Life 101.9

Since a memorable February afternoon in 1949 when Northwestern College President Billy Graham offered an opening prayer as the first radio station went on the air, it has encouraged and inspired millions of listeners. On April 2, 1953, KNWS became the second station in the Northwestern network, broadcasting the gospel from Waterloo, Iowa.

Much has changed in the past 60 years, to be sure. The music has changed, and Life 101.9 is blessed with a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility ... but the vision has stayed the same:

Be a positive force in the community and help make a difference.

To the Life 101.9 team and thousands of listeners, Reverend Graham's initial prayer has been answered a hundredfold.

The mission statement for Northwestern Media guides us:

To lead people to Christ and to nurture them in their spiritual growth through Christ-centered media.

Lofty, to be sure, and the strategy constantly evolves and changes, but that only serves to keep the station relevant, focused and purposeful. Everything is designed to accomplish one, or both, of two objectives: Make a real difference in the lives of our listeners, and encourage them to make a difference in the lives of others.

For example, today's unsuspecting commuters may be blessed in their daily drive-thru lines by a listener paying for their order... a random act of kindness advocated by our on-air "Drive-Thru Difference" campaign. Or, our PrayerWorks website allows those in need of prayer support to post their request, and to receive a notification when someone prays for their need. To date, several thousand requests have been made. Our desire is to connect those in need of prayer with those able to help ... a cornerstone of shared faith.

The programming at Life 101.9 is encouraging and uplifting. But to only play music and offer advice on how we "should" live, without ever taking that faith out into the community, wouldn't hold true to our mission.

We look forward to what God has in store for this ministry in the days and years to come.

We invite you to join us.