Great God, Great Mission:
The Story Of FEBC

While attending Southern California Bible College, God planted in the hearts of two young men named Bob Bowman and John Broger a vision for missionary radio that would one day become Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). They shared this vision with Reverend William Roberts, the pastor of a church that Bowman’s parents attended, who enthusiastically supported their plan; Roberts and his church were the first to assist FEBC through prayer and funding.

In 1945, FEBC was officially incorporated by Bob Bowman, John Broger and William Roberts and established with one goal in mind: broadcasting Christ to the world. They had no supportive board at the time, and were not affiliated with a specific church denomination. Instead, they followed God’s lead to launch a ministry that focused on sharing Christ with the people of Asia. With nothing more than a heart to reach the lost and an understanding of radio’s ability to reach far and wide, they leaned on this promise from God: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye” (Psalm 32:8).

With one country in particular on their hearts—China—they aired their very first broadcast from Shanghai. But by 1948 all mission work in China was shut down due to communism; an alternative had to be found.

First Radio Station
Ideally located in the South China Sea, the Philippines had much to offer, and the newly established nation was more than willing for FEBC to establish their operations there. The first broadcasts, over local station KZAS (as it was known), went on the air in Manila on June 4, 1948. International broadcasts to China started the following year and have since expanded to cover most of Southeast Asia, as well as Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, Mongolia and India. FEBC’s sister organization, Feba, broadcasts programs in Africa and the Middle East.

Circling the Globe
FEBC’s programs are now heard on AM and FM stations worldwide, as well as by satellite, the Internet, and on SD cards through our Gospel Speaker Box. We also broadcast by shortwave through our transmitter sites in the Philippines, sharing Christ with hard-to-reach minority ethnic groups. We are now broadcasting 1,571 hours each day in 152 languages worldwide. Four billion people live within range of our transmitters. But the only figure we’re truly interested in is the number of people whose lives have been changed by Jesus Christ.

Last year, we received 148 million listener responses, many attesting to transformed lives. This is why FEBC was launched…and this is why we continue…to share Jesus Christ with the world. UNTIL ALL HAVE HEARD.