cover story, pg. 2-5
[headline] So You’d Like to Be a Producer?
Say that you’re an enthusiastic Adventist, who has a desire to share God’s message of
hope with the people in your country. You think that radio might be a good way of reaching
them, and after talking to the Adventist church leaders in your region, you convince them of
radio’s strengths as a low-cost, wide-ranging outreach method. They contact Adventist World
Radio, who guides them in setting up a studio space and equipment and agrees to put your
programs on the air.
There’s only one problem: you’ve never produced a radio program before. You have no
background in scriptwriting, have never spoken into a microphone, and have no idea what a
“128 kbps stereo .wav file” is.
This is how many AWR producers have started. Equipped at first with only a dream, they
plunge in and begin teaching themselves, picking up tips from articles or acquaintances, and
experimenting.
Others have the opportunity to take part in one of AWR’s highly-regarded training
programs, where they spend an intensive week or more with global trainer Ray Allen and AWR
region staff to earn certificates such as “Foundation Program Production,” “Specialist Digital
Production Techniques,” “New Technologies: Podcasting,” and more.
AWR Bangladesh producer Philip Pandey is one of many who recognize the importance
of offering listeners high-quality broadcasts. He says, “There are many programs around the
world, so we must give our listeners something special so that they will not go away.”
Earlier this year, Pandey joined producers and studio technicians from six other
countries at a training event held at the AWR Asia/Pacific region office in Singapore. Some of
the attendees had already been producing programs for several years, while others were just in
the process of setting up their first studio.
Before immersing the attendees in production skills – such as how to minimize
background noise while recording outdoor interviews, for example, or reading tongue-twisters
to improve vocal delivery – Allen led a thoughtful discussion on the various aspects of effective
communication.
Foremost is the need to understand who is listening to the programs, Allen told the
group. “It’s so important to always think ‘Who is my audience?’ As you develop your script, you
must think through every word and consider ‘Will this be relevant to my listeners?’”
Although all of the producers are working in Asia, there are many differences in the
cultures of each country and the challenges faced by producers as they strive to present
Christian beliefs effectively.
For example, AWR Sri Lanka producer Vernon Jerome described how charismatic
Christian churches have been growing in his country in recent years, as many people are in
search of healing and are eager to attend “healing crusades.” However, this year the
government passed a law prohibiting distribution of religious literature. (If someone is
convicted, Jerome said, the length of the jail sentence depends on “the mood of the judge.”)
Jerome reported that Buddhist monks – some of whom serve in the government – ask
for copies of Adventist health materials, read them carefully, and pounce when they see
references to God. “They say, ‘No, no, you tell people about health but then slowly come to
mentioning God!” Jerome said. “We have to be very tactful now in preaching and printing
materials.”
Cambodia is also a Buddhist country, but listeners there seem to have a different
concern. Pastor Nhean Thonsovan, who directs the Cambodia Union Mission’s work in media,
youth, and health, said, “Buddhists believe in karma and are always striving to earn passage
into nirvana. With their focus on reincarnation, they are insecure about the next life.”
The concept of “contextualization” is a key principle of AWR’s ministry. It involves
presenting Christian topics in ways that non-Christian listeners can understand, by using
language and illustrations that relate to their particular cultures. During the training event,
Pandey gave an example of contextualization from his work in Bangladesh: “Muslims believe
that when Jesus will come to earth, he will be converted by Mohammed, who then will be able
to go to heaven. So, if we can reach Muslims with messages such as the second coming, this will
be a gateway to communication with them.”
Allen also emphasized the importance of creativity when preparing programs, saying,
“Creativity will stimulate interest in the minds of your listeners, with the result that they will
want to learn more. You can do this by taking things that people are familiar with and bringing
them into a spiritual context, such as Jesus speaking about water to the woman at the well. If
you can do that well, you will always have listeners attracted to your programs.”
Producers had the opportunity to put these theories into practice, as they were required
to complete two hands-on assignments during the week: writing and recording individual
scripts based on their own real-life testimonies, and working in groups to produce a 20-minute
magazine-style radio program with varied components made to AWR specifications. They
worked late into the night to complete their projects, and the results were not only suitably
creative but also personally revealing, as several producers shared deeply-moving personal
experiences.
Pastor Chenda Pen, a Cambodia Union Mission translator and AWR scriptwriter, vividly
described his anguish years ago of losing his two young sons in the confusion of fleeing from
soldiers who were approaching his refugee camp. Remarkably, he was later reunited with his
children, and soon after came in contact with ADRA workers who were distributing supplies to
the weary refugees. Through them, he learned of Jesus’ love and eventually became an
Adventist pastor.
He said, “Over the years, I have had the opportunity to take foreigners through
Cambodia’s killing fields and war museum. Some of them are shocked, some of them cry. I tell
them, ‘You only see the shadow, but imagine: I was in that situation.’” Pen titled his testimony
“The Sun Rises in the Rain,” and his faith and optimism shone through the heart-wrenching
details of the story. He said, “If I hadn’t been in that war situation, I might never have found
God.”
These are the voices of Adventist World Radio, who can be heard sharing the message
of hope in their own languages with listeners around the world.
by Shelley Nolan Freesland, AWR Communication Director
[mouse icon] See video clips from this event and hear what some of the producers had to say
about the training, at awr.org/clips.
- cover photo – I have three versions of the group scene to choose from (my preference), or
would the individual photo (cover 4) be better? or you’re welcome to use him on the inside
pages
- selection of other photos for article inside
- please use one of the photos with the lone female attendee, Peggy 
- please use one of Ray teaching (I like his expression in both photos – but in the
“mission” one he needs to be moved closer to the PowerPoint screen, and in the “Jesus
Inside” one it might be safer to mask out the background so that we don’t have any
copyright infringement happening!)
- if you use the one of the whole group, don’t make it too large, as I’m in it and am not a
producer!