Family radio international website3/2/2023 ![]() While the nearly 20-year-long controversy hurt Family Radio and its relationship with various Christian ministries, its resolution has strengthened the network’s Biblical roots.įor one thing, Tom says, the episode emphasizes the importance of studying Scripture on one’s own and listening to a variety of teachers. “There were periods of time that he had clarity of mind after his stroke and he realized the damage that he and Family Radio had inflicted on the Church and a lot of people.” Lessons learned at Family Radio ![]() “He still maintained his trust in God and he still maintained his trust in the Bible,” Tom says. The current CEO of Family Radio admires his late boss’s willingness to admit his errors. By 2017, everything having anything to do with Mr. “That caused great consternation to the Family Radio board, but nevertheless God put it on our hearts. Camping’s teaching altogether,” Tom says. “Then, in 2014, we onboarded new programming and basically removed Mr. Other books by Camping, who died in 2013, were allowed to be depleted from Family Radio’s stock without being replaced. First, Family Radio removed any endtimes books from its catalogue. In a March 2012 letter to the “Family Radio Family,” Camping admitted his May 21 return prediction was a “sinful statement,” though he asserted that many people were made aware of the reality of Christ’s ultimate return through his failed predictions.Īround that time, Family Radio’s rehabilitation in the evangelical mainstream began. When it did not happen, Tom says, "we had to completely rethink our mission." None of those predictions came to pass, of course, but, in 2005, Camping predicted the Second Coming for 2011. He eventually became assistant general manager and then the GM in 2014.īut Tom’s time at Family Radio also has been marked by turmoil over Camping’s infamous predictions that Jesus would return on a specific date in 1994, spelled out in the book 1994? When that didn’t happen, the Family Radio founder set another date and then another. His first job was supervisor of the print facility, then facilities manager, and then media manager, overseeing Camping’s interviews. During his night shift with the campus parking service, Tom would work on term papers-“even my senior thesis!”-and listen to Family Radio’s open forum featuring founder Harold Camping.Īfter establishing a friendship with Camping, Tom landed a job at Family Radio when he graduated. The California native first became aware of Family Radio, started in 1958 in the San Francisco Bay Area, while he was a history major at University of California-Berkeley. The network has come a long way since Tom began his tenure there in 1987. Right now, Family Radio is a “hybrid.” “We’re about 65 percent music and the remaining portion is talk and teaching,” the latter divided among syndicated programming from such teachers as John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, and Ken Ham. Some of that content will soon include regionally focused storytelling along the lines of NPR’s This American Life. That’s why we’re putting more emphasis on podcasting and on-demand content.” Five years, maybe? Ten years? It’s a transitional step. “How much longer is radio going to be viable? We don’t know. ![]() “It’s just becoming more apparent that more and more people, young and old, are gravitating towards these types of things and using radio less and less,” he says. Smart speaker usage to listen to Family Radio is also increasing, Tom notes. More people are tuning in to those streams, using the FR app on their phones. Right now, it has two streams but is looking to multiply those by three or four times. Every Christian broadcaster needs to embrace technology for new ways of bringing the Gospel.”įamily Radio has seen “a tremendous amount of growth” on its streaming sites. The digital marketplace is opening like crazy. There are so many digital opportunities now. “Our challenge as a Christian broadcaster is how can we go where people are? Our job is to present the Gospel. “We call ourselves a 60-year-old startup and we’re looking for ways to capture the changes but keep the essential part of what we are,” Tom says. The CEO is leading the network, which has 76 stations with a potential market of 70 million people throughout the U.S., into a digital future and new headquarters as the reach and influence of over-the-air radio fades. Tom Evans strives to keep Family Radio “laser-focused on our mission to spread the Gospel and comfort the saints.”
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