Radio Voice of the Gospel
Encyclopedia
Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) was a Lutheran World Federation
international radio station
based in the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa
, starting in 1963.
missionary
Dr. Sigurd Aske. It had two powerful 100 kW shortwave
transmitters which could reach much of Africa
and Asia
. It also had a medium wave transmitter serving Addis Ababa
. It broadcast in English
, French
and a number of African and Asian languages.
, as well as drama and other features. The staff were international and ecumenical. The news staff was highly respected for the accuracy of their news reporting.
was still under the somewhat autocratic Emperor Haile Selassie and political activism and free speech were very limited in the country. It was therefore subject to some censorship
and limitations, particularly on the local Amharic service. Censorship increased after the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974 when the Marxist government suppressed broadcasts of any story that they considered counterrevolutionary.
Additionally, some of the donors came from the fundamentalist wing of the church and were clearly anxious their approach should dominate, particularly in such matters as creation.
The Dergue took control of the country in 1974. The Provisional Military Governing Council of Ethiopia took over the radio station on March 12, 1977, apparently without compensation, and renamed it Radio Voice of Revolutionary Ethiopia to propagate Marxist ideas. It broadcast in Amharic, English
, Arabic and French
.
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
international radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in the Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
capital Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, starting in 1963.
History
Radio Voice of the Gospel was the brainchild of NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Dr. Sigurd Aske. It had two powerful 100 kW shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
transmitters which could reach much of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It also had a medium wave transmitter serving Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. It broadcast in 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...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and a number of African and Asian languages.
Programming
Many of Radio Voice of the Gospel programs were compiled in nine regional studios in the countries to which they were broadcast in 19 different languages. It aimed to be more general than many church-owned stations, as it broadcasted news largely based on ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, as well as drama and other features. The staff were international and ecumenical. The news staff was highly respected for the accuracy of their news reporting.
Tensions and Controversy
EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
was still under the somewhat autocratic Emperor Haile Selassie and political activism and free speech were very limited in the country. It was therefore subject to some censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and limitations, particularly on the local Amharic service. Censorship increased after the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974 when the Marxist government suppressed broadcasts of any story that they considered counterrevolutionary.
Additionally, some of the donors came from the fundamentalist wing of the church and were clearly anxious their approach should dominate, particularly in such matters as creation.
The Dergue took control of the country in 1974. The Provisional Military Governing Council of Ethiopia took over the radio station on March 12, 1977, apparently without compensation, and renamed it Radio Voice of Revolutionary Ethiopia to propagate Marxist ideas. It broadcast in Amharic, 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...
, Arabic and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.