Shining the light

By NANCY KIMBALL

The Daily Inter Lake

Christian radio leader lends expertise to sister station in Ukraine

Just 60 miles down the road from the world's worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, phone lines ring nearly nonstop in Svitle Radio's cramped offices.

It's been two years since the low-band FM radio station went on air in Kiev, under the auspices of CBN's Charity Association Emmanuel.

In that time, those phone lines have been connecting the 2.7 million people of Kiev, Ukraine, in a Christian revival of sorts that shows no sign of cooling down.

"These guys get 1,000 calls a month," Brad Rauch said, shaking his head in amazement.

He's sitting in the Kalispell conference room of KALS radio, the Flathead's Christian radio station that calls itself The Light FM. Svitle Radio translates into Light Radio.

The similarity is just one of several bonds in a growing sister-station partnership. Rauch has been working the past two years to establish a face-to-face relationship, something he accomplished with a trip to Ukraine in March.

Still, Rauch, the general manager for KALS, displayed a bit of brotherly jealousy.

"I'd love to have 1,000 calls a month," he said.

But the big smile on his face can't fool anyone.

From a country devoid of anything but the most subdued outposts of Christianity until recent years, Rauch is thrilled with the response from those dialed into the low-band FM station. It operates as Radio Emmanuel under the CBN umbrella in Ukraine.

CBN and other missions in Ukraine are finding people eager to hear more.

"The hunger is big," Rauch said.

HIS FIRST-HAND look at how Christian broadcasting is shaping the former Soviet republic was 10 years in the making.

A decade ago, Rauch and Bruce Erickson, his then-partner at KALS, invited Steve Weber into their studios for an interview.

Weber is the Commonwealth of Independent States regional director for CBN, the television network that Rauch said is fielding 10,000 calls a month from people living in the alliance of 11 former Soviet republics.

Weber's Flathead Valley connection came through his wife - Kristi Jones, the daughter of Paul and Helen Jones, who founded Jones Music store in Kalispell many years ago.

The Webers moved to Russia in 1990, then to Ukraine a year or two later. Each summer they return to the Flathead Valley, maintaining contact with Rauch on their visits.

When Svitle Radio, Ukraine's first Christian radio station, went on-air on June 7, 2005, Weber invited Rauch to make the trip and lend his radio expertise toward making it a professionally run operation. Plans were in place a year ago, but a death in Rauch's family postponed the trip for a year.

Finally, on March 20, the plane carrying Rauch, Ron Brewster and Andy Vaughan lifted off.

Brewster is director for the Youth With A Mission base in Lakeside, and Vaughan is a YWAM missionary who has been to Ukraine a half-dozen times. The Lakeside base "adopted" the YWAM base in Ukraine, which in turn hosted the three men in March.

RAUCH WAS impressed with what he found at Svitle Radio.

Viktor Radin is the station's 75-year-old general manager.

"He was a commander in the Soviet Army," Rauch said, "then God gave him a vision for Christian radio."

Radin has the drive and vision from his military commander days, and the heart for spreading the Gospel fostered since his conversion and his days serving as an assistant pastor for a church.

Galina Tolchanova is the program director/station manager. A professional recording artist before coming to the radio station, she has the technical expertise and public savvy to put together locally produced programs to reach the hungry population that Rauch encountered.

Together, Radin and Tolchanova developed a business plan and assembled a staff who work long hours, not for the money - each of them is making a fraction of a living wage - but out of their dedication to getting out the Christian message in Kiev.

Rauch knows that low level of funding can last only so long.

On this trip, he said he lent his radio expertise to help with the nuts and bolts of their programming, management, staff and efforts to infuse the culture with a Christian message. But a major focus of his work there is to boost their revenue to a sustainable level through advertising, fund-raising and other means.

He sees that as entirely possible. The CBN organization provides three-fourths of Svitle Radio's budget, with the other fourth raised locally.

RAUCH IS working with Radin and Tolchanova on three priorities.

. They hope to add seven licenses to extend the radio's reach the 47 million people of Ukraine - adding another 100,000 to 1 million listeners per license, Rauch estimated. Fees for each new license will be about $12,000, he said.

"The best thing people can do is pray they get their licenses," Rauch said, emphasizing the singular impact the expansion will make. "KALS will never reach 47 million people."

. Money needs to be found to raise staff salaries - probably the lowest in the Kiev radio market. They are ministry-oriented now, but need to meet daily living expenses. He's also helping them look at automating at least a portion of their programming.

. Crucial to the first two goals will be adding a salesperson immediately. Rauch is helping them work out a staffing plan and compensation package.

To get there, Rauch said KALS Radio is making a 12-month commitment to Svitle Radio of $200 a month.

Already, donors to the station's annual "Friend Raiser" have helped with that financial commitment, but he plans a monthly Ukraine program update to sustain that interest and generate more support. All of it, he said, goes directly to Ukraine.

Anyone can help, Rauch said - just call him at the station, 752-5257.

THIS ISN'T Rauch's first time to offer his Christian radio expertise overseas. In 2000, he worked with a station in Italy to help with licenses, programming, music and more.

Many others in the Flathead have the same missions mentality, with Central Bible Church, YWAM and others specifically dedicating resources to Ukraine.

"It's possible for anybody," he said, calling up Jesus Christ's admonition to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel," as recorded in Mark's Gospel.

"What part of 'go' don't you understand?" His question was gentle, but he's strong in urging others to participate.

"I got a lot more than I gave. I gave them mostly encouragement," he said.

"It's so wide open. We can take some of our influence and get in on a blessing."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com