The Ascension Radio Initiative
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. — Mark 16:15
Since the launch of The Bible in a Year (with Father Mike Schmitz) podcast on January 1, 2021, the Ascension team has been amazed and humbled to witness the impact of hundreds of thousands of Catholics living life through the lens of Scripture, many of them coming to understand God’s word for the very first time.
As the success and impact of The Bible in a Year continued to surpass all of our expectations, it became clear that God was up to something bigger than we could’ve imagined. This offering has since grown from simply a free podcast to a community of countless Catholics on fire for the word of God, and has inspired other successful projects such as Bible Answers with Jeff Cavins and The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast.
And we are not done yet!
We know God’s word changes hearts and saves souls. We’ve been honored to offer both The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year completely free to anyone with an internet connection, but we’ve witnessed too many transformations to let it end there. So thanks to an exciting new partnership, we are bringing The Bible in a Year, The Catechism in a Year, and other Ascension content you know and love to hundreds of radio stations across the United States!
Why Radio?
According to a survey done by the Pew Research Center earlier this year, 31% of Americans report listening to a podcast in the past week, while 82% of Americans report listening to the radio in the past week. This demonstrates a major opportunity to reach a larger audience with the life-changing, authentically Catholic media that so many have come to know and love.
Additionally, expanding our offerings to radio distributions makes them more accessible to those who cannot access this life-changing content through the podcast medium. This includes the 19 million Americans who do not have home internet, the elderly who are not able to access podcasts, and individuals in prisons who want and need resources that help them encounter God’s love.
One of the hardest aspects of prison ministry in maximum security prisons is getting good Catholic content inside. Radios, because they are one-way devices, are the only things allowed in the cell blocks (wifi and Bluetooth are blocked). Having something like BIY or CIY in prisons via radio would be a game-changer for evangelizing our brothers and sisters on the inside.
- Michael Gormley, Lay Evangelist
Who We're Reaching
To date, these offerings have only been available to those who come across the podcasts online, through podcast apps, or on YouTube. How many more Catholics and non-Catholics could we reach by airing this life-changing content on radio, every day, across the country and beyond?
With this radio initiative, individuals will have the opportunity to encounter and understand God’s word exactly where they are, possibly for the very first time!
What Will it Take?
Ascension has invested significantly in creating these offerings to be suitable and ideal for those consuming them on podcast and video platforms. Radio, however, comes with its own specific requirements and additional investment.
Each of the combined 730 episodes of BIY and CIY will need to undergo significant structural edits in order to adapt them for radio. Since January of 2023, the Ascension team has been working with Spokestreet Media to take the necessary steps to prepare this life-changing content for radio. The project includes:
Ensuring that each episode’s intro is compliant with FCC regulations and can be broadcasted by non-commercial radio stations
Obtaining radio broadcast music licenses
Scripting and recording special introductions for each episode of Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year to provide context to the radio listener tuning in for the first time.
Building Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year daily episodes into blocks that fit the precision of the radio clock.
Sourcing, editing, and incorporating supplemental Ascension content into each episode block to ensure it is exactly 20-minutes (Catechism in a Year) or 30-minutes (Bible in a Year).