The social relevance of Church-owned radio
Other challenges
Money and advertisers are not all that are needed to run a Church-owned radio station.
DYVW’s transmitter and tower are in need of rehabilitation. The Diocese of Borongan has been described as “a Church of the poor, by the poor, and for the poor.” (CBCP Online, n.d.) It is located in the poorest province in Eastern Visayas and one of the poorest in the country (Province of Eastern Samar, 2007). As such, there may be more urgent or more practical needs for the diocese’s meager resources.
Even other priests in the diocese have to be convinced of the importance of DYVW, it seems. Whether they are too busy to participate in the programs, or are simply uninterested, Cabueñas says they don’t even listen to the station unless there are issues concerning them directly. This presents a contradiction: How can a radio station carry out its aim of evangelization if the priests themselves are not involved or even interested in it?
“Mas mabubuhay ang radio sa mga provinces sana (Ideally, radio should survive more easily in the provinces),” Cabueñas says. But even there, he points out, there is a stigma attached to radio. “In the provinces, radio is seen as something for very poor individuals who have no TV set in their homes),” he says, “lalo na sa amin, sa remote barangays kami nakaka-penetrate (especially in our place, we are able to penetrate the remote barangays).”.
According to the Philippine Media Factbook 2005, radio was the most widely used form of mass media in 1994. A little more than 80 percent of Filipinos got their information from radio as against some 56 percent from TV. In 2003, however, the popularity of radio fell to just under 57 percent — a drop of 24 percent in less than a decade. TV is now the most preferred source of information, at about 61 percent.
The Internet and mobile phones are steadily emerging as threats to radio as well. But it is not these media forms per se that are challenging Catholic radio, or AM radio, in general. It is the changing preferences and habits of a once-captive audience. The ways we communicate and get information and entertainment have changed. A new generation of media consumers demands new technology— — faster, more personal, and more fun. Users can customize what they want to view or hear, and when. And with FM capability built into many gadgets nowadays, such as mobile phones and mp3 players nowadays, AM radio is considered hopelessly outdated. It is now consigned to listeners who cannot afford these high-tech devices, or to the older generation, whose listening patterns have been set for years.
Still, the biggest competitors of Church-owned radio stations — not just for advertisers but more importantly for audience — are shows or stations owned by other religions or sects. The Protestant-owned Far East Broadcasting Corporation, which recently celebrated 59 years of broadcasting, operates six AM and two FM stations. El Shaddai’s DWXI was ranked number two to three in Mega Manila in a survey conducted by the Radio Research Council. The Iglesia ni Cristo owns Eagle Broadcasting Corporation, which operates one FM and five AM stations. Ang Dating Daan, hosted by Eli Soriano of the Members of the Church of God International, is broadcast live over DZRH, 100 Radyo Natin FM stations, and the Radio Mindanao Network. Eddie Villanueva’s Jesus is Lord has its own radio-television ministry. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church also has a radio program called “Voice of Prophecy,” aired over DZRH. Clearly, Catholic radio cannot claim a monopoly on broadcasting for the propagation of the faith.
Survival issues
“In 1986, (Radio Veritas was) the foremost radio station because there was no other station that would broadcast the truth,” Bongayan says. Today, there are more radio stations than ever — some with more funding, bigger talent, better equipment and more listeners.
Catholic radio must distinguish itself in the cacophony of voices on the airwaves, all screaming for attention. Not only will this test Catholic radio’s ability to compete with commercial radio — it will also challenge the Church’s ability to find and use new ways of evangelizing.
Fr. Nono Alfonso, SJ, a mainstay of Radyo Veritas, thinks that the traditional way of evangelizing no longer works. “It’s a turn-off to the young,” he says. “You have to find creative ways to make them listen to you, make the message light, and make it more interactive.”
Finding and cultivating new audiences may yet be the key to commercial success. Take Radyo Veritas, for example. Its primary target audience is women 35 and older (Veritas846 Station Profile section, n.d.)—and its programming reflects this. Alfonso asks, “How do you attract the younger generation if you have manangs na (spinsters or schoolmarms who) every now and then, nagdadasal (pray)?”
Providing hope and inspiration may be a better alternative to hard-sell evangelization, he says. This is the idea behind “Pasakalye,” a Radyo Veritas block-timer produced by the Jesuit Communications Foundation. The show speaks to a wider audience through music and reflection. Soft-sell evangelization is also the approach used by “Dr. Love”—Bro. Jun Banaag, OP in real life. The program, which airs on DZMM, started out as a counseling program for people with love problems. Now it is more inspirational and spiritual in nature (J. Sibug, OP, personal communication, September 30, 2007).
In all this, the involvement of the Church remains a crucial factor in the survival of Catholic radio. Some stations, such as DXGD in Tawi-Tawi, remain on the air despite their financial problems simply because the Bishop is convinced that the station provides a service to the community. Other stations are not as lucky. According to an article in the May 2005 issue of Impact, there is a “lack of appreciation of the role of communication… and lack of support for communication programs” (Acebedo, 2005).
Obviously, running a radio station is not the primary function of the Church. But if radio—or other forms of media, for that matter—is as important to the Church and to its mission as the Inter Mirifica and Communio et Progressio say it is, wouldn’t the Church find ways to keep its radio stations running? If deemed unsustainable, what is to become of the listeners? Who will serve the community?
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