Can you feel a new buzz in the air?
The Greater Sydney Conference recently acquired a radio network in Western Sydney on 88.0 FM, which launched May 4, 2022, at 2:45 p.m.
“It was a true God opportunity and a blessing to see God’s timing for the project,” says Pastor Terry Johnson, Australian Union Conference President.
There are a limited number of licenses available, and chances to buy them come up very rarely. This opportunity seemed miraculously timed, as the $300,000 purchase price was made possible by the recent sale of the Epping Conference Office. With the funding available and the station advancing the digital media and community engagement areas of the Conference’s strategic foci, the timing was perfect to make the investment.
Faith FM is a joint collaboration of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Australia at conference, union, and local church levels. The new station will broadcast Christian content to the western region of Sydney, including Penrith and Campbelltown. Coverage in the Blue Mountains will be extended in the coming months, and the network links in with the existing Faith FM presence in Bowral’s Southern Highlands region. Overall it reaches a significant portion of the GSC, with a potential audience of more than 1.2 million people.
“We are really excited with this amazing opportunity God has opened in Western Sydney,” says Michael Engelbrecht, Faith FM Radio Manager.
“Faith FM is reaching Australia with a very clear broadcast-to-baptism strategy, and it is so exciting to now see that Sydney is a part of that reach,” adds Pastor Robbie Berghan, Faith FM Content and Promotions Manager.
Being a part of the Faith FM national network ensures that GSC benefits from the investment made by the AUC and other participating conferences. One of these benefits being content, GSC is looking to add to the already growing list of locally created programs by facilitating new Sydney-specific programing. Although there are many types of media vying for attention, radio is still an extremely popular medium because of its high discoverability and the impact it has on local listeners.
The Conference will give pastors, churches, and other groups the opportunity to collaborate with Faith FM to produce content. A radio ministry training initiative will roll out soon for pastors and churches, and a small studio is planned in Western Sydney to facilitate recording sessions. Having Faith FM in Sydney creates new advertising opportunities for churches, schools, and organizations. “We are working with GSC to run workshops for the churches in Western Sydney,” says Pr Berghan. “These will showcase how to take advantage of having radio as a part of your local church ministry. We’ll show how easy it is to advertise your church’s events, how to create content, and how to become a Faith FM Ambassador.”
The station’s reach is just beginning, with high expectations for its future success. “I hope that pastors and members that have a passion to share their faith will be able to share their stories of how Jesus has reached their lives with the community,” says Pr Alban Matohiti, president of the Greater Sydney Conference. “The radio license has been a gift from God, and I hope and pray that we will make the most of this opportunity to make disciples for Jesus.”
When available, information on how to get involved with the station will be available on our website via our Resource library (Filter: Communications).
