Dr. Dobson and "Focus on the Family" Removed from Christian Radio Station

  Dr. Dobson and "Focus on the Family" Removed from Christian Radio Station

This report came to us by our good friend Steve Lefemine in South Carolina

One of our favorite statements at Operation Rescue/Operation Save America is:  "Its fun to follow Jesus - 'til you find out where He's going."  He is going to a cross and He bids you and I to follow Him and die.  We must die so that we can live.  This is a divine paradox that so many of you have found to be true in your years with 'Rescue' as you have been marginalized, vilified, demonized, etc. for your strong stand upon God's Word.

Dr. Dobson is now running head on into those Christians who believe the Gospel of Christ has nothing to do with the culture we live in, but simply the salvation of souls.  Because Dr. Dobson stood steadfastly in the corner of Judge Roy Moore, stood with Terri Schiavo, and continues in his strong pro-life stand with Operation Rescue, this radio station felt like it should be able to censor that which it doesn't like and keep that which it does.

This is the same radio station that could not believe that OSA would dare go to a church like Forest Hills with the pictures of babies killed by abortion. Where else should we go? The Church is the only institution ordained by God to fight this battle. It is the Church who must repent of allowing abortion to flourish in our nation. This “Christian” radio station made a point of tainting OSA every chance they got during our event in Charlotte . The closer one gets to the cross, the fewer there are that follow.  Dr. Dobson is getting closer to the cross than these pitiful radio stations desire to go.  They have their reward!

Godly men and women should no longer tune in to these worldly "Christian" stations.

I spoke with the general manager, Joe Paulo of 91.9 WRCM, and he says the reason that they are removing Dr. Dobson is because that he feels Dr. Dobson's tone does not always reflect the love of Christ. He points out several shows where Dr. Dobson speaks out concerning the partial-birth abortion ban, Ambercrombie and Finch, and Terry Schiavo to name a few. Mr. Paulo says that Dr. Dobson's tone gets in the way of the most important thing which is the love of Christ.

It is clear to us that WRCM is much more about being seeker-friendly than standing for Truth and Righteousness. The Truth often hurts. WRCM is much more interested in making sure listeners are not offended than standing against the things which offend our Lord. In light of removing Dr. Dobson's program, we are asking you to simply stop listening to this station and her sister station WMHK.

If you would like to comment as to why you will no longer be listening to WRCM, their number is 704-821-9293.

Welcome to the club of the "marginalized" Dr. Dobson.  We love you! - Flip

As a result of a difference in biblical worldview concerning what programming is appropriate to be carried by 'Focus on the Family' for airing on WMHK 'contemporary Christian' radio, the 'Focus on the Family' program will no longer be carried on WMHK after January 2, 2004.

Dispute over the programming content of four 'Focus on the Family' programs in late October and early November 2003 resulted in WMHK's refusal to air Dr. James Dobson's November 12 program.

The four programs covered several culturally relevant, current-events issues, including the courageous stance of (now former) Alabama State Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore in his attempt to acknowledge God in the public square by displaying the Ten Commandments; and, the urgent need for action in Florida to save the life of Terry Schiavo, who was threatened with death by dehydration and starvation (whose life has been spared for the moment).

The article below from The State newspaper (Columbia , S.C.) appeared December 11, on the front page of the Metro Section.

A November 24 letter from Focus on the Family had been sent to supporters in the listening areas of WMHK in Columbia, S.C. and sister station WRCM in Charlotte, N.C., and a December 1 letter from Jim Marshall, the WMHK General Manager, had apparently been prepared to answer inquiries into the matter.

LOSING FOCUS
Charlotte 's New Life 91.9 announces it will stop airing 'Focus on the Family' next year
BY JAMIE DEAN

CHARLOTTE - Beginning next month, one program will be conspicuously absent from the lineup of Charlotte 's WRCM (91.9) Christian radio. "Focus on the Family," a 30-minute broadcast hosted by Dr. James Dobson, has been airing on WRCM since the station's first day in 1993. That relationship will end Jan. 2 when the popular show is pulled from the station's programming schedule.

WRCM is not the only station dropping "Focus on the Family." The program will also be pulled from WMHK Christian radio in Columbia . WMHK and WRCM are both owned by Columbia International University (CIU), which makes broadcasting decisions that affect both stations. What started out as a difference of opinion between CIU and Dobson's ministry has ended with an apparently amicable, but also somewhat tense, parting of ways for the organizations.

Tony Viscioni is the dean of marketing at CIU. He says that that CIU and Focus on the Family had been developing philosophical differences for years. "We weren't seeing eye to eye," he said. "We weren't against the issues they discussed, but the way they presented them often seemed divisive."

Those differences came to a head in November when WMHK refused to air a Focus on the Family program that dealt with Abercrombie and Fitch's controversial clothing catalog that Dobson called pornographic. (That catalog was subsequently pulled by the clothing retailer.) The program also highlighted Republicans' efforts to end the Democratic filibuster of several of President Bush's judicial nominees to federal courts.

Focus on the Family says that WMHK also indicated that they were uncomfortable with three other programs produced by Focus in late October and early November. John Fuller, vice president of broadcasting for Focus, says that those programs dealt with issues including "the urgent need for action in Florida to prevent the starvation of Terri Schiavo, the battle to preserve traditional marriage, and the good news that President George Bush signed the partial birth abortion ban."

WMHK asked Focus on the Family for the right to hold back programs they were not comfortable airing, but Fuller says each of the 1,000 stations across the country that air Dobson's program must abide by the same agreement: Focus will provide the content and the stations will air it. Fuller says Focus is not willing to allow stations to "pick and choose" what content they will use. "That will effectively muzzle us from reaching our listeners with information on issues that they have overwhelmingly told us they wanted to hear," he said.

When the two organizations could not reach an agreement, Fuller says Focus could no longer allow the station to air its programs. "We are sorry to part company with WMHK," he said, "but differing perspectives on something so important leave us no other option."

In the days that followed, Jim Marshall, director of broadcasting for CIU, decided that Charlotte 's WRCM should drop the program if WMHK would no longer be airing it, according to Joe Paulo, general manager of WRCM. "Since both stations are owned by the same company, it makes sense on such a large issue that we would do the same thing at both stations," Paulo said.

Paulo says that WRCM is not opposed to Focus on the Family's work or its positions on issues. "It came down to a difference in how we present certain issues," he said. "It was certainly not a difference over the stance on the issues, but we need to present things in a way that will not alienate listeners in our diverse audience."

It was the political nature of some of Focus' programming that seemed to be most troubling to the two stations. "Focus on the Family seems to think the political agenda is intertwined with the spiritual agenda," Marshall told The State newspaper.

Apparently, that is exactly what Focus on the Family thinks.

According to Fuller, "While the majority of topics covered on Focus on the Family have always been about the presentation of the Gospel and practical marriage and parenting advice, we feel compelled to talk about the sanctity of life, the stand for truth, and the need to expose evil influences in our culture." He continued, "We believe God has called Focus on the Family to speak out in defense of righteousness in this way to help preserve religious liberty and to equip families for the battle against postmodernism that is so prevalent in our culture."
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Flip spoke with the station manager and said,

"Here are some more on the reasons given by Joe Paulo, General Manager of WRCM FM 91.9, as to why Dr. Dobson is to be removed from their station. Mr. Paulo related to me that, "...the 'tone' of the program doesn't always reflect the love of Christ.  The 'tone' is not a loving one, and gets in the way of the most important issue, which is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

This is the very same station that took great umbrage over our 'tone' during our national campaign here in Charlotte this past summer.  It hated the fact that we used the large graphic pictures of aborted children. It hated the fact that we were so "in your face" about the Gospel of Christ.  It hated the fact that were were so "political." It hated the fact that we were unapologetic and uncompromising in our stand for Christ. It hated the fact that we were so "judgmental."

Fact of the matter is that 91.9 sideswiped us at every turn while we were bring the theology of the church house into the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina.  Their daily talk show put us down every single day of our event.  They invented things that they felt were non-loving.

Now this station is showing its sorry colors again.  Dobson is strong, judgmental, political, unapologetic, and uncompromising when it comes to the true Gospel of Christ.  Therefore he must be removed at all cost.

We are suffering more at the hands of our so called "friends" than we ever did at the hands of the our enemy and the enemy of Christ - the devil!"