Editing Religious broadcasting (section)

===United States===
The United States does not have a state religion or established church, and religious broadcasts most commonly feature various Christian sects. Although originally provided by independently operated stations, it currently is mainly provided by local or regional networks. Most stations hold [[non-commercial educational]] [[broadcast license]]s. Although religious radio began with individual stations, because of the deregulation in the 1996 Telecommunications act it has become more consolidated with local affiliates under a national radio company.

Religious broadcasts began before a formal broadcasting station category was established. Beginning in May 1920, the sermons of Rev. Clayton B. Wells, pastor of Fairmont Congregational Church of Wichita, Kansas, were read on Sunday evenings over an amateur radio station, 9BW, operated by C. A. Stanley.<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2559865&seq=294 "Enter—The Radio Preacher"] by C. A. Stanley, ''Radio News'', November 1920, pages 270, 312.</ref> After the development of organized broadcasting, the first full worship service, originating from the Calvary Episcopal Church, took place on January 2, 1921, over [[KDKA (AM)|KDKA]] in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013717361&seq=331 "Broadcasting Church Services"] by W. W. Rodgers, ''Radio Broadcast'', August 1922, pages 321-329.</ref> On December 22, 1921, the first broadcasting station license assigned to a religious institution was issued for [[WDM (Washington, D.C.)|WDM]], operated by the [[National Presbyterian Church|Church of the Covenant]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510008420257&view=1up&seq=284 "New Stations"], ''Radio Service Bulletin'', January 3, 1922, page 2 (incorrectly listed as "WDN"). Limited Commercial license, serial #261, issued for a thirty day period to the Church of the Covenant in Washington, D.C.</ref> Other prominent early religious stations included [[KFSG (Los Angeles)|KFSG]], the Foursquare Gospel Church in Los Angeles, [[KFUO (AM)|KFUO]], The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, serving St. Louis, [[WLWL (New York City)|WLWL]], the Paulist Fathers, and [[WPOW (New York City)|WBBR]], Jehovah's Witnesses, both in New York City, [[WXES|WMBI]], Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and [[WBBL (Virginia)|WBBL]], Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. However, the cost of operating a radio station on a non-commercial basis, plus generally restricted hours of operation, led to most of the early stations either shutting down or selling out to secular commercial operators.

The development of radio networks made national broadcasts possible, although the networks preferred non-controversial and non-denominational broadcasts. In April 1938, ''Time'' magazine described the Columbia Broadcasting System's interdenominational Church of the Air as "innocuous".<ref name=time>[https://time.com/archive/6758743/religion-maier-v-council/11 "Religion: Maier v. Council"], ''Time'', 11 April 1938.</ref>
Also, in December 1938, Lenox R. Lohr, president of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which at this time operated two nationwide networks, stated that NBC did not sell airtime for religious broadcasts; instead, it maintained a policy "to provide time, without monetary recompense, to the three great types of religious faiths prevailing in America — the Protestants, the Jews, and the Catholics — as distinguished from individual churches, or small group movements." Lohr said that NBC "turned to the most representative religious groups in the country to aid us in determining what religious programs are broadcast. All our regular Protestant programs are scheduled through the Federal Council of Churches; in the field of Catholicism, the National Council of Catholic Men acts in a like capacity, and, for the Jewish programs, the United Jewish Laymen's League."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/broadcasting15unse/page/25/mode/1up "Churches Advised To Protect Radio"], ''Broadcasting'', December 15, 1938, page 26.</ref> The one national network at this time that was willing to accept commercial religious broadcasts was the Mutual Broadcasting System, which carried the Lutheran Hour.<ref name=time/> 

In the late 1930s, a Roman Catholic priest, Father [[Charles Coughlin]], had a popular. although controversial, weekly broadcast carried by an independent commercial network. Coughlin was accused of being both pro-fascist and anti-semitic.<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1939-07-17/ed-1/seq-20/ "Elliot Roosevelt Rakes Coughlin In Radio Talk"], ''Washington Evening Star'', July  17, 1939, page B-2.</ref> Neville Miller, the head of the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] (NAB), called for the elimination of broadcasts that play "on religious bigotry... religious or racial prejudice or hatred".<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1938-12-22/ed-1/seq-14 "Miller Orders Ban on Bigotry in Radio Talks"], ''Washington Times'', December 22, 1938, Page 14.</ref> In 1939, largely in response to Coughlin, the NAB Code was updated to ban member stations from broadcasting commercial programs which featured controversial issues.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/broadcasting17unse/page/n678/mode/1up "Ban on Coughlin Under Code Indicated"], ''Broadcasting'', October 1, 1939, page 13.</ref>

In 1938 the [[Federal Council of Churches]] petitioned the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] and the [[Federal Communications Commission]] formally requesting that  paid religious programs be barred from the air. The oouncil represented about thirty more liberal "mainstream" denominations, which was less than half of American Protestantism. In 1929, the council's general secretary had stated that, "in the future, no denomination or individual church will be able to secure any time whatever on the air unless they are willing to pay prohibitively high prices....”<ref>{{cite book|title=A Man Spoke, a World Listened: the Story of Walter A. Maier|url=https://archive.org/details/manspokeworldlis00maie|url-access=registration|first=Paul L.|last=Maier|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=1963 |pages=187–191}}</ref><ref name=time/>

The Moody Bible Institute was the first religious organization to use satellite radio to reach a larger audience than before, and was also one of the first religious broadcasting networks to receive a non-commercial educational FM license from the FCC, allowing them to open other stations.

Several national networks exist, including:

*[[Air1]]
*[[American Family Radio]]
*[[EWTN Radio]]
*[[Family Radio]]
*[[K-LOVE]] 
*[[LifeTalk Radio]]
*[[Northwestern Media]]
*[[Radio 74 Internationale]]
*[[Relevant Radio]]
*[[Salem Radio Network]]
*[[3ABN Radio]]
*[[VCY America]]