Bible Broadcasting Network
Encyclopedia
The Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) is a listener-supported global Christian
radio
network
staffed and headquartered in Charlotte, NC
. The programming consists of 50% outside ministries, 30% music and 20% BBN produced programs. The network was founded in 1968 by its president, Lowell Davey, who also hosts daily prayer
times, children's programs, Bible
teaching, teen programs, and family guidance programs on the network. The network was born out of Davey's failed offer to buy a radio station in Norfolk, Virginia. The company was incorporated and on March 28, 1969, bought bankrupt WYFI and began broadcasting on Oct. 2, 1971, at 5 p.m.
The station also plays traditional Christian music
including vocalists, choirs, and instrumentalists. BBN's mission statement is "to get the Word of God
into the hearts and minds of as many people as possible using the most efficient means." Doctrinally, the programming is evangelical in approach, and somewhat Calvinistic. BBN also avoids programming geared towards "signs and wonders", "charismatic
" theology, and "prosperity theology
".
BBN owns and operates more than 30 full power stations and more than 100 low power stations in 29 states. They also operate AM and FM radio stations in 14 countries of North and South America.. BBN also broadcasts around the world full-time via streaming on the internet in several languages: English
, Spanish
, Portuguese
, Chinese
, Korean
, Japanese
, German
, and Russian
.. It is estimated that these stations reach over 200 million people.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
network
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
staffed and headquartered in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. The programming consists of 50% outside ministries, 30% music and 20% BBN produced programs. The network was founded in 1968 by its president, Lowell Davey, who also hosts daily prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
times, children's programs, Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
teaching, teen programs, and family guidance programs on the network. The network was born out of Davey's failed offer to buy a radio station in Norfolk, Virginia. The company was incorporated and on March 28, 1969, bought bankrupt WYFI and began broadcasting on Oct. 2, 1971, at 5 p.m.
The station also plays traditional Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
including vocalists, choirs, and instrumentalists. BBN's mission statement is "to get the Word of God
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into the hearts and minds of as many people as possible using the most efficient means." Doctrinally, the programming is evangelical in approach, and somewhat Calvinistic. BBN also avoids programming geared towards "signs and wonders", "charismatic
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a Christian doctrine that maintains that modern-day believers experience miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts as described in of the Bible...
" theology, and "prosperity theology
Prosperity theology
Prosperity theology or gospel is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. Most teachers of prosperity theology maintain that a combination of faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will...
".
BBN owns and operates more than 30 full power stations and more than 100 low power stations in 29 states. They also operate AM and FM radio stations in 14 countries of North and South America.. BBN also broadcasts around the world full-time via streaming on the internet in several languages: English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.. It is estimated that these stations reach over 200 million people.