his daily schedule. I think these "spots" are very helpful, either when offered by the station free or when paid for at full rates, in stimulating attendance at an evangelistic campaign. Here are a few samples :
"Don't miss tonight's great evangelistic meeting at the Bible Tabernacle, 825 Eighth Street, when Donald F. Haynes, who is heard regularly over this station on The Bible Forum, speaks on the subject, 'The Christian Sabbath, Is It Saturday or Sunday?'"
"'God and Dictators' is the subject of tonight's outstanding address by Donald F. Haynes at the Bible Tabernacle, 825 Eighth Street. Don't miss it. Every seat is free. The program starts at 7 :30."
"Hear 'Hitler's Challenge and God's Answer' tonight at the Bible Auditorium, 825 Eighth Street, as Donald F. Haynes, Bible lecturer and news analyst, unfolds the future from the Bible."
In Casper, Wyoming, the evangelistic campaign is conducted under the name, The Bible Forum, and the broadcast over KDFN, three times weekly, is called The Bible Forum on the Air. With this combination each phase of the work receives all the advertising of the other phase. The value of the advertising dollar is doubled. Following the Sabbath broadcast, the announcer says:
"Friends of The Bible Forum, you have been listening to the 34th broadcast of the Bible Forum on the Air, heard over this station every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday at this time, and featuring the radio ministry of Donald F. Haynes, Bible commentator.
"Be sure to hear Mr. Hayes tomorrow night at The Bible Forum downtown, 436 South Wolcott Street, in his Sunday night address of special patriotic significance to every loyal American, on the subject, 'Will Protestantism and Catholicism Merge?' Every seat is free, and you are cordially invited."
