Summary
The idea for a full-time contemporary Christian music station was conceived in San Francisco in 1980 by a popular Bay Area radio personality, Bob Anthony.
Upon arriving in the Bay Area, "I had a lot of time alone," says Anthony, "and I passed the time by reading the Bible. I read with an open mind to find out who Jesus was. When I got to the part where Jesus asks you to follow Him, I asked Jesus Christ to become my Lord and Savior." During the next two and a half years, conflicts increased between Anthony's job and his Christian life. "I'd go to Bible studies on Wednesday nights... and then the next day, I'd go on the air and play a song like 'Do You Think I'm Sexy?' or 'Sympathy For The Devil.' "I eventually left secular radio and supported myself with various consulting jobs," says Anthony, "while collecting ideas for a radio station that would honor God with its music."
Through the generosity of our listeners, K-LOVE has been able to demonstrate God's love to others. The ministry of K-LOVE Radio is dedicated to reaching more people with the Good News. The vision of reaching non-believers with the Gospel of Christ continues at K-LOVE, but with one big difference. Today a potential listening audience of more than fifteen million persons can tune in 24 hours a day and learn about God's plan of redemption for mankind through Jesus Christ.
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | 5700 West Oaks Blvd.
Rocklin, CA
95765-3719 |
| Website: | www.emfbroadcasting.com |
| Phone: | (916) 251-1600, (916) 282-1400 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 942816342
| CEO/President: |
Mr. Richard Jenkins |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
Emanuel Kallina |
Fiscal Year End: |
December 31 |
| Board Size: |
7 |
Financial info from: |
|
| Founder: |
Mr. Bob Anthony |
Member of ECFA: |
Yes |
| Year Founded: |
1980 |
Member of ECFA since: |
1996 |
Educational Media Foundation (d/b/a "K-Love Radio" and "Air-1 Radio") is a listener-supported network of contemporary Christian FM and AM radio stations and affiliate stations located throughout various communities in the United States and on the internet. The primary purpose of K-Love is to communicate God's love through contemporary Christian music and brief commentaries. The programming is designed to provide encouragement, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of the Christian heritage. The network of radio stations and translators reaches an estimated audience of 600,000 listeners per week with its non-commercial radio format providing music, news, and educational announcements.
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
K-Love Radio's expresses its mission as follows:
K-Love Radio Network exists to present the Gospel message to believers and non-believers alike.
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
EMF operates networks(K-Love Radio and Air 1 Radio) of radio stations and translators with a non-commerical educational format providing music, new and educational announcements. EMF also provides public service announcements for other non-profit organizations.
Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
Educational Media Foundation uses the following to express its faith:
We believe:
That the Bible is the authoritative word of God.
That there is one God eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutional death on the cross, bodily resurrection and ascension to the Father.
That Satan exists and exerts control over sinful humankind.
That regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of sinful man; a person must experience a spiritual rebirth. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit is the Christian able to live a more godly life.
That there is a resurrection of both the saved and the lost. the saved to eternal life in heaven, the lost to hell.
That Jesus Christ is returning soon in power and glory.
That the Great Commission of the church is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every person, baptizing and teaching those who believe.
In the spiritual unity of believers through the working of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In 1980, popular Northern California radio personality Bob Anthony conceived the idea of a full-time contemporary Christian music station. Anthony wanted to create a radio station format that would honor God with its music. He also sensed that traditional Christian radio was not reaching the average person. His vision was to start a new, all-music station to feature popular artists at the time such as Keith Green, Amy Grant and the Imperials. Anthony wanted professional announcers to present the Gospel through simple, brief messages without using the usual "Christianese" terms that would make the Gospel easier for non-believers to understand.
Anthony bought a small, non-commercial station in Santa Rosa, Calf. for $67,000 - a miracle since, in the '80s, radio stations sold for several times that amount. On Oct. 15, 1982, Anthony's vision was realized when KCLB FM, "The Positive Alternative," broadcast for the first time.
Five years later, in 1986, Anthony felt led to begin a new radio ministry that would appeal to teens and young adults. Today, that ministry is Air 1, K-LOVE's sister radio network. At almost the same time, he asked Dick Jenkins - K-LOVE's current president - to step in as manager of KCLB. On Sept. 12, 1988 a 9,000-acre fire destroyed KCLB's main transmitter on Geyser Peak in Santa Rosa, Calif. Although the staff was stunned, God had a plan that was already unfolding. Another site was found for the transmitter on Mount St. Helena. Again, it became evident that God's hand was in the fire when the staff began to receive reports from listeners as far as 125 miles from the site who previously couldn't hear KCLB.
KCLB changed its name to K-LOVE in 1988 and the network concept began to take shape. As God provided opportunities through satellite technology and digital broadcasting, K-LOVE began to assemble a group of radio stations and FM translators (low-power repeater stations). Today, the K-LOVE Network spans over half of the U.S., from Hawaii to Maine.
In 1998, K-LOVE began broadcasting live, non-stop music all over the world on their website, www.klove.com. While many radio stations are on the Web, few offer 24-hour music without commercial advertising. Listeners from Germany to China are accessing the K-LOVE website for personal enjoyment or, as is the case in communist China, for use in church services. In the United States and abroad, listeners are both Christian believers and non-believers. In addition to offering Christian music, the K-LOVE website gives listeners up-to-date information on upcoming Christian events and concerts. Today, K-LOVE reaches more than 100,000 people worldwide each month through the Internet.
The Air 1 and K-LOVE Networks joined forces in 1999 to broadcast great Christian music to people with a wide variety of music tastes. Air 1 plays contemporary Christian rock music that appeals to teens and young adults between the ages of 18-34, a perfect complement to K-LOVE's adult contemporary format targeted at to 25 to 44 year-olds. Based in Oregon, Air 1 broadcasts in several States. Listeners can hear Air 1 on the internet by linking through www.klove.com.
EMF is a listener supported ministry and the time is now. Winning souls for Christ and encouraging believers has never been more challenging. But with listeners' support, the goal is more attainable than ever.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : A |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 70 | 10/21/2011 5:47:38 PM: Organization made financial information available greater than 7 ½ months. |
| Financial Information: | 100 | 10/21/2011 5:47:51 PM: Organization provided all financial information requested. Information was clear and thorough. |
| Foundational Clarity: | 100 | 10/21/2011 5:47:59 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough. |
| Level of Cooperation: | 100 | 10/21/2011 5:48:07 PM: Answers to questions were thorough. |
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MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
A Contemporary Presentation of an Ancient Message
Educational Media Foundation (EMF) is a radio broadcast ministry, which exists in order to reach a new generation of people with the timeless truths of the Christian faith. EMF’s purpose is two-fold: (1) to reach unbelievers with the Gospel message, and (2) to encourage believers and help them to apply Christian truth to real life situations. The message of EMF is broadcast around the U. S. via the ministry’s K-Love and Air 1 radio networks. These stations can also be listened to around the world on the internet.
Although EMF’s goals are quite traditional, its means are by intention very contemporary. This is most notable in the styles of music broadcast over K-Love (contemporary Christian) and Air 1 (Christian rock). EMF’s contemporary approach to ministry is also evident in how it communicates the message of salvation and Christian living. In what follows, describes just how EMF uses contemporary music and other means of communication to accomplish its two-fold purpose (see above).
Got Jesus?
Both the K-Love and Air 1 radio networks reach out to unbelievers with the gospel. One way that this is done is simply through the music itself. Both stations feature contemporary styles of Christian music, which appeal to the ear and speak to the heart. In addition to the testimonies of Christian artists displayed in their music, K-Love and Air 1 both feature various types of simple Gospel presentations, including:
- A link at K-Love’s website to a very simple, contemporary-styled, Gospel presentation
- A “Truth Line” which listeners to K-Love stations can call, toll-free, to hear what it means to become a Christian
- A prayer request link at Air 1’s website where users can go to ask for prayer about becoming a Christian
- Evangelistic-type radio spots on Air 1’s radio broadcasting schedule, including “Gospel Spots” and “S. W. A. T. (Student’s With a Testimony)”
All of these presentations, on the radio and internet, are geared towards the contemporary person; that is, someone who might be turned off or intimidated by “Christian-ese” terms, but who nevertheless is seeking answers.
Christianity and “Real Life”
In keeping with its emphasis on being contemporary, EMF is dedicated to helping believers apply the Bible to their everyday lives in the modern world. Because K-Love and Air 1 each have a different target age-group (25-44 and 18-34, respectively), each network goes about implementing this aspect of EMF’s purpose in different ways. K-Love features morning and afternoon “drive shows,” which are fun and entertaining, include jokes, stories, and other wholesome material, thus serving as a down-to-earth “lifestyle resource” for believers. News reports, over the air and on-line, keep the listener informed about current events. K-Love also unifies the community of believers through promoting and providing information on uplifting events taking place in various communities. K-Love also offers its readers (and internet visitors) access to a 24 hour a day prayer line. The K-Love staff gathers each morning to pray over requests submitted by listeners. In addition to this, K-Love also runs spots entitled “Closer Looks,” which focus on some aspect of living as a Christian in today’s world.
Air 1 seeks to minister to believers in a number of ways. First, the network airs several programs designed to inform and otherwise equip and encourage young believers. These include: “Family Minute” (A Focus on the Family production), “The Christian Sports Minute,” “Real Answers with Steve Russo,” and “Reaching Your World with Luis Palau.” All of these spots are short, simple and contemporary in tone and emphasis. Air 1 also gives its listeners access to the testimonies of the artists featured on the networks play-list. This is done by featuring an “artist links” section and a section entitled “Artist & Views” on its website. Reading about the faith journey and life victories and struggles of their favorite musicians can be an amazing source of encouragement for young people. Air 1, like K-Love, also has a prayer request bulletin on its website, and listeners/ users are invited to share their needs.
Of course, in all of this it is the music that is the featured programming of the EMF networks. Countless Christians tune in daily for the listening pleasure, emotional support, and spiritual encouragement that contemporary Christian music, in its own unique way, provides. “Christian rock” (featured on Air 1) is probably most accurately classified as a sub-category of “contemporary Christian” music. With respect to the broad array of contemporary music, both classifications are unique in that they are identified not so much by the style of music (although much “contemporary Christian” would fit under the somewhat nebulous “pop” category), but by the content of the music. Now, with respect to the broad array of Christian music (so identified by its content), Christian contemporary music is identified precisely because of its style. This makes for a unique genre of music. “Christian” because of the message, “contemporary” because of the style of music. Surely Marshall McLuhan overstated the case when he famously said, “the medium is the message.” The endurance of “Christian contemporary” and “Christian rock (R&B, rap, etc.)” as distinct categories of music despite minimal or non-existent stylistic differences from other kinds of contemporary music testifies to the importance of the message itself, whatever the medium.
EMF provides younger generations of Christians with access to the musical styles which they have been raised with, performed by Christians who speak a message, which resonates with the believing soul. This is the primary way in which EMF fulfills the second aspect of its purpose. People’s love for music, and their general penchant for the styles of music that are prominent in his culture (particularly during their youth), is certainly an example of a real life situation, one to which contemporary Christian music speaks directly.