$6m Paid To Secure Rhema Broadcasting Group’s Nationwide Coverage
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (ANS) -- According to a news release sent to the ASSIST News Service (ANS) by Chris Price, Director of Development for the Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc., “the future of Christian radio in New Zealand has been secured.”
The release revealed that on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, RBG was able to pay the New Zealand government over $6 million (NZD), which is the equivalent of $4,374,000.00 USD, to renew the majority of its commercial radio frequency licenses for the next 20 years, retaining all existing coverage.
Rhema is a not-for-profit charity broadcaster, so the funds to pay for the licenses came from many thousands of ordinary New Zealanders in the form of donations and significant interest free loans.
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John Fabrin, RBG CEO says, “The response to the 2030 Vision fundraising project has been tremendous. Thank you to everyone who has helped us to renew our radio licenses, whether financially or through prayer or advocacy. It is wonderful that we have been able to secure the right to have Christian radio freely available throughout New Zealand not only for this generation, but also for the next.”
RBG also accepted an offer from the Crown [government] to convert some of its commercial licenses to non-commercial licenses. While this loses some flexibility, it enabled RBG to secure all licenses at a slightly cheaper cost. Broadcasts will not be affected by this conversion as RBG already operates a mix of commercial and non-commercial licenses.
“This once-in-a-generation investment is of huge importance to not only the Christian community but also for the people of New Zealand. Tens of thousands of people benefit from RBG broadcasts every day. Many of them see their lives changed for good by the messages of faith, hope and love that RBG is able to provide through its home-based media mission,” said Fabrin.
With the licenses secured, RBG is committed to continuing its 24 hour, 7 day per week Christian radio coverage across New Zealand for the benefit of everyone.
Rhema has always been a collaborative effort; the whole Body of Christ working together to see 24 hour 7 day per week Christian radio across New Zealand.
“Every person who has been involved in supporting the project by committing resources has in many ways demonstrated their trust and confidence in God. This has been the Rhema story right from our beginnings back in the early 1960's,” says Fabrin.
While the right to broadcast for the next twenty years is secure, RBG still needs to repay the interest free loans.
John Fabrin went on to say, “We are incredibly grateful for the support that has enabled us to retain all RBG’s licenses nationwide. We would like to be able to clear the loans as soon as we can so we can focus on broadcasting life-changing messages to our nation.”
Book cover
Fabrin adds that it is not too late for people to help RBG reduce the amount of borrowed money by donating to the 2030 Vision campaign. To do so, people can visit - www.2030vision.co.nz
Note: Some years back, Dan Wooding flew to New Zealand to research and write a book called “Never Say Never” which is the inspiring story of Richard Berry's long battle to bring Christian radio to New Zealand and how he succeeded and it then became the first station in the British Commonwealth to secure a broadcasting license. Since that time, Berry's vision spread around the world as United Christian Broadcasters (UCB). You can find a copy of the book with a Google search.
Now, for more than ten years, Wooding has been a regular weekly guest from his Southern California home on RBG. At present, he reports each Tuesday afternoon (New Zealand time) about the best of ANS stories. This is carried on “The News Run with Andrew Urquhart” and he also brings updates each week to UCB UK. For more information about RBG, go to: www.rbg.co.nz, and UCB UK, go to: www.ucb.co.uk.
Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 47 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He n
ow hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries. You can follow Dan on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.
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