Across This Land and Country

This chapter discusses the emergence of a new era in gospel music during the period 1933–1939, as evidenced by the proliferation of new gospel songs. It first examines the growth of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses and its presentation of music to promote racial pride and assimilation into the African American church community. It then considers the rise of religious radio in the early gospel era, focusing on the creation of radio shows that featured gospel choruses outside the worship service. It also looks at the American Decca Records Company and its religious recordings as part of the Decca 7000 Series, including those by Mahalia Jackson; Thomas A. Dorsey's presentation of the “Gospel Song Feast,” a collaboration between Pilgrim Gospel Chorus and First Church of Deliverance's voice choir, as his first attempt to move gospel from the altar to the auditorium and sell tickets; and First Church of Deliverance's introduction of the Hammond organ.

Voice of the Church: A Debate about Religious Radio Stations as Community Broadcasters

In the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers on the role of community media in promoting social cohesion and intercultural dialogue passed on 11 February 2009 by the Council of Europe, stations run by religious institutions were explicitly excluded from the community media definition, as being too dependent on the Church. But the reality seems to be far from this definition. In practice, in many countries the religious radio stations officially belong to—or even dominate—this sector. In 2011 a new period began for community broadcasting in Hungary. While most of the former community media broadcasters could not find resources with which to operate, the community media landscape was dramatically overwhelmed by religious broadcasters both on regional and local levels. The legally-recognised third tier of broadcasting in Poland called ‘social broadcasting’ is actively and exclusively used by religious radio—seven stations broadcast locally and one is a powerful nationwide radio station called Radio Maryja. The authors gathered information and points of views from radio experts, organizations and activists living and working in different EU and non-EU states about the place of religious broadcasting in the community media sector. Two case-studies (Hungary and Poland) may be of interest for countries considering the introduction or reorganisation of regulations regarding community broadcasting.