Here at KNLS, the New Life Station, we receive mail from all over the Eastern Hemisphere from people who have heard our broadcasts. One recent letter from Australia demonstrated two things. (1) The listener picked up the signal clearly all the way from Alaska. This was proven by the details of the broadcast he provided on the reception report. (2) The broadcasts are truly appreciated by the listener, and they can also be a source of comfort for people facing the challenges of life.

The listener lives in the New South Wales province. He writes, “These last years have seen many changes, upsets, losses, and deaths in my life and family. God’s strength and presence has sustained and guided me through it all. Thank you to the New Life Station for your comforting presence on shortwave. Excellent blend of music, information, facts, and spirituality in a full hour of programming ‘from the top of the world.’ It’s great to have you there at our night time. 6890 khz at 1000 UTC is an exceptional frequency.”

The KNLS English Hour continues to serve the Pacific Rim seven days a week with great music, current news, and The Good News. The Pacific Rim is that part of the Eastern Hemisphere that encompasses the English-prevalent countries of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally—English is widely spoken in Indonesia.  

KNLS is on the air daily from 800 hours UTC (Universal Coordinated Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time) to 1800 hours UTC. Eastern Daylight Time is four hours behind UTC; Central Time is five hours behind. So, if you’re in Nashville or Chicago, you can listen between 3:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you’re in Atlanta or New York, you can listen between 4:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

KNLS broadcasts in Chinese, Russian, and English. The English Hour is carried at 800, 1000, 1200, and 1400 UTC.

If listening by shortwave is not your thing, you can click the link on this website and hear the English Hour 24/7 free of static or other radio interference. The internet is not available in many parts of the world and shortwave radio continues to be the primary source of music, news, and information for people outside North America.  

The KNLS English Hour is the Pacific Rim’s source for music to love, news to know, and a message to live. The KNLS signal stretches as far as the world’s most populous (1.2 billion people) democracy—India—that has English as its official language.

While we work to provide a geographical balance in the topics we feature, news about the USA is of great interest to many listeners around the world. The English Hour does tell stories about life in the United States and KNLS’ home state of Alaska. Two of the programs are titled The American Highway and Postcard from Alaska. They often include a discussion of “American” principles—principles rooted in Christianity that are universally understood and applied.  And our Eye on the World stories often show the interdependence of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Since our target audience is mostly non-Christians, our content is different from a typical Christian format station in America. While we provide our share of positive, uplifting content, some of our programming also provides an honest look at the dark side of life on Earth. Indeed, some program segments, such as a popular music selection and the 2007 award-winning report about slave trafficking in India, may raise questions that a thoughtful seeker of the truth will ask. And other segments, such as the Bible or Christian lifestyle lessons, serve to answer those questions.

Music is a universal language. Probably 80 per cent of the world’s pop tunes are sung in English, and are enjoyed by people everywhere, many who are themselves not proficient in English. The KNLS English hour features your favorite songs of the 80’s, 90’s, and today. International pop charts show that your favorite music is also the favorite of people who are culturally diverse—whether in Nairobi, Sydney, Singapore, or Jakarta.

The songs are rock, pop, and r&b, with an occasional selection of country or hip-hop. The KNLS English Hour generally features music by artists from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Americans are familiar with The All-American Rejects, Beyonce, Coldplay, Colbie Callait, David Archuleta, David Cook, Daughtry, The Fray, Jason Mraz, , Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Kings of Leon, Kris Allen, Lifehouse, Lily Allen, Linkin Park, Mat Kearney, Miley Cyrus, Natasha Bedingfield, Ne-Yo, Nickelback, No Doubt, O.A.R., The Pet Shop Boys, Plain White T’s., Shinedown, Taylor Swift,  U2—and Christian crossover artists such as Jars of Clay and Flyleaf—just to name a few. J

For the mid summer season, KNLS listeners will be introduced to new music from Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Linkin Park, Kelly Rowland, and The Script, and American Idol winner Kris Allen.

Since KNLS is a Christian station, we screen song lyrics for their language and their message. Some songs provide a positive, uplifting, or values-based message. Some provide commentary about life, both good and bad. And some are purely for entertainment, to give the listener a chance to take a deep breath and lighten up for moment.

The English hour features reports about topics of current interest. Marcy Bryan reports about entertainment, business, and religious news. Kelly Ann Monahan has the latest developments in medicine, science, and computer technology. Blake Farmer and Paul Ladd provide special reports about diverse topics, religious and secular. Doug Poling provides commentary on the news from a Christian perspective on Today’s News & the Good News. And Bob Waliszewski of Focus on the Family provides Plugged-in Movie Reviews. Bob rates the latest movies according to family friendliness. This is in addition to Marcy Bryan’s regular movie reviews in her Eye on Entertainment reports. And Fred Osterman reports about the latest news in the world of radio.

Upcoming reports for mid summer, 2009:

*A new Japanese novel is printed on toilet paper! Marcy Bryan reports on the “why” of this latest roll call on Eye on Business.
* Marcy also reviews this year’s CMA Music Festival and Bonnaroo—two massive crowd pleasers that happened the same weekend just 60 miles apart.
*And if you’re not familiar with Twitter—Marcy explains that, too.
*Paul Ladd interviews author Gary Chapman (not the singer) about love languages.
*Paul also speaks with Jennifer Marshall of the Heritage Foundation about the life of a modern single person.
*Kelly Ann Monahan reports on the latest research to develop a cancer vaccine.
*Kelly Ann also reports that scientists are baffled by a shrinking star in our galaxy.
*It’s a new meaning for the word “decompress.” Doug Poling reports about Las Vegas’ latest marketing efforts on Today’s News & the Good News.
*Doug also reports about the latest prediction for the end of the world.
* Bob Waliszewski reviews the movies The Proposal and Transfomers 2, rating their family-friendliness.

Souder and Friends

Sometimes funny. Sometimes serious. But always getting your attention. It’s time for Souder & Friends! Long-time KNLS program contributor Larry Souder introduces us to his classic collection of interesting friends. You can hear it on Thursdays on KNLS.

The English Express

They’re conversational expressions by conversational people. They may be proverbs, idioms, or puns. But they may not be literal. Dick Brackett, Marcy Bryan, and Paul Ladd join forces to bring KNLS listeners the stories behind some of the idiomatic sayings of the English language.

This is what we’re about and why we’re on the air. Our mission is to present the lessons of the Bible, including and emphasizing the Gospel message, in an interesting, non-threatening way that an unbeliever can relate to.

Ongoing Series

• Andy Baker’s Prayer Lesson
• Author’s Journal with Dick Brackett
• Bible Archaeology, Proofs from the Earth with Bill Humble
• Creation Moments with Ian Taylor
• God’s Passion for Humanity with Bill Young
• I Love Life with Jerry Dahmen
• Living with Conflict with Greg Taylor
• Profiles of the New Testament with Bob Borquez
• Profiles of the Old Testament with Royce Kessler
• Promises with Royce Kessler
• Uplift with Bill McClure