Sunday, August 16, 1998

Investors plan Catholic radio network

By TOM HEINEN

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE -- A group of private investors is poised to launch a $70 million Catholic Radio Network in 10 U.S. cities in mid-September, saying the Catholic Church is nearly absent from the popular religious radio field.

Their intent is to offer Catholic "faith and values" programming in a 24-hour, all-talk format that helps listeners make decisions about life's daily challenges, said John Lynch, chief executive officer of the San Diego-based network.

There will be an emphasis on national talk shows, some hosted by prominent Catholics, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. There also will be strong commentaries and hourly broadcasts of world news and Catholic news, Lynch said.

Working with experienced broadcasters and some church leaders, the private network's organizers hope to offer innovative programs such as a live, "talk to the cardinals" call-in show that would be hosted on a rotating basis by Chicago's Cardinal Francis E. George and several other cardinals.

"On the issue of euthanasia, we'd love to have Jack Kevorkian on and have him debate with some representative of the church or one of our talk show hosts," Lynch said. "I think 90 percent of what you'll hear on our stations will be people calling in talking about their problems, talking about their challenges, and our talk show hosts saying here's maybe a way to approach those things and talking about church values as a model."

Other fare might include University of Notre Dame football games and local Catholic high school sports. The network is in the final stages of getting federal approval to buy 10 radio stations from Children's Broadcasting Corp. for $57 million. Stations are in Milwaukee, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix, Denver, Kansas City and Minneapolis.

Buying the stations, upgrading signals and getting working capital will require about a $70 million capitalization, said Frank De Francesco, chief financial officer. That's coming from individual investors, some institutional investors, and bank debt.

Organizers acknowledged that some more progressive church leaders are wary of the conservative orientation of the network's organizers.

"Clearly, the organizers and the people involved ... come from probably the more orthodox, conservative end of the church," Lynch said. "However, what we're trying to do is evangelize out to the broadest area.

"There are 70 million Catholics out there. You tell me what the numbers are of ardent, orthodox, practicing Catholics ... Our talk show hosts will not say or preach anything in conflict with the teachings of the church. Other than that, you're going to see a very balanced presentation here."

Lynch and De Francesco say the programming has to be compelling if the network, which will depend partly on commercial advertising, is to attract listeners.

"This will be controversial," De Francesco said. "This will attempt to generate talk and, shall we say, heated discussion among the hosts and the audience. We intend to air both sides of issues, however, emphasizing the one we believe most aligns itself with the teachings of the Catholic Church."

Lynch said Catholics haven't used the mass media effectively, possibly because of differences within the church.

There are 1,240 full-time religious radio stations in the U.S., most of them evangelical Christian, said Sarah Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Religious Broadcasters, a trade association in Manassas, Va. Barely half a dozen are Catholic, she said, though some estimates put the total at 14. Listenership of Christian radio is growing, with about 28 million people tuning in each week, she added.

"We really believed the only way this would get done was to do it through private enterprise, to make an attractive business enterprise," said Lynch, who hopes there will be a good financial return for investors.

A separate, non-profit organization called Catholic Media Productions is being created to provide the national programming and to do some on-air fund raising, De Francesco said. There are plans to add stations in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco and then expand to the other top 30 radio markets, either through station purchases or affiliations. Worldwide, people also will be able to listen to the network over the Internet.

The network's planners and board members include Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, editor of the Ignatius Press in San Francisco; William Clark, President Reagan's national security adviser; and Nicholas Healy Jr., vice president of university relations for Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver is Episcopal adviser. And, Lynch said, both Chicago's Cardinal George and New York's Cardinal John O'Connor have been supportive.

Lynch, 51, grew up in a Chicago suburb and graduated from a Benedictine high school. A 30-year broadcasting veteran, he was majority owner of Noble Broadcast Group in San Diego until it was sold in 1996. De Francesco, 51, a 20-year broadcasting veteran, was chief financial officer of Noble. Before that, he was vice president and controller of Charter Broadcasting.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)