The Daily Broadcast of the Voice of Prophecy is to help prepare the area for an evangelistic series, and should not be scheduled unless definite follow-up evangelistic meetings are planned to come toward the close of the series.
The most beneficial plan is to carry the program for a year and eight weeks. In this way the full broadcast series can be released, including the Bible marking, which should be planned to come just prior to the beginning of the evangelistic series. With the date of the evangelistic series set, the scheduling of the broadcasts can be so arranged that the Bible marking will coincide. The broadcasts should be planned to continue at least a month or six weeks after the series is concluded, so that there will be a continuity of follow-up.
The first step is to ascertain the station or stations that would accept the daily half-hour series and the price. Then, when the price is known, a budget needs to be developed.
The support of the Daily Broadcast is the responsibility of the local conference and the local church or churches, a part of their evangelistic budget. Funds for this purpose may come from individual contributors, business sponsors, proceeds from cooperative projects, and conference evangelistic appropriations. A budget for fifty-two weeks of broadcasts, plus the eight weeks of Bible marking, is computed by multiplying the cost of one broadcast by six days a week, times 60 weeks. In most areas the stations that accept the daily program will give free time on Sunday for the weekly broadcast, after you have paid for six days of Daily Broadcasts.
One plan is for the church to solicit individual pledges for the support of the broadcasts, then look to the church budget and the conference evangelistic budget to cover the amount remaining.
In setting up a program of this kind, one should not forget the necessity of funds for advertising, so that proper promotional materials can be provided to invite the people in the community to listen to the broadcasts and to enroll for the free Bible correspondence course offered. Also, where possible, a highway sign or signs should be made available to promote listening to the Daily Broadcasts.
In a number of areas business firms have arranged to sponsor the broadcast for spot announcements before and after the program, charging the station time invoice to their advertising budget. In other cases an individual or a group of persons in the church has become responsible for a week's charges; a second group for the next week, and so on, thus setting up thirteen groups or individuals for the first quarter of the year, and repeating. Or if the church is large enough, four groups of thirteen weeks each, will cover a year of broadcasting.
Cost of station time varies, depending upon the location, the listening audience, and the interest the station manager takes in the broadcast. Programs have been put on for as little as 5150 a month. In other instances some have run up to over $100 a day.
Advertising kits and supplies are provided at cost. This is the ideal way to break into a dark county, and the Voice of Prophecy invites questions as to the best procedure.
