world have discovered its website, a week after it began broadcasting on the Internet.
"We even received reactions from a Christian radio station in Arkansas in the United States," the General Director and founder of Yes Radio, Janos Szoczi, told BosNewsLife. The 43- year old Szoczi, who also runs a private recording studio, stressed he is confident the network will receive one of five radio frequencies in Budapest to be announced later this year.
"The National Radio and Television Board (ORTT) told us that somewhere at the end of this year, maybe November, hopefully they will be able to announce it and than we are ready to apply." Earlier attempts failed after four organizations, including Yes Radio, applied for a single available frequency.
ROMA RADIO
The authorities awarded it this year to Radio C, the radio voice of Roma Gypsies in Budapest. Earlier Radio Pannon, linked to the ultra right wing Hungarian Justice and Life party, received a frequency, which was widely criticized as a political move.
However Szoczi said there are strong indications the ORTT will allow Yes Radio to fill a void in the airwaves. "Everyone who we talked to said they would love to support a Christian network in Hungary," he said. "I don’t think anyone was against it the last time we applied. There was just one frequency available," which he stressed will be different now.
It would also fulfil "a dream" which Szoczi said God gave him about three years ago. "But I already gave up the dream till I spoke about it with a friend of mine, a missionary worker with whom I attended Bible studies," he recalled.
NEW LESSON
"One day I told him about my dream of a Christian radio station. I said: "I give it up because I see it is impossible." Szoczi, who became a Christian at age 16, said he soon learned something he had never heard before.
"My friend told me: "Okay I see the facts, but why you don’t give a chance to God?" And than I said: "Okay He can have it all, because I can’t do anything." Szoczi claims that since the day he spoke those words "people started to call" and that he soon began to meet Christians "with the same dream," about Christian radio.
Although Hungary’s largest denomination, the Catholic Church, broadcasts outside Budapest, an evangelical oriented radio format is a new phenomena in this post-Communist country. "Our programs are focusing on music with a message for believers and non believers," he said while playing recently recorded Hungarian rap music.
‘EMERGENCY ENTRANCE’
"We also hope to reach the young people. Take the Hungarian rap team known as Emergency entrance. They tell that Jesus is the Way the Emergency Entrance to everlasting Life, even when you are in deep trouble." Although there are also Christian testimonies, he said it is not the intention of Yes Radio to pressure listeners as "God has given them a free will."
But he added Yes Radio has opened a phone number for those who want to know Christ or someone to talk to. In addition the station also plans to air Christian and general news in Hungarian as well as in English. "Nobody brings local news in English, including even traffic and weather information, although there is a large foreign community in Budapest. We want to reach them as well," Szoczi said.
FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES
He said Yes Radio hopes to raise financial and moral support among all Christ centered churches in Hungary and believers around the world. "At this point my friends and I sponsor this radio station. As long as we do Internet-broadcasting we can manage it. But very soon we need to find churches and organizations that will sponsor us, otherwise the radio station can’t operate."
