The Mormon Channel is a new around-the-clock radio station from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called Mormons. This is an official station currently available on the Internet and on HDRadio in areas that carry Bonneville broadcasts. An I-Phone app is also in the approval process. Podcasts are available for download.
Following are the programs currently available on the radio staton:
Everything Creative: This program was inspired by a talk given by President Uchtdorf to the women of the church, which captured the imaginations of members. In this talk he discussed the inherent need to be creative and encouraged women to know they all have the ability to be creative. Members involved in creative pursuits will be interviewed and then will interview the next guest. The initial program is an interview with someone who teaches a course in creativity and it explores how to develop your creativity.
Church News: Newscasts will occur throughout the day, informing church members of what is happening in the church.
Conversations: One hour interviews with church members. Sherri Dew interviews David Bednar and his wife in the first episode. The focus is spiritual, not promotional, and will include both church leaders and ordinary church members.
History of Hymns: Latter-day Saints are noted for their music. This program explores the hymns they love. Throughout the program, members will learn how the hymns-both words and music-came to be, how they’ve impacted our culture or the lives of others, and will also discover interesting performance stories.
Into All the World: Learn what the church is like in other parts of the world. Series hosts interview mission presidents and stake presidents throughout the world.
Legacy: Legacy explores the church’s extensive and uplifting history. Created in partnership with Family History and Church History Departments of the Church, the program helps to build testimony through the historical and everyday histories of the church and its members.
The Light of Men: The Light of Men explores the life of Jesus Christ. This is taught through dramatizations, much
like old-fashioned radio dramas. The program helps listeners better understand the life and ministry of the Savior and brings the scriptures to life.
Mormon Identity: Robert L. Millet, Professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University hosts this program, which is subtitled Questions About the Church. This program is for both members and non-LDS listeners. It addresses important religious subjects that will help non-LDS people better understand critical doctrine, and also give members a stronger understanding of their own religion.
Music With a Message: Clive Romney hosts this program which selects a theme, and then selects music that teaches aspects of the theme. Interspersed with narration, listeners will increase their faith and their understanding of the gospel and learn how music impacts their learning.
Scripture Stories: This program is for children. They learn stories from the scriptures, using the Scripture Readers. In addition to hearing songs and stories, they will hear other children sharing their favorite scripture stories and the lessons they learn from it.
Stories From General Conference: Most prophets and other church leaders love to teach through stories, as did the Savior. This program gathers stories around a chosen theme, and then presents them in an order, with a small amount of commentary, to help us gain a greater understanding of this topic. People often learn best from the examples of others, and this program gives us the opportunity to learn from both the mistakes and the great and difficult choices ordinary people have made in their lives.
The programs offered on this station are specific to the Mormon experience and interest and it is intended to strengthen testimonies and inform others about the church. It does not include general programming. As such, it is a highly focused station, different from other LDS stations. This is, of course, what one would look for in a radio station that is run as an official outlet for the church. Besides the scheduled programs, which come from the church’s archives, other partners, and new material being developed, there will also be live broadcasts and rebroadcasts of selected special events, such as General Conference and devotionals.
It is gradually becoming easier for Latter-day Saints to find quality media made just for them, and for interested non-members to find trustworthy information from the LDS point of view. This is an exciting new addition to the available resources.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
