Radio broadcast is educational tool

The local radio station is one of 65 Catholic stations inthe United States.
& lt;a href=mailto:tullis@vindy.com & gt;By NANCY TULLIS & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- After a decade of youth ministry, Martha Coulter began to feel that change was coming.
The following year, it did.
Since March 2003, Coulter has been the station manager of The Station of the Cross, WLOA 1470 AM, a nonprofit, Catholic radio station she operates from the basement of the chiropractic office of her husband, Terry.
"As a youth minister, little did I know that God's call was leading me to promote the truths of Jesus Christ through Catholic radio to an even larger audience," she said.
The Station of the Cross is one of four Catholic stations that are part of the Buffalo-based Holy Family Communications, offering Catholic programming 24 hours a day.
Coulter said that out of 15,000 radio stations in the United States, 1,500 are Protestant and 65 are Catholic. When Holy Family's flagship Buffalo station went on the air five years ago, she said, there were five Catholic radio stations in the United States.
She said Christians have been using radio to spread the message of Jesus Christ for decades, but most of the programming was from a Protestant perspective. She said that in recent years the Catholic church leaders have begun to recognize the powerful potential of radio.
She said Pope John Paul II has called radio an intimate medium but also said it is a medium that can reach people the way Jesus did when he preached to thousands of people.
Following Protestant lead
"Catholic radio has become an extraordinary presence in this country in the past few years," Coulter said. "Our Protestant brothers and sisters have been utilizing radio as an evangelization tool for years, and now we, too, are taking advantage of this wonderful medium."
WLOA is a 1,000-watt station. Its tower in Masury in Trumbull County transmits in a 25-mile radius.
Programming consists of about 40 percent Eternal Word Television Network programming, including daily Mass, the Holy Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Stations of the Cross; 40 percent conference talks and live talk-radio by leading Catholic apologists; and 20 percent local programming, Christian music and family programming.
Coulter said she strongly believes in Catholic radio and its power to change lives. While rearing her two daughters and two sons -- now ages 16 to 25 -- and during her 11 years as a youth minister at Columbiana St. Jude, she taught the importance of understanding what the Catholic church teaches and the reasons for those teachings. That is what Catholic radio does, she said.
Countering questions
She said that during her years in youth ministry, Catholic youths were questioning their faith in a society she saw as becoming increasingly anti-Catholic. She said that too often during her ministry, the young people in her youth group would tell her that friends or pastors from other churches told them they weren't Christians and that they would never be "saved."
She told her young people that without a firm understanding of Catholic beliefs, they would not be equipped to defend their faith.
Coulter sees the mission of Catholic radio as providing quality programming to Catholics, especially those who have been faithful but for health reasons are no longer able to attend church.
She said that many non-Catholics are listening to Catholic radio. She said about 60 percent of the people who call with questions on the live programs are non-Catholics.
"Catholic radio is changing lives because as people learn about their Catholic faith, they become stronger in it," she said. "Literally thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics are learning more each day about the Catholic faith."
Returning to their faith
She said Catholic radio is also bringing Catholics back to their faith. She said many Catholics abandon the church's teachings not because of what the church teaches but because of what they think it teaches.
It costs about $10,000 per month to operate WLOA, so much of her responsibility as station manager is to visit churches in the Diocese of Youngstown to seek donations.
A fund drive May 13-15 will feature live local segments May 13. Coulter will interview Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and other prominent area Catholics.
The May fund drive is one of two conducted each year. The other will be conducted in the fall. The goal for each is $50,000.
XInformation on Holy Family Communications is available at www.holyfamily.ws. For more information about WLOA station programming or sponsorships, e-mail Coulter at marthac@holyfamily.ws or call her at (330) 482-4052.