LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 388

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388 PARISH SERVICES

TV Deserves Growth

By God's grace we have experienced significant success
during the current biennium with programming which has not
only given the Gospel virtual saturation coverage around the
nation but which has also generated a great deal of positive
goodwill and public impact for the Synod. Most significantly
these nationally distributed programs have opened doors for
the further witness and evangelism of our lay people and for
the preaching of the Gospel which we dare not shut!

We cannot keep ‘This Is the Life” vital and energetic, we
cannot produce family specials like ‘‘Freedom Is, we cannot
serve as consultant and clearinghouse for growing local tele-
vision opportunities, we cannot stimulate an evangelism min-
istry dynamically tying television to the local parish, we cannot
develop further aids like ‘“Tension-Point’ from our already
produced product, we cannot produce the Glumpf for congre-
gations to take fuller advantage of multimedia evangelism
Opportunities — without a substantial budget.

We began in 1951 with $750,000: $1,050,000 in 1975, 23 years
later (during a period of unprecedented inflation) does not
provide sustenance, does not do justice to the rich potentials
our Lord places before us, to say nothing of the dynamic growth
of this medium in the future.

We commend this report, our plans, and the future of this
ministry to your earnest consideration. The fields are ripe for
harvest! The Lord has called us into this medium, enlightened
us with His gifts! More than 23 years of blessing are behind us
and we stand on new thresholds. We go forward with His prom-
ise that the Word will not return void but will bear rich fruit.

Dr. Leonhard C. Wuerffel

The board on Dec. 7, 1973, observed the retirement of the
second of three of the pioneers of this ministry. Dr. Leonhard
C. Wuerffel, member of the Board for Lutheran Television from
1951 to 1973, served as its chairman for the majority of this time.
Appointed by Pres. John W. Behnken to the first committee
for television, Leonhard Wuerffel served with Dr. Herman
W. Gockel, who served the board as program director for 20
years, from 1951 until his retirement in 1971. Dr. Wuerffel to-
gether with Dr. Gockel and Rev. Elmer Knoernschild, whose
service began on the first “This Is the Life’ script committee
and extends to the present, are the men most responsible for
the founding and development of the powerful ministry of “This
Is the Life,” which grew from four stations at inception to be-
come the longest-running dramatic program in television his-
tory, entering a 24th season in the fall of 1975. The Television
Board, and indeed all the members of the Synod, are thankful
to God for the rich talents and blessing provided to the tele-
vision ministry through the leadership of Dr. Leonhard C.
Wuerffel.

Television Staff

The Television Board is served through three executives.
Dr. Martin J. Neeb Jr. serves as Executive Secretary; Rev.
Ardon D. Albrecht, as Program Director: J. Michael Vincent,
in Distribution and Evangelism.

Board for Lutheran Television
Fred L. Kuhlmann, Chairman
Robert G. Baal, Vice-Chairman
Al H. Senske, Secretary
Oswald H. Bertram

Walter Stine Isenhower

Belno R. Lange Jr.

Tom D. McDougall

William E. Moschell

Charles G. Richman

Victor C. Rickman

Ed Scott

7-10

Report of Board for Lutheran Radio

The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod Marks
50 Years in Radio Ministry

During the last biennium KFUO completed 50 years in radio
ministry. We take this opportunity to praise Almighty God for
the many blessings bestowed on His church through this special

endeavor. We remember Dr. Walter A. Maier, Dr. H. C. Fritz.
and Rev. Richard Kretzschmar, whose vision led to the founding
of KFUO. We remember the efforts of members of the Lutheran
Laymen's League, the Lutheran Publicity Organization. the
Walther League. and the students and faculty of Concordia
Seminary that in total resulted in the erection of a broadcast
facility and the beginning of radio broadcasting Dec. 14, 1924.

Having become an official property of The Lutheran Church
—Missouri Synod in 1926, KFUO has contributed significantly
to the total ministry of the church body. In addition to its broad-
cast endeavors in the Midwest. the KFUO Radio Committee
and subsequent Operating Boards began such international
radio programs as the Lutheran Hour and ‘Portals of Prayer"
in addition to specialized religious radio programs and resource
materials.

During its 50-year radio ministry KFUO has been served
by three directors: Dr. Herman Hohenstein, Mr. Emerson
Russell, and Mr. O. H. Spath. who retired Dec. 31. 1973, and
whose contribution to the radio ministry of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod we gratefully acknowledge.

Radio Ministry Carried On Without Synod Funds

KFUO has been enabled to carry on an active radio min-
istry through the voluntary contributions of individuals and
organizations. As in the past, KFUO has not received synodically
budgeted funds for its operation. KFUO and the Board for
Lutheran Radio are grateful for the continuing financial support
from these sources. Although the total of gifts received showed
a steady decrease in the years prior, the total increased during
this biennium (up 10.7% in 1974 from the 1973 total). This has
been coupled with a significant decrease in operating expendi-
tures for the first time in over a decade (down 6.3% in 1974
from the 1973 amount). And finally, new methods of securing
additional support have been introduced by the board. As a
result, the board is confident it will be able not only to continue
an active radio mipistry but to expand that ministry without
subsidy from the Synod.

Worldwide KFUO Radio Ministry Continues

During the biennium KFUO/Lutheran Radio provided pro-
grams and resource materials to congregations throughout
the Synod for use in their own locality. KFUO’s major world-
wide radio program is ‘‘Portals of Prayer.” “Portals of Prayer"
and other KFUO-produced programs are heard in over 800
different places throughout the world everyday. During the
biennium KFUO/Lutheran Radio secured over 27,000 hours
of broadcast time throughout the world for Lutheran radio
programs it produced and distributed.

Modern and Powerful Broadcast Facilities

During the biennium a major KFUO broadcast equipment
and facility renovation was completed. The project included
replacement of both AM and FM transmitters, the addition of
new, highly sophisticated broadcast equipment, and the general
modernization of broadcast facilities. KFUO-FM is now a stereo
broadcast facility as powerful as any in the United States.

Expanded KFUO Operation

While KFUO has had AM and FM frequency since 1948, the
same programs were broadcast on both prior to 1975. In 1975
KFUO began broadcasting separate programs on its AM and
FM frequencies (programing time has increased from 110 hours
per week to nearly 170). This has enabled KFUO to increase
its service to its listening community as well as provide additional
broadcast time for the field-testing of the new religious pro-
grams it continues to produce.

Board for Lutheran Radio Pursues Purpose and Objectives

The Board for Lutheran Radio began to operate during the
biennium in accord with its revised bylaws adopted at the 50th
regular convention of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod
(Res. 10-09, New Orleans, 1973). The Operating Board of KFUO,
now known as the Board for Lutheran Radio, studied and de-
fined its understanding of its purpose and objectives and its
place in the total ministry of The Lutheran Church~— Missouri
Synod. To communicate this understanding, it adopted a “‘State-