FOREST CITY — There’s a new online Catholic radio station based in the Diocese of Charlotte and broadcasting in two languages.
The station www.chirhoradio.org streams local and national Catholic radio in English and Spanish, said Jim Brooks, parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City and the station’s community programmer. The station launched in December, and it went live in Spanish earlier this month.
Born from the identified need for Catholic radio in the diocese, the station strives to educate, evangelize and provide entertainment, Brooks said.
The online radio station is a separate initiative from the Catholic Carolina Radio Network, which is in the process of developing a string of broadcast radio stations along the Interstate 85 corridor through the diocese.
After evaluating the costs involved with owning and broadcasting an over-the-air radio station, Brooks said he turned instead to streaming.
The online station is an affiliate of Light House Catholic Media and Ave Maria Radio. On Sundays, the station airs the “Swinging, Singing Deacon” with Deacon Andy Cilone of Immaculate Conception Church.
Sunday is the station’s most popular day, with up to 500 listeners an hour, Brook said. Currently, 80 percent of the audience is outside the diocese.
“Our goal is to celebrate and promote the faith. Our editorial guidelines is real simple: ‘Would Bishop (Fulton) Sheen play this?’ If it doesn’t fall under that category, it doesn’t get aired. It’s worked very, very well so far,” Brooks said.
Brooks said he would like to add full Latin Masses and homeschooling programs.
“We’re trying to find our footing on what programming works and what doesn’t,” he said. “It’s still trial and error. Audience feedback helps to decide what to run and when.”
The station is run by volunteers and funded by online subscriptions and advertising.
Brooks said he hopes as the station grows, it will be able to add additional language stations such as Korean and Vietnamese.
— Kimberly Bender, Online reporter
Listen online
At www.chirhoradio.org : Stream the station or download the app to stream it on your mobile device. You can also “subscribe” by donating $7 to help cover the station’s costs. For details, contact Jim Brooks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..