The Rock Radio Network
Encyclopedia
The Rock Radio Network is a 3-station AM radio network out of San Juan, Puerto Rico
. It broadcasts Christian biblical teaching in a bilingual format. The Rock consists of the stations WBMJ
in San Juan
, WIVV
in Vieques, and WCGB
in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. The Rock is owned and operated by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc.
The Rock Radio Network began as the missionary radio station WIVV
(AM-1370). In 1952, the missionary couple Don and Ruth Luttrell moved to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Don Luttrell was a pioneer missionary pilot and evangelist. When they arrived, their main purpose was to evangelize by means of rallies and Bible study courses. As time passed, the Luttrells felt the need for a more effective tool that could reach the Caribbean
more quickly. In 1956, they started what became the first fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean
. It was named WIVV
, or "West Indies Voice of Victory," because its intended coverage area included the West Indies and Lesser Antilles
. WIVV
broadcast a mixture of prerecorded Bible teaching from the USA and local sources, along with music, news, and weather reports. In time, WIVV
and its associated ministries consolidated into what became known as Calvary Evangelistic Mission.
WBMJ: The Rock Radio Network
WBMJ
(AM-1190) was founded in the 1960s by the comedian and musician Bob Hope
. In its early years, WBMJ
was a secular music station. Passing through different hands and managements, it eventually rose to become one of the top rock-music stations in the island of Puerto Rico. To its fans, WBMJ
was known affectionately as "The Rock." In 1985, WBMJ
passed into the hands of Calvary Evangelistic Mission. Shortly thereafter, its programming changed to an all-Christian teaching format with a mixture of live and prerecorded material similar to was what already broadcasting on WIVV
. With two radio stations, Calvary Evangelistic Mission made the decision to broadcast mostly from WBMJ
and to combine the two stations into one radio network. After an on-air contest to adopt a new name, listeners chose the moniker "The Rock" for the new network. This name honored both WBMJ's history as a rock station and the Christian title of the "Rock of Ages" for Jesus Christ.
WCGB
WCGB
(AM-1060) was founded in 1967 by Grace Broadcasters, Inc. The station was built in Juana Díaz, which is a small town just outside of the second-largest city in Puerto Rico, Ponce. WCBG
was an all-Spanish station with a Christian emphasis, but slightly secular in programming. For example, the station covered local sports, news, and politics, and it aired secular music. Yet the management also made sure that every hour of programming contained something with a religious context. For many years, the management of The Rock had desired to reach the Western side of Puerto Rico and Ponce. In 2004, Grace Broadcasters sold WCGB to Calvary Evangelistic Mission. When WCBG
joined The Rock, its programming changed to a bilingual teaching format almost identical to what was already airing on WIVV
and WBMJ
. Most of the programming today on WCGB
originates from The Rock's main studios in San Juan
. However, WCGB retains a three-hour bloc of its own programming every weekday morning between the hours of 9-12. These programs are Spanish. For more on Lawrence Trumbower and the history of WCGB
, click here http://www.gracem.org/missionary.php?ID=17.
. Its programming is split between English during the morning and daytime, and Spanish during the evening hours. The Rock airs a mixture of Christian teaching and family-centered programs, along with Christian music and Salem Radio Network
Satellite News. It airs a combination of well-known Christian figures such as Tony Evans
(The Urban Alternative), Charles Stanley
(In Touch), Luis Palau
, and Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts). Also, The Rock actively seeks local program producers in English and in Spanish that meet its stated purpose. These programs include the live Saturday-night Spanish program "Pulpito Reformado" with Pastor Carlos Cruz Moya, and the English program "R&R with Ed and Pam" with local pastors Ed and Pam Chilcott. With this mix of programming, the network serves Puerto Ricans that speak Spanish as a first language, as well as the large community of Puerto Ricans who are fluently bilingual. In addition, The Rock touches the strong presence of English-speaking Americans, Europeans, and other ethnic groups that live and vacation
in Puerto Rico
. WIVV
serves the US and British Virgin Islands
, which are primarily English speaking.
The Rock has been upgrading its studio and transmitter facilities. 2007 saw a new transmitter for WCGB
and a new WinJock automation system at the hub in San Juan. In 2008, The Rock was just finishing an ambitious overhaul of WIVV
, with a new transmitter and a new building on Vieques. Recently, The Rock added all-Spanish programming Saturday nights. The Network also expanded its weekday Spanish programming from 12:00 midnight to 1:30 a.m. It is looking at the possibility of further expanding its Spanish offering to include Sunday nights.
The Rock is seeking ways to bolster its presence in the community and the rest of the islands through a growing online ministry. At the same time, The Rock is looking at ways to increase its coverage of the Caribbean through the acquisition of more stations.
, Puerto Rico. One floor houses the radio network and the Bible Correspondence School of the Caribbean, and the other floors are rented to subsidize the ministry . This is CEM's main source of income . The Rock is also supported by donations, which come in several ways. First, some of the program support the costs associated with their airtime. CEM accepts donations from listeners, friends, outside groups like churches and businesses, and estates. The Rock holds an annual "Sharathon" fundraiser, which supplies a small portion of the annual budget.
----
Website of The Rock Radio Network http://www.therockradio.org
----
Sources:
[1]The booklet "CEM: 40 Years and Beyond" (1997), pg. 20. This booklet is published by CEM, Inc. and is available for free.
[2]Ibid., pg. 21
[3]Answers.com http://www.answers.com/WIVV
[4]Personal recollections of Ruth Luttrell, co-founder and President Emeritus, CEM, Inc. (interview October, 2007)
[5]A fan website for the old WBMJ (not affiliated with its current owner)http://www.northernstar.no/wbmj.htm
[6]Personal recollections of Ruth Luttrell, co-founder and President Emeritus, CEM, Inc. (interview October, 2007)
[7]Interview with Janet Luttrell, CEO, Calvary Evangelistic Mission (April 2008). Janet is former manager of another popular rock-music station in Puerto Rico, AlfaRock.http://www.alfarock.com
[8]Ibid. above, pg. 28
[9]Interview with Lawrence Trumbower (April, 2008). Trumbower was the founder and first manager of WCBG. Today he is Chief Engineer for The Rock Radio Network.
[10]Allbusiness.com (Tracks media-station transfers)http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-regional/6277865-1.html
[11] Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de Puerto Rico - the church of Pastor Carlos Cruz Moya (contains information about The Rock and his program on the station; also a link to listen to The Rock).http://www.presbiterianareformadapr.org/
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It broadcasts Christian biblical teaching in a bilingual format. The Rock consists of the stations WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
in Vieques, and WCGB
WCGB
WCGB is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format as part of The Rock Radio Network. Licensed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. The Rock is owned and operated by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc.
History
WIVV DaysThe Rock Radio Network began as the missionary radio station WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
(AM-1370). In 1952, the missionary couple Don and Ruth Luttrell moved to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Don Luttrell was a pioneer missionary pilot and evangelist. When they arrived, their main purpose was to evangelize by means of rallies and Bible study courses. As time passed, the Luttrells felt the need for a more effective tool that could reach the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
more quickly. In 1956, they started what became the first fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It was named WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
, or "West Indies Voice of Victory," because its intended coverage area included the West Indies and Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
broadcast a mixture of prerecorded Bible teaching from the USA and local sources, along with music, news, and weather reports. In time, WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
and its associated ministries consolidated into what became known as Calvary Evangelistic Mission.
WBMJ: The Rock Radio Network
WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
(AM-1190) was founded in the 1960s by the comedian and musician Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. In its early years, WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
was a secular music station. Passing through different hands and managements, it eventually rose to become one of the top rock-music stations in the island of Puerto Rico. To its fans, WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
was known affectionately as "The Rock." In 1985, WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
passed into the hands of Calvary Evangelistic Mission. Shortly thereafter, its programming changed to an all-Christian teaching format with a mixture of live and prerecorded material similar to was what already broadcasting on WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
. With two radio stations, Calvary Evangelistic Mission made the decision to broadcast mostly from WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
and to combine the two stations into one radio network. After an on-air contest to adopt a new name, listeners chose the moniker "The Rock" for the new network. This name honored both WBMJ's history as a rock station and the Christian title of the "Rock of Ages" for Jesus Christ.
WCGB
WCGB
WCGB
WCGB is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format as part of The Rock Radio Network. Licensed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
(AM-1060) was founded in 1967 by Grace Broadcasters, Inc. The station was built in Juana Díaz, which is a small town just outside of the second-largest city in Puerto Rico, Ponce. WCBG
WCBG
WCBG is a Sports Talk formatted broadcast radio station affiliated with ESPN Radio.WCBG is licensed to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, serving the Waynesboro/Chambersburg area. WCBG is owned and operated by VerStandig Broadcasting.-History:...
was an all-Spanish station with a Christian emphasis, but slightly secular in programming. For example, the station covered local sports, news, and politics, and it aired secular music. Yet the management also made sure that every hour of programming contained something with a religious context. For many years, the management of The Rock had desired to reach the Western side of Puerto Rico and Ponce. In 2004, Grace Broadcasters sold WCGB to Calvary Evangelistic Mission. When WCBG
WCBG
WCBG is a Sports Talk formatted broadcast radio station affiliated with ESPN Radio.WCBG is licensed to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, serving the Waynesboro/Chambersburg area. WCBG is owned and operated by VerStandig Broadcasting.-History:...
joined The Rock, its programming changed to a bilingual teaching format almost identical to what was already airing on WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
and WBMJ
WBMJ
WBMJ is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
. Most of the programming today on WCGB
WCGB
WCGB is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format as part of The Rock Radio Network. Licensed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
originates from The Rock's main studios in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. However, WCGB retains a three-hour bloc of its own programming every weekday morning between the hours of 9-12. These programs are Spanish. For more on Lawrence Trumbower and the history of WCGB
WCGB
WCGB is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format as part of The Rock Radio Network. Licensed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
, click here http://www.gracem.org/missionary.php?ID=17.
The Rock Today
Today, The Rock Radio Network is the only bilingual radio network in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Its programming is split between English during the morning and daytime, and Spanish during the evening hours. The Rock airs a mixture of Christian teaching and family-centered programs, along with Christian music and Salem Radio Network
Salem Radio Network
Salem Radio Network is a United States-based radio network that specializes in syndicated Christian talk, music, and secular news/talk programming...
Satellite News. It airs a combination of well-known Christian figures such as Tony Evans
Tony Evans
Tony Evans is a Christian pastor and a widely-syndicated radio broadcaster in the United States.Dr. Evans serves as Senior Pastor to the over 8,000 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, which was founded in 1976 with 10 members meeting at his home...
(The Urban Alternative), Charles Stanley
Charles Stanley
Charles Stanley , is a US preacher, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.Charles Stanley may also refer to:*Charles H...
(In Touch), Luis Palau
Luis Palau
Luis Palau, Jr. is an international Christian evangelist living in the Portland area in Oregon, United States. He was born in Argentina and moved to Portland in his mid-twenties to enroll in a graduate program in Biblical studies....
, and Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts). Also, The Rock actively seeks local program producers in English and in Spanish that meet its stated purpose. These programs include the live Saturday-night Spanish program "Pulpito Reformado" with Pastor Carlos Cruz Moya, and the English program "R&R with Ed and Pam" with local pastors Ed and Pam Chilcott. With this mix of programming, the network serves Puerto Ricans that speak Spanish as a first language, as well as the large community of Puerto Ricans who are fluently bilingual. In addition, The Rock touches the strong presence of English-speaking Americans, Europeans, and other ethnic groups that live and vacation
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
serves the US and British Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
, which are primarily English speaking.
The Rock has been upgrading its studio and transmitter facilities. 2007 saw a new transmitter for WCGB
WCGB
WCGB is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format as part of The Rock Radio Network. Licensed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, it serves the Puerto Rico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications....
and a new WinJock automation system at the hub in San Juan. In 2008, The Rock was just finishing an ambitious overhaul of WIVV
WIVV
WIVV is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Vieques, Puerto Rico, it serves part of Puerto Rico, large areas of the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles. WIVV was the first-ever fulltime Christian radio station in the Caribbean. It is...
, with a new transmitter and a new building on Vieques. Recently, The Rock added all-Spanish programming Saturday nights. The Network also expanded its weekday Spanish programming from 12:00 midnight to 1:30 a.m. It is looking at the possibility of further expanding its Spanish offering to include Sunday nights.
The Rock is seeking ways to bolster its presence in the community and the rest of the islands through a growing online ministry. At the same time, The Rock is looking at ways to increase its coverage of the Caribbean through the acquisition of more stations.
Funding
The Rock Radio Network is a division of Calvary Evangelistic Mission, Inc. (CEM), which is a 501(c)(3) IRS registered nonprofit . The Rock is supported in two main ways. CEM owns a 7-story building complex in SanturceSanturce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
, Puerto Rico. One floor houses the radio network and the Bible Correspondence School of the Caribbean, and the other floors are rented to subsidize the ministry . This is CEM's main source of income . The Rock is also supported by donations, which come in several ways. First, some of the program support the costs associated with their airtime. CEM accepts donations from listeners, friends, outside groups like churches and businesses, and estates. The Rock holds an annual "Sharathon" fundraiser, which supplies a small portion of the annual budget.
----
Website of The Rock Radio Network http://www.therockradio.org
----
Sources:
[1]The booklet "CEM: 40 Years and Beyond" (1997), pg. 20. This booklet is published by CEM, Inc. and is available for free.
[2]Ibid., pg. 21
[3]Answers.com http://www.answers.com/WIVV
[4]Personal recollections of Ruth Luttrell, co-founder and President Emeritus, CEM, Inc. (interview October, 2007)
[5]A fan website for the old WBMJ (not affiliated with its current owner)http://www.northernstar.no/wbmj.htm
[6]Personal recollections of Ruth Luttrell, co-founder and President Emeritus, CEM, Inc. (interview October, 2007)
[7]Interview with Janet Luttrell, CEO, Calvary Evangelistic Mission (April 2008). Janet is former manager of another popular rock-music station in Puerto Rico, AlfaRock.http://www.alfarock.com
[8]Ibid. above, pg. 28
[9]Interview with Lawrence Trumbower (April, 2008). Trumbower was the founder and first manager of WCBG. Today he is Chief Engineer for The Rock Radio Network.
[10]Allbusiness.com (Tracks media-station transfers)http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-regional/6277865-1.html
[11] Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de Puerto Rico - the church of Pastor Carlos Cruz Moya (contains information about The Rock and his program on the station; also a link to listen to The Rock).http://www.presbiterianareformadapr.org/