People sometimes feel that the mass media are hostile to
religion. Perhaps, but three very different opportunities exist for
Bay Area listeners to access information or entertainment on the
topics of religion and spirituality.
People sometimes feel that the mass media are hostile to religion. Perhaps, but three very different opportunities exist for Bay Area listeners to access information or entertainment on the topics of religion and spirituality.
For many years KGO (810 AM) featured a show from 6 to 9 on Sunday mornings called “God Talk.” Its host, Bernie Ward, was a former Roman Catholic priest with a passion for liberal politics. He was also lauded for establishing an on-air Thanksgiving fund-raiser supporting local charities feeding the needy.
Ward fell victim to the law, however, and is now serving time in federal prison for child pornography violations. His replacement is Brent Walters, who has given the show a much more intellectual emphasis.
Walters, a professor of Comparative Religion at San Jose State University, has a philosophy degree from that institution and a master’s degree in theology from Boston Theological Institute, an ecumenical consortium of nine New England seminaries. He has a personal library numbering 85,000 books, critiques, articles, journals and other documents dealing with the history of religion.
The new host has divided his time slot into three hour-long segments, each focusing on a different religious topic. Listeners who sign up on the KGO Web site can receive an e-mail each week previewing the subjects to be discussed. These topics are eclectic:
– The Holocaust, including a guest appearance by a French Catholic priest who researched 1.5 million Jewish deaths in Ukraine.
– Heaven, contrasting popular notions (“streets of gold”) with early Christian and Jewish descriptions.
– The Roman Catholic “Womenpriest” movement, including on-air interviews with “ordained women priests.”
– Guardian and fallen angels and the role they play in Jewish, Islamic and Christian traditions.
– An interview with Thomas Kinkade, who discussed the influence of his faith on his art.
This program is extremely interactive, and the e-mails Walters sends out seem to insure listeners are well-prepared for dialogue.
Roman Catholics in the Bay Area have had a radio station meant just for them since last December. KSFB (1260 AM) may be the largest outlet for Catholic Radio, a nationwide network.
The station is operated by Immaculate Heart Radio, a group of 21 stations with administrative headquarters and production studios in Fair Oaks. When IHR opened its first station in Reno in 1997, it was only the seventh full-time Catholic Radio station in the country; now there are 130 (as opposed to 1,600 Protestant and 15,000 secular).
IHR “exists in response to the call of the Second Vatican Council to the laity to evangelize.” It broadcasts programs 24 hours a day dedicated to this end, using a variety of programming:
– On “Catholic Answers,” host Jerry Usher takes live calls on spiritual matters.
– “Next Wave Live” is a call-in show aimed at youth and young adults.
– “Defending Life” provides a look at legal, psychological and medical aspects of “the right to life.”
– “Bookmark” is a weekly program reviewing the work of Catholic writers, contemporary and classic.
– Daily Mass, recitation of the Rosary and coverage of major Church events are also included on the schedule.
Another religious broadcaster in the Bay Area is Family Radio, KEAR (610 AM). The station is dedicated to the purpose of “accurately teaching the Gospel.” All programs on this station are broadcast commercial-free.
Established in San Francisco in 1959 and now headquartered in Oakland, the ministry has transmitters throughout the United States. It is nondenominational and nonprofit.
An offshoot is Family Radio School of the Bible, a correspondence school which charges no tuition while training students of ministry.
Family Radio broadcasts a range of programming:
– “Family Bible Study” is a verse-by-verse study of the King James Authorized Version of the Bible.
– “Radio Reading Circle” reviews books written by Christian authors.
– “Open Forum” is a question-and-answer show hosted by Family Radio’s founder, Harold Camping.
Much of the day consists of a variety of traditional Christian hymns, interspersed with biblical quizzes.
