Hope FM: History at a Glance
Hope FM began not as a radio station, or a radio tower, or even as the brainchild of a group of engineers. As with most moves of God, Hope FM began with a vision.
At a conference in 1995, Pastor Chuck Smith exhorted pastors to prayerfully consider radio as an effective tool for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Bill Luebkemann of Calvary Chapel of Marlton heard that message and caught the vision.
In 1997, the same year that Calvary Chapel of Marlton was formed, Pastor Bill began exploring radio in earnest. After rejecting his initial application for a radio permit in 1999, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved his application in November 2002. Hope FM had gone from a vision, to a new radio permit in Medford Lakes, NJ!
After years of legal work, engineering, a top-level meeting with FCC officials, an accumulated expense of tens of thousands of dollars, and a mighty move of God, Hope FM became a reality in November 2005, when it began broadcasting solid Bible teaching and worship music to the Delaware Valley, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Concurrently, Pastor Bill applied for and was granted several permits for translators, which would make it possible to expand the outreach of Hope FM. As a result, Hope FM can now be heard on various frequencies from the New Jersey shore to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and as far south as Baltimore, Maryland.
In its years on the air, Hope FM has shown those who do not know Christ the Way to everlasting life. Hope FM has encouraged believers to grow in their walk with the Lord, and has brought more of those believers into Bible-teaching churches throughout the listening area. And most of all, what began as a vision over 25 years ago has changed lives for eternity. To God be the glory!
As we here at Hope FM like to say, “Finally, there’s hope!!”