ARTICLES
May 1998 ARTICLESLETTERS
Contents © 1998
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Doctrine 24 Hours a Day
NEW NATIONAL CATHOLIC RADIO NETWORK ACQUIRES L.A. STATION
By Carlos Bey
The newly formed Catholic Radio Network, led by San Diego resident and former head of Nobel broadcasting, John Lynch, has signed a purchase agreement for ten radio stations, including six in the top seven U.S. markets. These markets include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadephia, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
The network, whose headquarters in San Diego lie in the shadow of the region's soaring Mormon temple, will carry live call-in programming for most of its 24-hours-a-day broadcasts, "consistent with the tradition and doctrine of the Roman Catholic church."
Catholic Radio Network was born out of discussions held by Father Joseph Fessio, S.J. of Ignatius Press and Nicholas Healy of Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio in the fall of 1997. Archbishop Charles Chaput is the episcopal moderator of CRN.
John Lynch, the chief executive officer of the new network, co-founded the Noble radio network in 1978, a chain of up to 20 stations, which he sold to Jacor Communications in February, 1996.
The purchase of the ten stations by Catholic Radio Network -- from Children's Broadcasting Corporation, headquartered in Milwaukee,Wisconsin -- is expected to be complete in September of this year. The total purchase price is $57 million. Board members are busy soliciting invesments to complete the deal. On April 20, Business Wire reported that the new owners have already made a $3 million down payment.
According to broadcast sources, over 1800 radio stations in the United States feature religious programming, a number which jumped 58 percent between 1989 and 1996. But few of these feature Catholic programs. Coincidentally, Catholic Answers, a Catholic apologetics group in San Diego, initiated a daily live call-in show in February on Mother Angelica's WEWN, a shortwave network. Callers from the shortwave network over the last 10 weeks have asked mostly friendly questions of the show's guests -- Karl Keating (Catholic Answers president), Father Fessio, Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J., historian James Hitchcock. If this show and shows like it are broadcast by the new network, callers would not be so friendly. But internal network documents anticipate the combativeness of commercial talk radio: "It is expected that program hosts will take aggressive stances on issues."
The station in Los Angeles acquired by the network -- KPLS-AM -- lies on a strong frequency (830) that during the day can be picked up over a wide area of Southern California.
Other stations in the new network: New York (WJDM-AM, 1660), Chicago (WAUR-AM, 930), Philadelphia (WPWA-AM,1590), Dallas/Fort Worth (KAHZ-AM, 1360), Phoenix (KIDR-AM, 740), Denver (KKYD-AM,1340), Kansas City (KCNW-AM, 1380), Milwaukee (WZER-AM, 540), and Minneapolis (WWTC-AM, 1280).
Catholic Radio Network's offices are located at 8910 University Center Lane, Suite 130, San Diego, CA 92121. Phone is 619-784-6900.