Rhema Media


Rhema Media is a Christian media organisation in New Zealand. It owns radio networks Rhema, Life FM and Sanctuary, and television station Shine TV. It also publishes Bob Gass's quarterly devotional publication The Word For Today, and a youth version called The Word For You Today. Rhema Media is based in Newton, Auckland and is the founding organisation of United Christian Broadcasters.
Rhema Media was set up in the 1960s by Christchurch evangelical Richard Berry, following the success of Ecuadorian Christian short-wave radio station HCJB. The company's flagship network Rhema began full-time broadcasting on 11 November 1978. In 1997 the company launched the additional radio brands of Life FM and Star. Shine TV was launched in 2002, and The Word radio network operated between 2007 and 2015.

History

1960s–1978

Rhema Media began in the 1960s as Gospel Radio Fellowship, a small group of evangelical Christians who wanted to set up a radio station in Christchurch. The New Zealand Government legalised private radio, after illegal pirate broadcasts by Radio Hauraki in the Hauraki Gulf. The fellowship set up a radio studio and transmitter in an old church building and applied to the Broadcasting Authority for permission to broadcast in 1972. However, the authority was skeptical about the need for an evangelical radio station, and declined the station's application based on a lack of public interest, finance and professional staff.
Gospel Radio Fellowship changed its name to Radio Rhema in 1974, and raised enough money to employ twenty staff. It received a one-day license for Christchurch in November 1974, a one-day license for Petone in October 1975, and a 10-day Christmas license for Christchurch in 1976. The broadcasts had to be live, medium wave, no more than 100 watts, and only directed at supporters. The station published newsletters for its Christchurch and Wellington listeners, and launched a monthly publication, Frequency, in 1977.
Radio Rhema gained a permanent licence in 1978 after about 55,000 people pledged their support to the station. It was launched by prime minister Robert Muldoon, who said the station promoted "a faith that moves mountains", and made its first broadcast officially on 11 November 1978. The station was allowed to broadcast six hours a day on weekdays and 18 hours a day on weekends, making it the first permanent Christian station in the British Commonwealth and one of the first Christian broadcasters in the world.

1978–1997

In 1980 the station was allowed to broadcast 18 hours every day, and had thirty five full-time and ten part-time workers. In 1982 it gained a license in Wellington. and purchased a property in Auckland where it employed six staff. In 1986 it began broadcasting in Auckland and attracted a niche following. and in 1989 it received approval to begin broadcasting in Dunedin.
Radio Rhema was one of the largest private radio networks in the country by the late 1980s. According to radio reviews in the New Zealand Listener, its programming included evangelical programmes, Biblical teachings, and politically conservative talkback. Sociologists Sue Middleton and Allanah Ryan argued the expansion of Radio Rhema was evidence of the growth of the Christian right.
In 1987, vice-presidents Richard Berry, Hal Short and Frank Salisbury also set up a separate organisation, United Christian Broadcasters to support similar stations in other countries. The organisation's Australian branch supported Christian radio stations, many called Radio Rhema, before it set up its own broadcaster, the Vision Radio Network. Other affiliates followed in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Pacific countries and South America. The Dove was set up as an affiliate in Oregon, United States. Smaller broadcasters were also established in Madagascar, Brazil, the Philippines and Estonia. In 1994, UCB was granted the right to publish The Word For Today, a quarterly catalogue of daily Biblical teachings by American preacher Bob Gass, in the United Kingdom. After an initial trial, Gass granted UCB the rights to broadcast, publish and distribute the devotional anywhere outside the United States free of charge.
In 1993 Radio Rhema launched its second station, Life FM in Christchurch.
The Christchurch Radio Rhema building was sold to NZI for $5 million in 1995.

1997–2002

The Radio Rhema company changed its name to Rhema Broadcasting Group in 1997, when it moved its sister station Life FM from Christchurch to Auckland, as well as launching another sister network, Star. They used frequencies secured in 1991, swapped frequencies with The Radio Network, and leased some frequencies from other companies. Star lost its frequencies in Auckland and Christchurch in 1998, but was able to continue broadcasting in both centres by leasing airtime from the AM Network outside of the sitting hours of the New Zealand Parliament. Rhema celebrated 20 years on air with a function in Christchurch in 1998.
Rhema Broadcasting Group took over the operation of local Christchurch television channel Freedom TV in 2002, relaunching it as Shine TV in December 2002. It began broadcasting on Sky TV from its launch, and later expanded to UHF in Nelson and Freeview in Christchurch. United Christian Broadcasters previously owned a network UHF station licences, but sold them to Prime TV.

2002–2012

The fifth Labour government put forward plans to renew radio frequencies in 2003, but Rhema Broadcasting Group and the Crown did not agree on the value of re-licensing until 2006. In July 2010, RBG announced it needed to raise $6.4 million over and above its normal operating costs to renew its commercial radio frequencies for the following 20 years. By the end of November, the company still needed $2.4 million and was not in a position to seek external finance, with the frequencies to be returned to the Crown and resold at auction if the money was not raised. The Crown recognised the organisation as a non-profit with limited access to funds and gave it a three-month extension on payment, allowing Rhema Broadcasting Group to cover the cost with no interest loans.
In 2007, Rhema Broadcasting Group launched The Word, a network of relay stations broadcasting uninterrupted, automated Bible readings. The station was similar to a digital station UCB was already operating in the UK. The network's original Hamilton 576 AM and Invercargill 1026 AM frequencies were acquired for Star, but became available when Star starting broadcasting on new AM Network stations in both cities. The Word was later extended to New Plymouth 1278 AM, Christchurch 540 AM, Dunedin 1377 AM, Te Anau 88.0 FM, and an independently-owned low-power FM station in Tokoroa. The station was also streamed over the Internet.
By 2011, UCB consisted of 32 organisations which claimed to reach millions of people in at least 24 different languages through radio, television, printed devotionals and websites. The group was publishing several million copies of The Word for Today were published every quarter, in about a dozen languages.

2012–present

Andrew Fraser served as CEO of Rhema Media until September 2024. He was appointed to the role in December 2016, after joining as general manager operations in 2002. In December 2012, chief executive John Fabrin left the organisation and Mike Brewer, former general manager of Fairfax New Zealand's Taranaki Newspapers company, became chief executive. In 2019, Fraser said 80 percent of the organisation's income was through donations, from a pool of about 25,000 supporters.
Shine TV ceased broadcasting on UHF in Christchurch and Nelson on 28 April 2013, when South Island analogue television was switched off. RBG was rebranded as Rhema Media in February 2014. Short, UCB's president, stepped aside from RBG and UCB in March 2013. The Word closed down in the first half of 2015. In June 2019, Rhema Media sold its 7,000 Christian and Gospel music records on the auction website TradeMe.
By late 2024, Luke Weston had been appointed as CEO of Rhema Media following a search by the company's board. By April 2025, Rhema Media under Weston's leadership had launched a new FM radio station called "Sanctuary" and several new mobile apps. The company operates a subscription model based on donations, bequests and advertising. As of April 2025, Rhema Media had about 30,000 donors.

Services

Rhema

Rhema is an evangelical Christian contemporary music radio network targeted towards families. It broadcasts a range of music, current affairs interviews, conversations, teaching programmes and on-air charity fundraisers, with a focus on relationships, marriage and parenting.
The network's programmes include entertainment programme 'Rhema is super excited to announce a brand new line up! After 2.5 years of simulcasting the Morning Wakeup on Rhema and Life FM, Rhema now has its very own Breakfast programme hosted by Andrew Curtis and Nerida Ashcroft! Rhema 'Days' join Kat McCormack and Tom Francis for Rhema’s Day Show., 'Afternoons' with hosts Di Campbell and Andrew Urquhart and 'Nights' with Luke Weston. The network also broadcasts teaching programmes from Joyce Meyer, Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey. Some hosts also work as counselors, church pastors, stand-up comedians and MCs. Hosts have also endorsed events. Previous hosts include Aaron Ironside,Bob McCoskrie, Rob Holding, Tim Sisarich and Pat Brittenden.