Contact: Sam Rinearson, Bott Radio Network (BRN), 913-642-7770
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Nov. 10, 2017 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Bott Radio Network (BRN) --a pioneer in the development of Christian talk radio – marks 55 years of service this month as the nation's leader in quality Bible teaching, Christian news and information.
BRN started with one radio station in Kansas City in 1962, KCCV, Kansas City's Christian Voice. Today, BRN broadcasts its format of Quality Christian Talk Radio on 120 radio stations nationwide. BRN also is heard worldwide online at
bottradionetwork.com, and with free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, iHeart Radio, Amazon Echo, iTunes, TuneIn Radio, and more! Bott Radio Network also connects with listeners on
Facebook and
Twitter.
It all began in 1962, when founder Dick Bott and his wife Sherley purchased a radio station in Kansas City with the dream of establishing a full-time Christian radio voice to serve families with "quality Christian programming, all day...every day."
Dick Bott's broadcasting career has its origins in his ninth-grade class in Minneapolis, when his teacher assigned the class to give a report on a profession. Dick Bott picked radio broadcasting. His broadcast career began in San Francisco in 1952, where he became the youngest general manager of any major market radio station. From there Dick and Sherley Bott went on to buy a radio station in Monterey, California in 1957. They began to think about starting a new station with a Christian format while working in Monterey. Both had grown up in Christian homes and wanted to establish an all-Christian radio station in a major metropolitan area. With their new purpose in mind, the Botts sold the Monterey station and began a search for a new station in a city with a population of one million or more people where they could realize their dream.
The Botts found what they wanted in Kansas City, and in 1962 they packed their belongings and moved to Kansas City with four children and a dog. Utilizing many key radio format concepts honed on the west coast, Bott Radio Network was born as "Kansas City's Christian Voice" on November 12, 1962.
Bott Radio Network began to grow with the acquisition of a second radio station, this time in Oklahoma City in 1975. Stations serving Fort Wayne, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Fresno/Modesto, California soon followed. Today with 120 stations across the nation and new media reaching around the world, BRN is a pioneer and leader in Quality Christian Talk Radio.
Bott Radio Network features award-winning Christian talk radio. Time magazine listed several of BRN's talk show hosts among the nation's 25 most influential evangelicals. A sample of the programming presented by BRN includes Insight For Living, hosted by Chuck Swindoll, Grace To You, hosted by John MacArthur, The Alternative, hosted by Dr. Tony Evans, Turning Point, hosted by Dr. David Jeremiah, Washington Watch, hosted by Tony Perkins, Living in the Light, hosted by Anne Graham Lotz, Pathway To Victory, hosted by Dr. Robert Jeffress and InTouch, hosted by Dr. Charles Stanley. BRN also features broadcasts by Greg Laurie, June Hunt, Alistair Begg, Jack Graham, Dr. Carol Swain and many other national Christian leaders. National program topics range from family and faith issues to live call-in shows about current events.
In 2008, Bott Radio Network's founder, Dr. Dick Bott, was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Hall of Fame. The NRB is the world's largest association of Christian communicators, with over 1,400 member organizations. The Hall of Fame award is the highest honor the organization confers.
Also in 2008, Dick Bott was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carver Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Carver, named after renowned African-American scientist George Washington Carver, was founded in 1942 to educate and prepare African American men and women to enter the ministry. Dr. Bott was only the eighth person in the 68-year history of Carver to receive an honorary doctorate.
In 2015, Dick Bott was honored to receive the Dred Scott Freedom Award for Religious Broadcasting, awarded by the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and presented by Lynne Jackson, great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott.
Then in 2016, Dick Bott received the Richard M. DeVos Free Enterprise Award for Exceptional Leadership, awarded by the Council for National Policy and presented by CNP President Tony Perkins.
Dr. Dick Bott continues to serve as Founder and Chairman Emeritus of BRN's Board of Directors. He is also one of the longest serving board members of the National Religious Broadcasters association with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Rich Bott (photo) grew up in Christian Radio. While working at BRN as a teenager, he learned to appreciate the programming concepts and the importance of 'Quality' Christian Talk Radio that has made BRN unique in its service to a growing audience.
After graduating college and earning his MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1981, Rich joined Bott Radio Network full-time. As Executive Vice President, he guided the development of BRN's format and oversaw much of the network's growth from 3 stations in 1981 to its present size of 120 stations, plus satellite, internet and new media. In 2010, Rich Bott took on the new role of President/CEO. Then in 2016, Rich Bott was elected Chairman of the Board for BRN.
In addition to his service as Chairman/CEO of BRN, Rich Bott is the former Board Chairman of the National Religious Broadcasters and currently serves on the NRB Executive Committee. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Council for National Policy and on the Board of Directors of Far East Broadcasting Company. FEBC's mission is "Christ to the World by Radio and New Media."
Looking to the future, Rich Bott expressed his vision, "God has blessed the proclamation of His Word to the hearts of millions of people through Bott Radio Network over the past 55 years and we are excited about the future. It is thrilling to harness the power of radio together with new digital technologies to touch even more hearts and lives with the power of the Gospel message and the timeless Truth of God's Word which is the same yesterday, today and forever!"
Click here for our special 55th Anniversary broadcast.
