United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) is an international Christian broadcasting and media group. Through affiliates in twenty five countries, it operates radio and television stations and publishes and broadcasts Bob Gass's free daily devotionals The Word for You Today and word4u2day.

The group was started in New Zealand by Richard Berry. In the early 1960s, the Christchurch evangelical was inspired by Ecuadorian Christian short-wave radio station HCJB to set up a radio station in his garage. The station became a permanent operation in 1976, and in subsequent years it expanded throughout New Zealand.

The Rhema model was used to establish UCB affiliates in Australia, the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and beyond. In July 2010, UCB United Kingdom's UCB TV partnered with the mobile TV and video on demand network Yamgo to launch the world's first ever live Christian mobile TV channel.^[1]

The Word for You Today[edit]

The Word For You Today is a free, daily devotional written by Bob Gass and distributed internationally by United Christian Broadcasters as a daily radio programme, as website content, as an email newsletter and as quarterly print editions. One million copies of the United Kingdom and Ireland print edition are distributed each quarter to hospitals, rest homes, care facilities and UCB supporters. Other regional editions are distributed to subscribers, churches and Christian organisations in other parts of the world.

Bob Gass has described the devotionals as "a kick start for cold mornings, when you don't feel like reading your Bible or find it a bit dry". He started writing The Word for Today devotional readings in 1992 as various inspirations he had received in forty years of being involved in Christian leadership and from the Biblical principles instilled in him by his mother. After positive response in the United States, he offered international rights to the devotionals to United Christian Broadcasters CEO Gareth Littler, with a successful first print run of 3500 copies in 1994 being distributed to UCB supporters in the United Kingdom.

Following requests and planning, a contemporary youth version, The Word 4U 2Day, was introduced in August 2003 in conjunction with Manchester Christian youth ministry The Message Trust. About 250,000 copies of the United Kingdom and Ireland print edition are distributed quarterly. The version is distributed by UCB youth stations as a radio programme and website content.^[2]

UCB United Kingdom[edit]

Broadcast area	United Kingdom
Format	Talk Christian Music
Owner	United Christian Broadcasters ltd
Webcast	UCB Player
Website	UCB

UCB United Kingdom is a registered charity and the country's largest Christian media company.^[3] It aims to broadcast quality Christian radio programming, provide practical and insightful Christian television, and act as a support ministry for Christians. In pursuit of this it operates broadcast networks, publishes The Word For Today and Word For You, operates the prayer support call centre UCB Prayerline and provides accredited industry training.^[4]

The company is based in Stoke-on-Trent. It did its initial broadcasts via Manx Radio in the Isle of Man, although this gave limited geographical reach and only from 10 pm until 2 am, it did allow the station to bypass some of the UK's broadcasting laws and commence transmission earlier in the company's lifetime than would have otherwise been possible.^[5]

UCB Media broadcasts Christian radio stations UCB 1 and 2 via National DAB, via their free Smartphone app, UCB Player as well as via their website and tunein. They also run a Christian television station UCB TV available online and via the UCB Player. They previously broadcast on Sky and Virgin Media, but all UCB-branded channels on both platforms (except UCB Ireland) were removed on 1 July 2015.

UCB 1 (UK)[edit]

UCB UK is broadcast nationally across the UK with a format of entertainment, the latest Christian music, news and current affairs, as well as thought-provoking interviews and discussions.

Presenters include Steve Best (breakfast), Paul Hammond (mornings), Gareth Cottrell (afternoons), Rebecca Millington (drive), Sarah Hine (evenings), Catherine Ball(weekends), Vicky Gibbens (weekends). Programmes include Chill Out Praise (Millington), Song Stories (Chalmers), Music News (Best), Gospel Grooves (Godley), BEATS (Fletcher), Christian teaching content is included within the daily schedule of programs - Different Perspective with Bernie Dymet, Days of Wonder with Jarrod Cooper, Church Awake with Steve Uppal, Word For You with Bob Gass.

Twice every weekday a short talk is given, at 05:30 and 19:30. The speakers alternate each day, they are; Anthony Delaney of Ivy Church, Manchester every Monday, Brian Houston (pastor) from Hillsong Church on Tuesdays, a guest speaker on Wednesdays, on Thursdays the speaker is Jonathan Conrathe while on Fridays we hear 'Book By Book'.

UCB 2 (UCB Inspirational)[edit]

Christian teaching and easy listening music network, Presenters include Anne Henderson (Breakfast 5-9am), Ruth O'Reilly-Smith (Mornings 9-1pm), Matt (Afternoons 1-4pm). Samuel Ball (Drive 4-7pm), Simon Tuck (Evenings 8-11pm), Abi Gregory (Weekend Breakfast 6-10am), Sandra Godley (Saturday 2-5pm) and Michelle Worthington (Saturday 8-11pm), Paul Larcombe (Sunday 8-11pm). Christian teaching content previously included Days of Wonder with Jarrod Cooper, or Terry Boyle at weekends, God Meant It For Good with R. T. Kendall and Hymns of the Faith with Dudley Anderson and Different Perspective with Bernie Dymet. 2018 sees Insight For Living with Chuck Swindoll In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, Daily Hope with Rick Warren, Reaching Our World with Luis Palau, Today with Derek Prince and Glen Scrivener. UCB Inspirational closed on Sky on 1 July 2015.

One hour of specialist programming was introduced to the revamped schedule in January 2016 with World of Worship (Frawley), Southern Gospel Spotlight (Ball), Classic Praise (Piper), Live Praise (Cook), Songsmiths (O'Reilly-Smith). Schedule changed in 2017 with Gospel Grooves (Godley), Southern Gospel Spotlight (Ball), Classic Praise (Greggory), Live Praise (Matt), The Weekend Starts Here (Tuck)

^[6]

UCB 3 (UCB Gospel)[edit]

Playing a selection of gospel music from the UK, US, Africa and the Caribbean, the UCB Gospel network is available on DAB, online and via free iPhone and Google apps. UCB Gospel closed on Sky on 1 July 2015.

UCB Extra[edit]

Originally launched as 'UCB The Word' in 2003 'UCB Extra' was relaunched in 2013 as an alternative music station playing an upbeat and eclectic mix of Rock, Urban and electronic music from Christian bands and artists. The station also features specialist music shows such as 'Rock On' two hours of hard rock and metal and 'Beats' an hour of dance and electronica. UCB Extra is available online or on mobile devices via UCB and third party apps.

UCB TV[edit]

Christian television station UCB TV was available via the Eutelsat 28A satellite on Sky Digital channel 584 and online via TVPlayer. UCB TV was the world's first ever live Christian mobile TV channel following its launch on the Yamgo mobile TV network on 6 July 2010. Programmes included Bayside TV, Hillsong TV, Edges with Mal Fletcher, Turning Point with David Jeremiah, Living Truth, Hope City TV, Way of the Master and Dreams for Living. Music programmes included the Gaither Gospel Series, UKCMC, Hillsong and Planetshakers. It now broadcasts via their UCB Player app and Website as an online only station.

UCB Prayerline and Forces Prayerline[edit]

UCB provide a confidential telephone service called UCB Prayerline with trained Christian volunteers who pray for callers' issues over the telephone.^[7] The service is supported by churches from across the United Kingdom, manned 7 days a week and receives around 100,000 calls per year.^[8] A parallel service, the Forces Prayerline, was started in Germany in 2005 and extended to the UK on 6 November 2008 at St Clement Danes Church, London, on the occasion of the annual Armed Forces Day of Prayer. This service supports servicemen, servicewomen and their families at home and abroad.^[9][10]

Rhema Media New Zealand[edit]

Rhema Media is the founding organisation of United Christian Broadcasting. It is also New Zealand's largest Christian media organisation, broadcasting four radio networks and a television station, and publishing the quarterly The Word for You Today devotional publication, from the Rhema Broadcasting Centre on Upper Queen Street in the central Auckland suburb of Newton.

Stations[edit]

The group's flagship network, New Zealand's Rhema, is an evangelical contemporary Christian radio network started in 1978. The initial programme/station manager, John McNeil, laid the groundwork for what became the network's relaxed talk and music format, in which a limited number of teaching programmes are intermingled with music, news and interviews.

Other stations include Southern Star, which plays classic contemporary Christian music and hymns, Life FM, a contemporary Christian hit radio network, and The Word, which broadcasts Bible readings. Rhema Media also operate Christian television channel Shine TV, which is available on Sky Television. UCB International previously owned, but never utilised, a network of New Zealand UHF stations now used by Prime TV.

Vision Christian Media Australia[edit]

Vision Christian Media (formerly UCB Australia) operates the nationwide network "Vision Christian Radio", (previously called Vision Radio Network and Vision FM). It also publishes The Word for Today and word4U2day, coordinates the Vision Christian Prayer prayer ministry and provides mailorder Christian resource service Vision Christian Store. It was featured in the Andrew Denton documentary film God on My Side. Vision's motto is "Connecting Faith to Life" and the radio network aims to make Christian Radio available for every Australian as a means to that end.

As at the close of 2008, Vision operated on over 360 licences, including low powered services in metropolitan suburbs and rural towns. It also operated some higher powered services in some regional areas and in Western Melbourne on 1611 AM. By mid 2015, Vision had expanded to over 600 relay stations, mainly LPON licences (low power open narrowcast) but also including Adelaide 1611 AM. Vision's talk and music programming is aimed at "unpacking" what it means to follow Jesus Christ in an understandable way.

Early history[edit]

Vision began broadcasting from small studios in Springwood, Brisbane, Australia on 1 February 1999. A few years later they moved into larger premises in nearby Underwood to better provide a 24-hour 7-day broadcast to some 300+ relay stations across the nation, plus listeners on the Internet and via satellite. Vision has been able to acquire over 600 high- and low-powered open narrowcast licenses and has quickly gone about the task of setting up a national network of relay stations across Australia, from the largest cities to regional centres and tiny isolated towns in the bush.

Many small to medium-sized country towns in Australia have benefited from the cost-effective approach of using low-powered FM transmitters. Although typically only one to ten watts, they usually give quite adequate residential coverage in small towns, depending on the antenna height above local terrain. The setup cost is very achievable for most communities and the ongoing cost is minimal due to low maintenance equipment with low power consumption – some even use solar power in remote areas.

Expansion[edit]

In the twelve months following March 2001 a rapid expansion began, seeing the number of relay stations 'on-air' triple from around 30 to 90. Also in April 2001, Vision introduced Australia's first nationwide news service from a Christian perspective. Vision's News service is heard across their own network, as well as being accessed by a growing number of community stations who don't have the resources to produce their own news content. During 2003 Vision had opportunity to secure its first high powered open narrowcast licences, which were soon put on air.

The network quickly reached 150 relay stations by the end of 2003, and in the following year would see its first foray into AM radio sites in Shepparton, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie. Just prior to Christmas 2004 a further 17 High Powered licences were secured to be on air the following year. Vision's 200th relay station was powered up on Australia Day 2005 at the Central Australian town of Yulara – right next to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Yarrawonga in Victoria had the honour of station number 300 in late 2007 and a significant development occurred in late 2008 with the unexpected acquisition of a medium powered AM service in Melbourne (1611AM).

UCB Philippines[edit]

In Makati, Philippines, United Christian Broadcasters operates an Internet radio station The Edge Media in partnership with the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries and Century Broadcasting Network, a subsidiary of Century Communications Marketing Center Inc. (CMCCI). The station is an advocate for a Christian worldview and is used as a training ground for students from 15 Asian nations to learn how to open low cost stations in their countries. It plays contemporary Christian music including pop, hip hop, alternative, praise and gospel songs. It plays music from a wide range of Christian artists of various nationalities, including local contemporary Christian artists which fit its format.

Stations[edit]

UCB Canada[edit]

In Ontario, Canada, United Christian Broadcasters' Canadian affiliate operates 6 stations.

Stations[edit]

On 5 December 2014, the CRTC approved a new UCB outlet on 90.5 FM in Windsor, Ontario (CJAH-FM), which will broadcast at 1730 watts (10,000 watts maximum ERP).^[11] CJAH-FM would begin testing on 19 October 2017 and is expected to be launched 2 December 2017.^[12]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• UCB Canada


• UCB International


• UCB UK


• UCB TV live on your mobile phone with Yamgo


• UCB Prayerline


• Forces Prayerline