UCB radio announces historic UK national breakthrough

STOKE-ON-TRENT, ENGLAND -- United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) has confirmed it will begin broadcasting nationally across the UK on DAB digital radio from Dec 1.

The Christian media organisation which had previously been broadcasting to most major cities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on DAB, has now signed contracts and been granted Ofcom approval, to broadcast nationally across the UK including in Northern Ireland.

"This is an extraordinary dream come true," said Ian Mackie, CEO and founder of UCB UK.  

"We have had a 23-year-old dream and vision to broadcast nationally across the UK and it's an overwhelming and humbling day to finally see that dream come to fruition."

Speaking live on UCB UK this morning Ian described to the listeners the moment he was told by an Ofcom official that they'd been granted the national license: "I made the phone call in fear and trepidation not knowing which way it was going to go. When the official told me our application had been approved I shouted down the phone 'Praise God.' Finally after 23 years God has brought to fruition His plan and His purpose for UCB to go national and provide Christian radio to the whole nation."

"It is totally surreal at the moment," added Ian who was trying to take in the historic moment of what he'd been dreaming of for 23 years.

"I don't think it will really sink in until I actually drive into some place which have not got us on DAB at this point in time like in Scotland or the South Coast of England, or Norfolk or Derbyshire. That has always been the vision that no matter where people live in the UK they can actually tune in on the one frequency and pick up UCB Christian radio."

Ian also made a point of thanking the listeners for their prayers and support: "Thank you for your faithfulness.  I know many people who have been supporters and prayer warriors for this ministry right back into the mid and late 80s and they have carried the vision along with me and the joy is as much for them as it is for me and our charity here at this present point in time.  So all I can say is thank you."

During the past 23 years, UCB's CEO said there were many times when he thought his vision would never be fulfilled: "When you've carried a vision for so long, the Bible talks about hope deferred and when you hope and you hope and you're standing in faith and believing in God and it doesn't happen you think maybe I've got it wrong.  Yes there's been many, many occasions, but you've just got to pick yourself up again and know it will come to pass."

UCB was first set up as a charity in 1986, but back then there was no legislation or technology for national or even local Christian radio: "So that's when I got very despondent but I heard a very clear word from God. He said 'the government may not see the need for it, the technology might not be there, Christians may not see the need for it, but I want national Christian radio established in the UK, because I love the people of the UK. I am going to visit the UK in revival power and this revival is going to be so big and so vast and so expansive that it's going to impact the whole of society and I want national Christian radio to be there so people can tune in and hear my word and have their joy and peace restored and begin walking by faith.'

"So when God spoke that word to me back in 1986 I said 'Okay Lord if this is your plan and purpose, we're going to stick with it and see this through to fruition and now from the 1st of December that vision will be totally fulfilled."

Ian said to get to this breakthrough it took four changes in broadcasting legislation and the introduction of DAB digital radio it made the technology possible for national Christian radio, which he believes is very timely by looking at the current state of the UK: "All of a sudden from 2007 to where we are now in 2009 we started off covering two thirds of the country on DAB digital radio and now we'll be covering the whole of the UK.  The pace is picking up. 

"You just have to look at the state of our nation, the credit crunch, the MPs expenses scandals. People don't trust banks anymore or the government.  Their trust has been eroded in absolutely everything and now is the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the one who is faithful and can be trusted, the one who will never ever fail you or disappoint you, will now have access to the airwaves right across this whole nation.

"So for me if God is faithful in the first promise which is to cause national Christian radio to become a reality then he will be faithful in the second promise, which is to bring revival to the whole of our nation."

UCB provides thought-provoking, life-changing resources to churches, Christians and people seeking a better understanding of the Christian faith, currently reaching more than a million people across the UK and Ireland.

By Peter Wooding - ASSIST News Service