October 01, 1989 by Danette Olson

George Carey & the News

George Carey and his wife Nita have been on staff at the U.S. Center for World Mission since June 1988. George is heading up a new collaborating agency, News Service 2000, and is presently the only full-time worker in this new broadcast ministry. The following interview gives you a chance to meet George and find out what News Service 2000 is all about.

MF: George, why did you decide to go into radio work?

George: "My love for radio began when I was a little boy. I used to play baseball out in the country in Tennessee where I grew up. Of course, in my mind I was a major league player, batting the ball and calling the play-by-plays. In college, I decided to pursue it as a career."

MF: What is your background in radio work?

George: "My bachelor's degree is in radio/ TV/film. After college days, I worked in radio÷announcer, disc jockey, news, sales, sportscasting. That was previous to my conversion and call to the ministry.

"Later, during my seminary days, I worked in Christian radio for the first time. I managed two radio stations÷ literally converted them to Christian formats. One of them was a very hard, acid rock station back in the '70's. I just went to Waco, Texas, thinking it would be a good thing to have a Christian radio station there. There weren't any. So I began going to stations and asking if they were for sale. One owner said, 'My station's for sale. You have a little money to invest?' I said, 'Not really. But I'd like to see a Christian format station in Waco.' He really didn't know anything about radio; somebody else was managing the station. But he was a Christian, and wanted to talk with me. Within a day, he walked in and told the crew, "This format's out the door. We're going to Christian format.' Of course, everybody quit except for a couple guys we actually fired. I managed the station for a couple years, then went to Austin, Texas, and converted an 'oldie but goodie' format into Christian format."

MF: Why did you come to the U.S. Center for World Mission?

George: "In 1987,1 was pastoring in Louisville, Kentucky. An elder in my church paid my way to go to Haiti for a week. We were going to paint houses. Then the mission agency found out I'd been in broadcasting, and they said, 'Oh, we have a radio station in Haiti. We'd like for you to help us out.' So I worked for a week at Radio Station 4VEH.

"I came back, and discovered that the flame had been ignited for radio again. So I talked to the mission agency. They asked me to come and work for them, but I just couldn't get the peace that we should do it.

"Then about a week later, we got the Mission Frontiers magazine, which had not been sent for a while. Suddenly I get the magazine and I'm reading through it. Nita sees it and she says, 'I wonder if they have anything going in radio.' So I just picked up the phone and called, and they put me in touch with Steve Taylor. He said, 'Do we ever have need!' That began the process."

MF: What is News Service 2000 and what are its goals?

George: "News Service 2000 wants to reach the masses through the electronic media. We're developing a 4.5-minute daily radio newscast to begin in January, called 'Around the World.' On the heels of that, we'll have a weekly 28.5-minute feature broadcast. We'll distribute the broadcasts by satellite, and hope to expand eventually to a daily live half-hour from Pasadena. Then we'll do some TV spots."

MF: How does the ministry of News Service 2000 tie in with mission agencies and churches?

George: "We will promote churches and agencies who are doing mission work. Eventually we want to work with mission agencies to help them develop radio broadcasts for Christian radio stations."

MF: Do you know of any agencies that have done that yet?

George: "There is less than .1% of mission radio on Christian radio stations. Now let me explain what I mean. HCJB,  TWR, FEBC, and ELWA-SIM have missionary radio÷they're on all over the world for hours every day. But that's evangelistic radio; it's not mission information. So we have created a format called Mission Information Radio (MIR).

"Some of the mission agencies are giving mission information, promoting themselves. SIM does a daily 4.5-minute program called Mission News÷really good stuff. Every agency ought to be doing that But we want to be a generic broadcast journalism department that's reflecting the news of all evangelical frontier missions to the unreached."

MF: Are Christian radio stations hungry for missions information?

George: "No, it's sad that they're not. But they were challenged last year at the National Religious Broadcaster's Convention to tithe their tim^ to missions. This was revolutionary! So the consciousness level is being raised in Christian radio and TV. Now they need mission programs."

MF: What kind of help do you need in News Service 2000?

George: "First of all, we need a good secretary and administrative assistant.

"We also need someone on campus who will take the microphone and tape recorder and go to all the public meetings and record them÷something we've already set in motion, and I'm doing it primarily. Bill Zobrist helps me. We need someone that would be full-time÷a news reporter. We could use two of that kind of person. They would also be the kind of people who could pick up the telephone and call across the world to any mission agency or person making news in missions and interview them.

"Then we need announcers for news and for spot announcements (which we have now on a volunteer basis).

"We need someone in marketing, too. Dave Geisler and Jim Wallis are going to work part-time with us, but we'd really like to have someone full-time.

"We need writers as well.

"Of course there's the job of news editor. I will serve in that position, but I'd like to train somebody to do that"

MF: How do you hope to get the programs on radio stations?

George: "We'll be contacting our regional center directors and key people in cities across the U.S. We'll also contact shortwave radio stations around the world.

"There are 1500 Christian format radio stations in the U.S. That's the third most popular format in America. We'll be sending each of those stations a copy of a sample tape of our newscast. MF readers who are interested in hearing daily broadcasts of what's happening in the mission world can help us. We'll work with them÷they could be our radio representatives and represent us to the radio station. We'd like to begin hearing from people who are interested in doing this.

"We will be promoting through mission publications and agencies.

"Then we'll follow on the heels of the 4.5-minute newscast with the 28.5-minute daily. This broadcast is really going to be the life-changer for people."

MF: What has God taught you since coming to the U.S. Center?

George: "My basic nature is, like Peter, to respond to something and take off, and then kind of fizzle. That's my human nature. All my Christian life I've been learning the need to be patient and to persevere, not to volunteer so easily for all this good Christian work that needs to be done, but to realize I can't do it all, and to be able to zero in on something and stick with it.

"During my first year here, with our shortage of staff at the Center, I haven't been able to do much of anything in radio."

"Under the old George, I probably would have left this place within three to six months after coming, because I just wasn't able to get anything accomplished. So I've learned to persevere and be patient for something I really think is my vision from God÷to break down the mission vision into understandable terms and communicate it to the average Christian through mass media.

"But things have moved÷probably in spite of me÷to where it appears to me now that we're really ready to set in and do the job that needs to be done."

Can you fill a technical role at the Center? Are you doing something now that anyone else could do? Then consider yourself called: Come over and help us in broadcasting, in video production, in computer work. Contact U.S. Center Personnel (818/398-2339).

If you would like to help in the News Service 2000 project, contact George Carey. News Service 2000, USCWM, 1605 E. Elizabeth St., Pasadena, CA 91104, U.S.A. (818/398-2258).