It’s World Radio Day! Joni and Friends is so thankful for our station partners who help broadcast the message of hope in hardship around the world. If you are blessed by Joni’s radio programs, share them with a friend!
She said to me, “Who listens to the radio anymore?”
And I could not believe my ears. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and my friend was trying to prove that people don’t relate to the radio nowadays. For her, it’s all about Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and any one of 25 million different podcasts. But I stopped her with my own set of statistics. Because Nielsen ratings indicate that 92% of Americans listen to the radio every week. That is more than 300 million people, and at least some of them are listening to me right now on this station. I mean, you could be in the car, at your kitchen sink, you could be taking a break from work – listeners love to relate to the broadcasters on the other side of the microphone. And believe me, I hear from a lot of them.
Like special needs mothers who tune in as they drive their disabled child to therapy. I hear from afternoon school bus drivers and nurses who work the night shift, and people who wake up at 5:30 in the morning to Joni and Friends. In fact, there is a man who listens to my messages when he drives his garbage truck – once, he heard me talking about Wheels for the World outreach through which we collect used but serviceable wheelchairs and then refurbish them like new to take to needy disabled people overseas. And the next thing I know, there he is, picking up used wheelchairs on his route and transporting them to our ministry up in New England. And it all got started from listening to his local Christian radio station.
Look, I’ll be the first to thank this station for doing the same. It is a lifeline when it comes to the success of our ministry outreach. Just think of all the people with disabilities who can’t get out in this community; they tune in every day to this Christian radio station in order to keep their focus, to keep discouragement at bay, and to learn insights from the Word of God. Because as Romans 10 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” People with disabilities – that is, the elderly, special needs mothers, those who are feeling isolated – I mean, these people depend on this station. And so do we at Joni and Friends whenever we want to get the word out about our Family Retreats, or our need for wheelchairs or volunteers.
So! Here’s the deal: this Sunday will mark World Radio Day, and if you are blessed by the Christian programming that you listen to every day, let my friends at the station know. Visit their Facebook page, jot a message, send a tweet or an email to this station, and tell them how much you appreciate the way they broadcast the Gospel of Jesus here in this community. Christian radio – it’s a lifeline; so spread the word on this World Radio Day! Oh, and yes, thank you for joining me every day on Joni and Friends. ’Cause I sure like to hear from you, as well! Let me know if my daily snippets of biblical insights and personal stories inspire you to face your hardships with hope and confidence in Christ. Man, I’d love to hear from you, so jot me an encouraging line at joniradio.org. Let me know how long you’ve been listening, and what you like best about this daily program. And tell others to tune in to Joni and Friends, especially if they’re dealing with a disability. Best of all, let the station management hear from you this coming week. Because when it comes to Christian radio, it’s all about sharing hope in any and every hardship. God bless you today, and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends!
© Joni and Friends