Radio Good News

In many countries, Catholics take it for granted that they should receive information about their Church and nourishment for their faith from Catholic radio stations.

Catholic radio is particularly valued in troubled countries for articulating the aspirations of people weary of conflict, corruption, poverty and moral degeneration. For this, some radio stations have come under immense pressure from governments. Still, with the support of their local hierarchy and the faithful, they continue their evangelising mission.

The various forms of Catholic media – radio, newspapers, literature, and so on – are particularly important in countries where Catholics are a minority. The proliferation of Catholic media in the United States, for example, has contributed to a vibrant and active Church there.

Of course, most local churches do not have the financial resources which are at the disposal of the US Church. Still, many support the basic means of social communications.

While the Church in South Africa has sustained at least one national weekly newspaper – you are holding it now – for nearly 85 years, without funding from the hierarchy, Catholic radio in this country is finding it difficult to find a foothold.

Though since its inception in 1999 Radio Veritas has explored every avenue to broadcast to as many Catholics as possible, current broadcasting legislation has severely limited its efforts.

At the moment Radio Veritas can be received on DStv decoders and streamed live on the Internet, apart from sporadic broadcasts on FM in Johannesburg under a special licence. Imperfect though they are, these are for the present the best available solutions.

Like any media outlet, Radio Veritas hopes to reach as wide an audience as possible. Unlike their secular colleagues, Veritas bases this aspiration not in the expectation of attracting advertising revenue, but to spread the Good News to a wider audience.

For this, the station needs support, moral and financial. It costs Radio Veritas nearly R150000 a month to operate. These running expenses are almost exclusively covered by the generous donations of individual Catholics. Some of these donors cannot even receive Radio Veritas’ broadcast, but nevertheless believe strongly in helping to keep Catholic radio alive in South Africa, for the good of the Church.

This is the spirit all South African Catholics, from bishops to laity, should adopt. The desirability of Catholic radio should be preached from every platform, and the requisite money be raised or made available to sustain it.

The time to do so is now. The Church is hopeful that the present legislation governing the allocation of the airwaves may change to allow Radio Veritas to broadcast on FM or AM frequencies, perhaps even nationwide. Veritas must have the necessary resources available when such an opportunity might present itself. It will also need to show that it enjoys the unqualified support of the whole local Church.

Catholic radio is a powerful means of spreading the values of the Gospel. It is no accident that the Vatican continues to spend a vital portion of its annual budget on Vatican Radio, an enterprise that derives no income with which to cover operating costs.

Likewise, the Church in South Africa must come to understand the crucial role Radio Veritas could play in the country’s Catholic life, and support the station resolutely and without reservation.