Adventist Radio Network Expands Reach Across Navajo Nation
26 June 2024 |
Over the past five years, lay and pastoral leaders from the Navajo Nation have been diligently working to establish Diné Adventist Radio (DAR), an FM network aimed at broadcasting messages of hope, wholeness, and healing to the Navajo people. Diné comes from the name that the Navajo use for themselves and the initiative is meant to honor this name, while sharing positive messages with the largest Native American reservation in North America, a reservation spanning four Conferences, across three Unions.
Since launching a 30-minute weekly program on the Navajo Tribal radio station in August 2020, DAR has seen a surge in Bible study requests and has even led to multiple baptisms. Produced monthly by Native-oriented Adventist congregations, these broadcasts aim for 24/7 coverage across the Navajo Nation.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued three full-power construction permits to cover vast areas of the Navajo population. However, a coverage gap in the northeast section prompted a creative response from local church members during an FCC application window for low-power FM stations. The Waterflow church used its local nonprofit status to secure a license for a station in Shiprock, New Mexico, while Farmington church members formed Bisti Broadcasting to obtain another license for their area. The central hub for these efforts will be the Gallup All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gallup, New Mexico.
The project plans to go live by November 1, 2024, on the 100,000-watt flagship station KDHP 91.9 FM, and the network hopes to eventually include up to seven stations and offer global streaming.
