Running against the flow of scaling back shortwave transmission, religious broadcaster TWR is beefing up its Guam transmission facility.
There TWR is replacing three 100 kW transmitters with twin 250 kW transmitters.
TWR President Lauren Libby said, “This upgrade gives TWR the opportunity to engage even more people with a strong, clear signal, and we thank God for the privilege of extending our reach across Asia.”
The official firing up of the transmitters will be done on-air, Nov. 18, 8:30–9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. A 30-minute live dedication with TWR President Lauren Libby and radio host Scott Hollinger will also feature guests involved in the transmitter project, including Collin Lambert, VP of Moody Radio and Dr. Alan Cureton, president of Northwestern College.
The aim of the increased coverage is better coverage in Asia and Pacific Rim nations. Two of there placed transmitters, Harris models, were 33 years old and had been running 24/7. The new transmitters are refurbished Thomson DRM-capable models. The project took a year to complete.
At a High-Frequency Coordination Conference meeting in Dallas in September, Libby told attendees, “Shortwave has a future … if we are willing to once again make it an attractive platform that is easily accessible to the general public that is cross-promoted from other media platforms. Broadcast platforms are still the most cost effective way to reach large numbers of people at a relatively low ‘per individual’ cost.”
