Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 31 , 2001
Denver Catholics may get second chance at a radio station
ATLANTA - Avila Radio, founded by former International EWTN Radio Marketing Manager Jim Duffy, has launched as a nonprofit organization and plans to make a Denver Catholic radio station a priority.
"We are dedicated to bringing Catholic radio to the greatest number of cities possible, in the least amount of time," said Duffy, who previously oversaw AM/FM feeds to stations on five continents and served as project manager for Atlanta's International Friendship Games, attended by 3,500 Catholic students. "Our professional consultants work with local volunteers who sacrifice their time and energy to make Catholic radio a reality. Denver Catholics have told us how desperately they want their own station, and so I believe this will work."
The nonprofit status, allowing for pledge drives and program sponsorship, may offer greater hope than the commercial attempt of now-defunct Catholic Family Radio, he said. Avila is determined to stay away from politics, focusing on the "humility and perseverance of faith," Duffy said. Music and specialty hours are planned to complement a national line-up of personalities, but donors are needed for phase one of the plan.
"We have just begun the project here in Denver, and are currently looking to the generosity of local foundations and individual donors who can help make the project a reality," Duffy said. "Although we have not yet located an available station, we hope to have a contract on the table by the end of the year. Location and signal strength are important to us, and we intend to be on the air by the first of 2002."
Popular Catholic radio programming has been secured nationally through EWTN. Catholic Answers Live, St. Joseph Radio Presents, Scripture Matters, Living His Life Abundantly, The Carpenter's Shop, global Catholic news via Washington's Catholic News Service and quality devotionals have been reserved by Avila.
"We will work with local parishes and groups to help develop quality local programming as well," said co-founder and Vice President Byrnes Lambert. "The programming has already touched hundreds of lives in other cities. Denver is important to us. We have received an outpouring of emotional support from area Catholics who have long dreamed of a Denver Catholic station, and we feel an obligation to help answer this call."
Once the station is on the air, Avila will continue to work in training station personnel and providing means to foster community involvement, organizers said. For more information, contact Jim Duffy at 770-667-8054, or by e-mail at jduffy@avilaradio.com.
Contact Us
