Catholic radio programming goes statewide

The vision that brought all-Catholic radio to the Diocese of Green Bay is expanding to include the entire state.

In January 2001, Christ the King Communications, which launched WJOK (Jesus Our King) 1050 AM in Kaukauna, two months earlier, was recreated as Starboard Broadcasting, Inc. to explore Catholic radio beyond the Green Bay-Appleton area.

"The goal is to have 100% coverage in Wisconsin," said Dave Vacheresse, president and general manager of Starboard Broadcasting, Inc. "Based on the stations we have, the stations the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has granted allotment, those we have asked the FCC to allot and a station were are in negotiations for, we will have 95% coverage."

Starboard Broadcasting, located in Green Bay, operates WDVM AM 1050 AM, Eau Claire; WDVM FM 93.9 FM Wisconsin Rapids; WHFA 1240 AM, Poynette (Madison); and WZRK 1550 AM, Lake Geneva; in addition to WJOK.

"We are looking at opportunities in Chicago and Milwaukee," said Vacheresse. "The approach remains the same as when WJOK was started. We want to provide community Catholic radio stations. We want to come in as a support mechanism for the local church, working in conjunction with the pastors, working as an instrument of evangelization for them in the local Catholic community."

"We make ourselves completely available to the parishes," he continued. "We want to highlight their events, talk about things they have going on and act as a tool for them in their own capital campaigns. The goal is to be a mechanism within the local church. We are not a stand-alone organization. We want to stand beside as a support mechanism."

Vacharesse said he is pleased with the popularity and success of WJOK and credits its founders.

"We haven't done a lot in promoting it like we have in other areas," he said. "We have had campaigns in Wisconsin Rapids, Eau Claire and Madison where presentations were made in the parishes. John Cavil, Mark Follett and Bob Atwell (founding members of Christ the King Communications) have done a wonderful job in creating enthusiasm for WJOK in this diocese. The success here dictated the vision of becoming larger geographically."

Programming at all the state Catholic radio stations is similar. Bishops are provided one hour of programming each day. Four hours a day feature additional local programming. The remaining programming is national from satellite feeds including such broadcasts as Catholic Answers Live, St. Joseph Radio Presents and EWTN productions.

"We will soon be introducing a Starboard produced, two-hour morning show," said Vacheresse. "It will be fast paced. The show will originate from Minneapolis and include four or five guests a day dealing with current events, cultural issues and hot topics going on in the church. We will put the morning show up on the satellite and I'm sure it will be picked up by stations throughout the country."

The morning show is scheduled to debut the first week of June. Starboard also hopes to expand the number of programs offered for the Hispanic community.

"Every bishop that we've met with has asked for that, so we are looking at opportunities to include blocks of time featuring Hispanic programming," said Vacheresse. "We are also looking into opportunities for Hispanic Catholic radio stations. That is the more desirable goal."

There are presently only 42 Catholic radio stations in the United States compared to 1,500 Protestant stations. More stations will increase the availability of programming, said Vacheresse.

"There are not a lot of programming choices at this time," he said. "Growth will increase the number of organizations producing good Catholic programming. As our numbers grow I believe that people will see it as a viable means for getting their messages out."

While the goal is to launch more Catholic stations, Vacheresse said it would not be done without the support of the bishop in the particular diocese. When starting a new station, promoting it among the Catholic community is the biggest challenge, he added.

"Informing people about the existence of the station is sometimes a struggle," he said. "Once we get them to tune in, we know it will have an effect on their lives. The seed will be planted."