CHARLOTTE — When Carolina Catholic Media launched its radio station AM 1270 four years ago, it filled a huge void in Catholic radio programming in the Carolinas.
An independent station, with an affiliation with the EWTN Global Radio Network, Carolina Catholic Radio’s 10,000-watt signal spans the greater Charlotte area, transmitting faith-filled programs to listeners each day. In addition, its livestreaming and on-demand capabilities attract listeners from countries around the world, as far away as Japan and the Philippines.
Founder David Papandrea says the idea for a radio station originated from a conversation he had with Spencer Swope, EWTN’s southeast regional marketing manager, when the two met in 2015 at the Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference.
Swope told him the only places EWTN lacked area coordinators for their media missionary outreach were in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas. Papandrea, a career broadcaster, was looking for a new challenge and believes their meeting was divine providence.
Papandrea pulled together a board of directors from parishes across the region in 2016, incorporating Carolina Catholic Radio in 2017. “Even though we have this fast growing area of Catholicism here, we were dealing with people who didn’t know anything about EWTN or Catholic radio. Everything was basically an idea for local evangelization centered on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We had to market the idea without a tangible product,” he said.
The station signed on four years ago on Jan. 31, 2019, with EWTN Radio programming, also providing local news and information for about six minutes every hour.
The first feature locally produced program to hit the airwaves with local talent was “Faith and Sport” with Dr. John Acquaviva, an author and professor of exercise science at Wingate University.
Jason Murphy, coordinator of the annual Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference, received a call from Papandrea in 2019 shortly after the station went on air, asking Murphy to tape some promos for the conference. “I had never done that and was uncomfortable at first,” Murphy said.
Papandrea pushed him out of his comfort zone a bit further by asking him to tape a series of reflections. He also asked Murphy to consider taping a weekly program geared toward men. The overriding motivation was to challenge our men daily and not “see you at the conference next year.”
Murphy has recently taped the 110th episode of “The Obligation,” his radio show that encourages men in their faith. “Men across the country are reaching out. I like hearing their conversion stories. I’m always trying to inspire men, reach men, and reawaken in them what we are called to be as husbands, fathers and men of God,” he said.
Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, is interviewed by Jason Murphy of Carolina Catholic Radio during “Catholic Night” at the Charlotte Knights ballpark at Truist Field on Sept. 9, 2022.St. Mark parishioners Jean Whelan and Kathleen Lewis, hosts of “Joyful Echo,” just aired their 100th episode. Friends for 25 years, the two had no experience in radio, but Papandrea learned of their love of the Catholic faith and their leadership and involvement with the Mary’s Women of Joy group at the Huntersville parish.
They were hesitant about hosting a show at first, but after much prayer and discernment, they finally gave their fiat.
“We’re very devoted to Our Lady and we are just echoing our Magnificat through the radio show,” Whelan said. “We’re not scripted at all. We speak from the heart as we tape the program.”
Lewis added that “we talk about how Jesus touches our lives and how we respond to that echo.”
Whelan said there aren’t many places in everyday life where a woman can go to hear that they are precious to God, that He delights in her. “That’s not a message out in the world. If we can be a voice that is joyfully echoing that truth to women, we are happy to do it.”
Carolina Catholic Media also expanded its reach by getting out into the community. When the Diocese of Charlotte celebrated its 50th anniversary with “Catholic Night” at Truist Field Sept. 9 last year, they broadcast live, featuring an interview with Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese.
“We’re hoping to spearhead more ‘Catholic Night’ events at other baseball parks across the diocese in the future,” Papandrea said.
While they are expanding programming, platforms and community reach, Carolina Catholic Media has a critical need for funding. The network was hit hard by the pandemic and forced to shut down radio operations for seven months, from August 2021 through February 2022, due to insufficient funding. As events were cancelled during the pandemic, fundraising became more difficult. The team was unable to reach out into the community to capitalize on those former opportunities to generate revenue.
“We are here to reflect our beautiful Carolina Catholic community,” Papandrea said. “You can tell when people call in how much of what we do impacts them. Some are fallen away Catholics, some agnostics, atheists… People from all walks of life are finding their way to us and hearing a positive message through our seven audio and video platforms. We need more people from our parishes, schools and ministries to partner with us to continue this important work like our recent March for Life live broadcast."
— SueAnn Howell
Tune in, get involved
Local programming on 1270AM is featured daily: 1-6 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends.
Download the Carolina Catholic Media app to listen to programs live and on demand including sections on Prayer and Learning. Find out more on how you can donate or get involved at www.carolinacatholicmedia.org.
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