T ransmissionby-Satellite Marks 50-Year Gain in Radio Religion

By DONALD JANSON ,LAAr 71 Soecial to The New York Thee WASHINGTON, Jan. 27— radio airwaves. Over the last Fifty years ago this month two few years, religious broadcast- radio technicians, one a Jew ers have bought up more and and the other a Roman Catho- more radio time to beam their lic, stood among members of messages to increasing millions the Calvary Episcopal Church across the land. choir in Pittsburgh to' see that Now, television is also be- the first religious broadcast on coming a media of mounting a commercially licensed station, importance to religion. And KDKA, went smoothly. both forms of broadcast cora- Tonight some 500 producers and broadcasters of religious Continued on Page 63, Column 1 programs marked that anniver- sary at the annual convention of the National Religious Broad- casters by beaming their clos- the program was on 300 fewer dramatic slices of Iife with a Arkansan, dropped radio evan-1 ing program around the world stations. Five years ago ratings in the first international reli- spiritual dimension, sponsored gelism in favor of television 181 indicated it reached 20 million by the Luthern Church, Missouri years ago. He started with one gious broadcast to be transmit- persons, against 30 million to- Synod, began on three stations station in Cleveland. Now he ted live by satellite. day. 20 years ago and now appears broadcasts his Sunday service The broadcast over Intelsat While the figures are smaller, on 470 stations in the United from the •• 5,400-seat Cathedra facilities was but the most dra- the growth rate is similar for States and abroad, reaching an Auditor= of some 15 million the Rev. Billy Graham's "Hour matic event in a quiet explosion audience estimated at five mil- viewers over 272 stations in of Decision," "The Baptist lion viewers. the United States and Canada. taking place on the nation's Hour," the independent "Back Mr. Graham's specials, for His guitar picking, the gospel to the Bible Broadcast" from three days or more at a time singing of his wife and others, Lincoln, Neb., the Nazarene about three times a year, buy and his Fundamental evangel- Radio League's "Showers of prime time on some 280 stations ism bring him $5-million a year Blessing," and scores of other for $1-million a telecast. in small contributions to pay religious programs. "The response alwaYs had for the broadcast time he buys. About 85 per cent of all re- been sufficient to cover the Most of the 272 stations have ligious broadcasts in this coun- cost," said Theodore Dienert, been added in the last three try are the work of evangelists Mr. Graham's son-in-law, an ac- years. or the evangelical wings of the count executive for Waiter F. He told a visitor the other major Protestant denominations, Bennett & Co. of Philadelphia., day that he was unhappy to Continued From Page 1, Cot 2 all members of the national which handles the evangelist's be unable to buy prime eve- group. Three-fourths of all re- advertising. He said his father- ning time, no matter what the munications are helping to cre- ligious broadcasting throughout in-law was considering starting premium, as Mr. Graham does. ate financial, as well as reli- the world is done by members. a weekly television show. Few stations will sell it to him. gious, rewards. Roman Catholic and Jewish 'You Always Get It Back' Many network stations will broadcasters have separate or- sell him nothing at all, pre- "In contrast to churchgoing, ganizations. "At first religious broadcast- ferring their own sustaining broadcast religion has become ers were scared of the high Some Are religious programs. the growing edge of religion," Excluded cost of television," said Marion Most of Mr. Humbard's col- says Benjamin Armstrong, ex- Excluded because they do not G. Robertson, owner of the first leagues in broadcast evangel- ecutive secretary of National meet the national organiza- television station to devote half ism make the same complaint. Religious Broadcasters. tion's code of ethics are such its air time to religious broad- They settle, if necessary, for From the small beginning 50 right-wing preachers as the casts. time purchased on ultra-high- years ago in Pittsburgh, the Rev. Billy James Hargis of Tulsa The station is WYAH-TV in frequency stations. religious ' broadcast business and his Christian Crusade, and Portsmouth, Va. Mr. Robertson, For Mr. Humfbard in New has grown to the point where the Rev. Carl McIntire, whose a Yale Law School graduate, York, this means WPDC-TV at the national group's members 20th Century Reformation Hour began broadcasting in 1961. He 7:30• A.M. Sundays. beam 500,000 programs a year is carried over some 600 sta- has since added religion-orient- Too Early to Break Even for, the avowed purpose of oeMembers are not permitted to ed radio stations in New York,i spreading the Christian gospel. tions weekly. Virginia and Colombia, and in "It is too early in the day Many of the programs go to emphasize "undignified" ap- two months expects to go on for us to break even with do- all parts of the world, broad- peals for funds or to attack the the air in Atlanta with a second nations from New York view- cast in 100 languages. The na- political or doctrinal views of television station. ers," said his public relations tional group, an affiliate of the others. The message must be He estimates at $1-million counsel, David Beaver of the National Association of Evan- religious and positive rather the initial cost of putting a Don M. Heskett advertising gelicals, has 40 overseas sta- than political or negative. high-powered, color, ultra-high.: agency in Akron. "But Rex will "We have dedicated our tal- frequency television station on never drop it because it con- tions. Seventy-five broadcast- siders New York a mission ers produce programs for their ents and energies to the utiliza- the air. overseas networks. tion of radio and television for "You always get it back," field." the evangelization of the he said, expressing a Ifairth in The Cathedral of Tomorrow Sees Gains on Television world," Eugene R. Bertermann popular response to the gospel has other ties to New York. Paul Freed, president of Mis- of the Lutheran Laymen's that appeared to be universl it owns two Brooklyn busi- sionary Trans World Radio, League reminded members of at the four-day convention. nesses—Unity Electronics and said that relay by satellite the broadcasting group in his Mailed donations are the fi- the Real-Form Girdle Company. would greatly increasei the fi- presidential address last night. nancial foundation for many re- Together they produce only a delity of the programs and the While aggressively evangeli- ligious broadcasters, whether sin-all part of the Humbard size of the worldwide audi- cal churches are increasing. they aim programs at the ministry's income. ence. "We hope to begin their annual budgets for broad- "unsaved," as Mr. Graham "Only 10 per cent of the peo- monthly Iive broadcasts soon," casting, other denominations does, or seek to ."build up the ple in the country go • to he said. "Weekly, then daily are decreasing theirs in line saints," as do many other church," Mr. Humbard said. broadcasts, will follow." with declining membership and broadcasters. "Ninety per cent stay home on Fifty broadcasters now use income. Sundays. I didn't have any Switched to Television visions or hear any thunder the superpower transmitters of Cities Are Main Target Trans World Radio abroad, in- One member on the speakers' when I decided to build a large cluding the Billy Graham Evan- Growth in membership in the platform tonight who strives church and put its simple serv- gelistic Association and the broadcasting group; from 107 to for converts was the Rev. Natty ice on television. That is where Lutheran Laymen's League, 400 in • four years, no longer Rex Humbard, evangelist pastor the people are. Television is producer of "The Lutheran comes primarily from the Bible of the Cathedral of Tomorrow the most powerful media in Hour." Belt, and the Bible Belt is no in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. communications for taking the The weekly "Lutheran Hour," longer the prime target area Mr. Humbard, a 51-year-old church to the people." for example, is carried on 1,500 of religious broadcasters. The stations in the United States heavily populated metropolitan and abroad. Three years ago centers are. Most new members, Mr. Arm- strong said, are In or near the major cities and on the East- ern Seaboard. But he said that the advent of cable television would prompt a new surge of religious broadcasting In smaller commu- nities with five years. The growth of religious tele- vision broadcasts is as marked as that in radio. "This Is the Life," weekly