GRF Christian Radio

GRF
	christian radio

GRF contributes to
Communications Bill debate

GRF's chairman Andrew Barr was an invited speaker at a day conference about the recent Communications Bill held at Church House in London on 10 January, organised by the Churches' Advisory Council for Local Broadcasting (CACLB).

Andrew (also the former Head of Religion and Education at BBC Scotland) took the opportunity to appeal for Christians to take a wider and better-informed view about religious broadcasting. He said that he fears Christians are in danger of being trapped in a single-issue dead end, in the continued publicity and lobbying for the law to be changed concerning radio station ownership. In fact the law has now been relaxed such that religious bodies can now own a wide variety of broadcast licences.

Andrew also argued that there are other models of involvement in religious broadcasting which have proved very succesful. For example, GRF Christian Radio itself is a case in point. GRF is a small voluntary team of about 20 people who produce innovative radio programmes which are broadcast all across the country to large and loyal audiences.

He claimed that if Christians wish to broadcast to the widest possible audience - those who would never, for example, listen to a 'Christian' station, or to those on the fringes of faith, or even to the very many Christians who listen every day to BBC or commercial radio - then Christian broadcasters should make sure they are not backing themselves into a small corner by turning into single-issue lobbyists. "There are already people more than willing to marginalise Christians - let's not do it to ourselves".

More details about the Communications Bill can be found on CACLB's web site.

GRF

christian radio

t 0141-221 9447
e the.team@grf.org.uk