WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- A top religious broadcasting executive has singled out a former tabloid journalist as an example of how Christian reporters can make religious journalism effective in today's highly-competitive media-driven society.

Craig Parshall speaking in Washington, DC

Craig L. Parshall, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), singled out ANS founder, Dan Wooding, as an example of how Christian journalism can be done during his speech as a panel member at a Federal Communications (FCC) event in the nation’s capital.

Parshall was a speaker at the FCC workshop on the “Future of Media and the Information Needs of Communities,” that was held on Friday, April 30, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, Room TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., on noncommercial media entitled “Public and Other Noncommercial Media in the Digital Era.”
 

Dan Wooding pictured with Mother Teresa in Calcutta

During his presentation Parshall said, “Now as for whether Christian ‘journalism’ is actually possible, in the traditional sense, I give you my friend, Dan Wooding, formerly a Fleet Street reporter for a London tabloid, who became a Christian and started his own media organization, ASSIST News Service.

“Since then he interviewed Mother Teresa in Calcutta before she became a world figure. Just days after the exit of Idi Amin from Uganda, Dan was there interviewing survivors of this bloody regime. He was one of the first Christian reporters allowed into North Korea and permitted to broadcast live from its capitol.

“And Dan covered the historic Billy Graham crusade in Moscow in 1991.”

Parshall began by saying, “It is a privilege to be here today. The subject of this panel discussion -- the future of media in America -- is a profoundly important one, and one that is critical to my organization, National Religious Broadcasters (NRB).”

He then explained, “NRB is a non-profit association that exists to keep the doors of electronic, broadcast, and digital media open and accessible for the communication of the Christian Gospel. Our membership primarily consists of Christian radio and television broadcasters that produce and/or telecast religious programming, but also includes a wide range of other ministry organizations that engage in communications activities.
 

Wooding being interviewed by North Korea Television

“The vast majority of our broadcast members are non-commercial. The vast majority of our non-broadcaster members are non-profit entities. Our data indicates that in the Christian TV and radio production market, about 80% of programming is done by non-coms [non-commercial stations].

“There are about 2,400 Christian radio stations and about 100 full power Christian TV stations in the U.S. 55 percent of these programs air on secular stations as well as Christian ones. Sixty percent air locally, and 45% also air regionally, and some 63 percent also air nationally with obvious overlap within these categories. The point here is that there is a general penetration throughout the nation of some form of Christian media.”

Parshall then spoke about how NRB is using the web by saying that in 2007, NRB conducted a comprehensive survey of the general Christian radio and television market as a follow up to a prior 2005 survey.

He said that the results indicate the extensive use of the Internet by Christian communications organizations with these figures:

* 94 percent of all Christian radio and television stations had websites;

* 66 percent of all Christian radio stations streamed programming on the web, and more than 1/3 of those who were not, planned on doing so by 2008;

* 42 percent of Christian television stations streamed programming on the web, and 42 percent of those who were not, planned on doing so by 2008;

* 65 percent of all Christian radio and television stations used the web to promote their programming, and 60 percent of non-commercial Christian broadcasters used the web to promote their programming, and 60 percent of non-commercial Christian broadcasters used the Internet for the generation of donations.

“Anecdotally,” he continued, “I can say that from 2007 to the present all of these numbers have increased relating to Christian broadcasters’ use of web sites, web streaming and high-speed Internet services.”

He then spoke about news and information programming.

“The thrust of this part of the Future of Media inquiry, as I understand it, deals with the need to increase the quality, quantity and availability of news and information to the American public,” said Parshall. “Non-commercial broadcasters and media outlets, a vast number of them Christian ones, comprise a wealth of resources available to help achieve this goal. Our data indicates that about 40% of all Christian TV and radio programs fall into the category of ‘news and information,’ if we include news analysis and talk formats in this grouping along with variety programs, longer-form magazine programs, as well as straight news shows.

“Yet non-com Christian broadcasters accomplish a great deal with very little. The majority of radio stations have five or less full-time employees and five or less part-time employees. Being entirely donor driven as well, and restricted by FCC rules regarding sponsorships, all of this limits the ability of our non-com media groups to do as much original news and information as they would like.
 

Dan Wooding (left) with fellow author, Ray Barnett, with Tanzanian soldiers in Uganda just after they had kicked Idi Amin out of the country. They wrote the book Uganda Holocaust together

“But there are exceptions. One of our members, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has an array of national and international reporters who do original television coverage of local, national, and global news. Another of our television members, the Total Living Network (TLN) with a hub in Chicago, has its programming viewed in more than 30 states. Its regular line-up includes original weekly programming on women’s issues, health, marriage and family issues, discussions with celebrities regarding lifestyle and faith issues, money and finance, current events, issues impacting persons 50 and older, and a program spotlighting local Christian ministries in the greater Chicago area.”

Parshall then stated, “One thing that distinguishes Christian media groups from the mainstream press is the obvious mission-oriented approach to news and information. We believe this is a positive attribute. Later, I will discuss how this might be viewed negatively, as a barrier to full participation by Christian media groups in America’s future media landscape.

“Christian media not only recognizes and identifies local and regional needs -- poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, unemployment, crime, etc. -- but it also seeks to solve those problems. In addition to the obvious application of a Christian spiritual message, we raise funds, energize volunteers, send people to soup kitchens, rescue missions, schools, jails, and to the epicenter of disasters. After the earthquake in Haiti, NRB worked with several of our member organizations to channel financial support to those relief groups with experience in Haiti and with boots on the ground. Public contributions were received through a text-message cell phone system. One of our smaller broadcasting networks raised $250,000 for Haiti relief in over-the-air appeals.”

He then stated what he saw as barrier to a healthy media environment.

“But there are clear and present barriers to Christian media receiving full participation in the future news and information landscape,” said Parshall. “Too frequently to even warrant citation here, Christian media has been subsumed into that insidious category of dangerous ‘right wing media.’”

He added, “There is no question that Christian coverage of the news needs to either strive for objectivity, or when a theological worldview dictates a certain slant, then simply admit it. But that is usually not the problem. Christian media often admits its bias. It is in the nature of the Christian mission to be bold in proclaiming biblical presuppositions.”
 

Dan about to board the Trans Siberian Express is Moscow during a reporting trip to Russia

It was then that he asked the question as to whether Christian “journalism” is “actually possible” and then cited Dan Wooding as an example of how it is possible.

Parshall, who is married to talk show host, Janet Parshall, who on Monday, May 3, 2010, will begin her new show on the Moody Radio Network called “In the Market with Janet Parshall,” concluded by saying, “One solution for the distrust that I think exists between secular and Christian media organizations is a simple one. We need to talk together both about the common, as well as the dissimilar, challenges that we face. I appreciate the invitation of Steve Waldman [Senior Advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski] for me to speak today. Perhaps this is a kind of modest beginning.

“Secondly, there are practical ways that non-commercial broadcasters can be appropriately supported. Much of the conversation among communications pundits seems to revolve around additional funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as some kind of antidote for what ails American journalism. Respectfully, I do not believe that is the answer. I think the impulse to super-subsidize public broadcasting ignores the Founders’ vision that the media should have a horizontal relationship with, and among, the people; not a vertical relationship as a federal functionary with federal dollars. Public broadcasting is a reality, however, and the breadth of its coverage and the production values of its broadcast programming is notably superb.

“Rather, my concern is that non-commercial broadcasters are being left to languish. At NRB we have two suggestions. First, the current FCC rules regarding the ability of non-coms to raise funds for other charity groups need to be changed. For all practical purposes, absent a national or global catastrophe, non-coms are prohibited from raising funds for other organizations. NRB supports a rule change, that is currently on circulation in the FCC, whereby every non-com could spend up to one percent of its annual on-air time raising funds for third-party non-profit groups recognized under IRS code section 501(c)(3). This would increase the synergy between non-commercial broadcasters and other non-profit groups and would meet public needs at the same time.

“Second, NRB urges the FCC to both clarify, and to relax, the current rules that permit non-commercial broadcasters to give very short sponsorship mentions on the air as long as they ‘identify’ the sponsor but don’t ‘promote’ the sponsor. The line-drawing here is confusing and inconsistent. Non-commercial broadcasters are not asking for the federal government to subsidize their activities. But we are asking the government to fertilize the media landscape to facilitate growth.

"We think that these two rule changes would go a long way toward helping non-commercial broadcasters to do an even better job to meet the news and information needs of the American public.”

Craig Parshall made his comments during a Panel Discussion on Communications and Regulatory Policy. He was joined on the panel by, Rod Bates, General Manager, Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, Terry Clifford, Co-CEO, SRG/ Station Resource Group, Susan Harmon, Managing Director, Public Radio Capital, Ken Ikeda, Executive Director, Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), and Bill Kling, President & CEO, American Public Media.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC's jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions.

Note: You can find out more about Wooding's extraordinary life by getting a copy of his autobiography, "From Tabliod to Truth" from: http://www.assist-ministries.com/feedbkdan/indexbook1.htm

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Chief Reporter