As Omari settles down for the night, he looks again at the prized handheld radio sitting on his parents’ bedside table. While he listens to the rain pattering on the thatched roof overhead, he remembers the Jesus story he heard earlier and wonders what will happen next. Omari does not know the people who tell the stories, but he loves to listen to them. He and his family are very grateful for Radio Lilanguka (Radio Light), which airs all its programming and music in their heart language. No other radio station does.

Radio is a lifeline for people all across Africa. Traditional radio receivers often bring people together as they listen to the news, sporting events, and other programs of local interest. Village shopkeepers and restaurant owners often play their radios all throughout the day, effectively turning their businesses into gathering places for the local community. Most cell phones in Africa include a built-in FM radio, making radio the most accessible media outlet on the continent.

LIGHT OF LIFE

For many years, Christians have tried to reach Omari’s people living in Malawi and neighboring countries, but few have seen much fruit. Evangelistic efforts by Malawian believers have encountered cultural and linguistic differences that make outreach extremely difficult and largely unsuccessful. A small church has existed among Omari’s people for many decades, but until recently, growth has been slow.

Local believers and missionaries wondered if radio could be used to effectively share the Gospel with Omari’s people, who had been resistant to all other attempts, but they knew nothing about starting or even running a radio station. They contacted Radio Africa Network. The network agreed to help and partnered with Reach Beyond to launch and support the new station.

Starting a Christian radio station can be extremely challenging in many parts of the world. It would take nearly a decade for local believers and like-minded organizations to get all the necessary permissions for Radio Light to go on the air.

Building listenership for a new radio station can be difficult at times, but Radio Light had no such trouble. Many of Omari’s people do not speak other languages, including those broadcast on local radio stations. When people heard that the new station would be airing in their own language, they became very excited! Word of the station’s existence spread quickly during its first two weeks on the air. Those holding strongly to other religious beliefs were now able to listen to the radio, and they did so eagerly.

TRAINING FOR SUCCESS

The success of any radio station starts by producing programs that engage and meet the needs of the listener. Local believers understand the culture and know how to share the Gospel, but they usually need help in figuring out how to create strong content. They need programs that will effectively engage the non-Christians they are trying to reach.

Since Radio Light first launched, Reach Beyond missionaries have provided training and technical support to the team on multiple occasions. This spring, Reach Beyond missionaries, Benjamin and Tess, visited the station to provide them with additional training. The staff and volunteers Benjamin and Tess encountered were a young, energetic bunch, ready to have fun and eager to reach their people with the Gospel. They were also smart and creative.

“The listener interaction, I think, is one of the best things that they do,” Benjamin said. Virtually every program includes direct listener feedback, allowing the station to be “the voice of the people,” something the team especially values.

Benjamin and Tess invested in the Radio Light team, teaching them new skills and strategies. They spent three days teaching multiple sessions. They covered topics such as scripting, income generation, and effective social media engagement. Benjamin dedicated a session to professional development, something the team found new and exciting. Joseph, another Reach Beyond missionary, taught a virtual session on the principles of journalism. One presenter had never learned about this topic and was very grateful to receive that training.

LEARNING TOGETHER

Even though Benjamin and Tess were there to train, they themselves learned new things from the Radio Light team. They were impressed with the station’s adaptability and its Christian radio internship program. They saw many examples of the team’s clever and original strategies that keep the station running smoothly.

Tess noted how Radio Light had adapted to the unpredictable nature of life in the region. Unlike traditional radio stations, Radio Light uses a presenter rotation for each program, resulting in a program “roster”. If a presenter gets sick or is unable to make it to the studio, another presenter will take his or her place, and the show will continue as usual. This approach removes the burden from individual presenters without disrupting the station’s operations or the audience’s experience. “That’s a very different culture, but I really liked it,” Tess said.

Audiences differ from country to country and region to region, and effective radio will adjust to its listeners’ needs and interests. Despite having an audience that has been highly resistant to the Gospel, the team has become very adept at finding creative ways to connect and identify with their listeners. They do an excellent job of adjusting their programming to match the flow of the community’s agricultural lifestyle, and while most Malawian Christians enjoy up-tempo music, the station airs slow-tempo Christian music, since it is more in line with their listeners’ cultural tastes. Radio Light’s programming approach has earned high praise from non-Christian listeners.

TRANSFORMING LIVES

The Radio Light team also uses creative means to broadcast the Gospel to listeners. Every morning, they air 15-minute dramas that address common issues in the local culture. Each skit uses a neutral tone to communicate biblical truths and teachings. Topics focus on common practices and day-to-day issues, such as the wisdom of monogamy over polygamy or honoring one’s parents, and audiences love listening to these shows.

Radio Light excels at effective off-air ministries that create opportunities to engage with listeners face-to-face. Mary and Melina, two presenters for the station’s women’s program, began looking for ways to personally connect with their listeners. They started hosting cooking classes at the station. Women who attend the classes take the recipes home with them and impress their husbands with the new meals. Word spread, and now, each class has 10 to 15 women, giving the team new opportunities to build personal relationships and discuss spiritual matters.

Programming on Radio Light also includes verse-by-verse expository Bible teaching. These programs are the cornerstone of the station’s ministry and have generated enough interest that Radio Light’s team members now lead 10 Bible studies in various villages, each with an average attendance of 15 to 20 people!

Every day, Radio Light proclaims and demonstrates the Good News of Jesus. Even though their audience has historically resisted the Gospel, the authentic message presented and lived out by the station has made it a trusted voice of truth and a beacon of light to the community.

The powerful message of the Gospel is beginning to transform lives. Praise God for how He is at work and using Radio Light to bring people to Himself!