Two young men named Bob Bowman and John Broger established Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) in 1945 with one goal in mind: broadcasting Christ to the world. They had no financial backing, no supportive board, and no church denomination.

Instead, they followed God’s lead to launch a ministry that focused on the extreme spiritual needs of the people of Asia following World War II. With nothing more than a heart to reach the lost and an understanding of radio’s ability to reach far and wide, they leaned on this promise from God: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye.” Psalm 32:8

With one country in particular on their hearts—China—they aired their very first broadcast from Shanghai. But by 1948 all mission work in China was shut down; an alternative had to be found.

First Radio Station

Ideally located in the South China Sea, the Philippines had much to offer, and the newly established nation was more than willing for FEBC to establish their operations there. The first broadcasts, over local station KZAS (as it was known), went on the air in Manila on June 4, 1948.

International broadcasts to China started the following year and have since expanded to cover most of Southeast Asia, as well as Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. FEBC’s sister organization, Feba, broadcasts programs in Africa, the Middle East and India.

Circling the Globe

FEBC’s programs are heard on AM and FM stations worldwide, as well as by satellite and the Internet. We also broadcast by shortwave through our transmitter sites in the Philippines, sharing Christ in 100+ ethnic languages to hard-to-reach minority groups. Our total number of languages now exceeds 130 worldwide, with broadcasting hours totaling 700 a day. Three billion people live within range of our transmitters.

But the only figure we’re truly interested in is the number of people whose lives have been changed by Christ. Last year, we received 1.25 million listener responses, many attesting to transformed lives.

That’s why FEBC was launched…and that’s why we continue. To share Christ with the world.