WMB I
COM P LE TES
40 YEARS OF
GOSPEL
BROADCAS T ING
Staff producer-director Sherm Williams throws a cue to the performers in Studio B as the “ On the Air” light goes on. Williams is director of the popular Sunday Night Sing, Chicago after-church activity.
by Joe Musser
T h e y c a l l e d t h e m “ The Roar ing Twenties.” It was the decade of bathtub gin and crystal sets. A scattered handful of citizens huddled around a strange new device try ing to hear its wonders. The ra dio was still a novelty, but com ing more and more into recogni tion as a legitimate medium of communication. The year was 1923 and while relatively few people listened with ear-phones to the scratchy, fragile signals coming through their crystal sets, four men were already praying for a radio out let to communicate the reality and relevance of the Christian gospel to an indifferent genera tion. The four were S. S. Woodruff, publishing agent for the Moody Bible Institute Monthly; A. F. Gaylord, the Institute Business Manager; Henry Coleman Cro well, far-sighted and aggressive young son o f the Christian busi nessman, Henry Parsons Cro well; and A. G. Olson, an assis tant to Mr. Gaylord. It was the usual difference of 38
border on the radical to the con servative Gray who at first frowned on the project. But the men continued to pray. Two years later, at a Moody Bible Institute display at the Illi nois Products Exposition in Chi cago, an opportunity presented it self which helped these men in realizing their goal. Two students had been playing their cornets to attract passers- by to the MBI display where the students could offer the visitors literature and perhaps a few comments of persona l evan gelism. The music caught the ear of a program director in a near by booth. When an announcer failed to appear for a radio broad cast from the exposition, the frantic program director cor nered the two students and asked them to fill in for the tardy per sonality. The students obliged by playing the songs they did best— gospel music. They must have done well, for a few days later, the Institute received an offer of an hour o f radio time each Sun day evening. That was the spark. THE KING'S BUSINESS
age versus youth, however, as these men presented their idea to Institute President James M. Gray. The suggestion seemed to
James Draper, director of broadcast ing for Moody Bible Institute, is a graduate of the school. He formerly worked on the production staff of WMBI. Later Mr. Draper served as director of counselling for the Radio Bible Class assisting Dr. M. R. De- Haan. Prior to becoming head of WMBI he was'executive director of the MBI Alumni Association.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5