Fourteen years after the founding of AFA, the Lord led Don Wildmon down a totally unexpected avenue of far-reaching communication when He gave him the idea to establish American Family Radio Network (AFR).
Lynda Wildmon, who was married to Don for 62 years prior to his passing, clearly remembers his notion to start a radio ministry in the late 1980s.
“One night before bedtime,” she recalled, “Don said to me, ‘We need a radio station.’ That was the moment AFR began.”
The radio station idea seemingly came out of the blue. But Don was always a reader, and he had been reading and studying Religious Broadcasting magazine.
There, he learned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had begun allowing noncommercial FM stations to deliver signals via satellite. Immediately, Don saw satellite translators as the next step in faithfully following God’s plan.
In fact, he coined a new word for this technology – satellator. And he hoped to build a network of satellators across the nation.
On the air
“Just think,” he told Lynda. “If we worked with local churches, we could put a satellator in many small communities that don’t have access to Christian radio right now. They could all hear the message.”
Never one to procrastinate, Don immediately began applying for a license to operate a radio station. But it took four years of filing applications, denials by the FCC, and refiling applications to gain permission to build a station.
Finally, in August 1991, WAFR 88.3 went on the air in Tupelo, Mississippi.
On that summer morning, WAFR’s first listeners heard JJ Jasper say, “Good morning.”
“I was the very first voice on the very first morning when we flipped the switch for AFR to be on the air,” Jasper said, and he continues to be that morning voice heard weekdays on AFR.
Across the nation
In early 1993, the AFR network was officially born with the licensing of its first satellator – 88.1 in Jackson, Tennessee.
Don invited staff members to a small room (which later became a janitor’s closet) to listen as the first audio programming was sent via satellite to the Jackson satellator.
“There were tears and excitement as the vision to reach the nation was happening at that moment,” recalled John Riley, one of AFR’s first employees who still works at AFR. “The humble beginnings of AFR happened in that small room, and today the ministry continues to touch millions with the hope that only Jesus can bring.”
Amazingly, by October 1995, AFR’s network grew to 100 stations in 25 states. Now, AFR currently holds licenses for 179 stations nationwide, 173 of which are on the air.
In the studio
Through the years, God has blessed every aspect of AFR. Shows have come and gone, but the one thing that has never changed is the truth that is proclaimed. From the outset, Don carefully selected programs to air.
In AFR’s early days, Don co-hosted his first show, AFA Report, with Pat Trueman (via telephone) from Washington, D.C. They talked with senators, congressmen, and other national leaders on political and cultural issues of the day.
Adding biblical balance to the lineup, AFR aired Focus on the Family (with Dr. James Dobson, at the time), Love Worth Finding with Dr. Adrian Rogers, and Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah – all of which currently continue on AFR along with numerous shows from other pastors and Christian apologists.
Tim Wildmon began hosting Today’s Issues in 1992, and it has grown into one of AFR’s leading shows. Each weekday, Tim and his team deliver insights on current events and moral, social, and political issues. Tim believes part of the success of Today’s Issues is due to Trivia Friday’s Learnin’ University, a lighthearted call-in segment that is much needed after discussing hard news each week.
Just as Tim followed in the footsteps of his father, Tim’s sons, Walker and Wesley, can also be heard regularly on AFR.
Walker is host of AFA@TheCore, a daily show that applies the mission, vision, and core values of AFA to current cultural issues. Wesley co-hosts Today’s Issues twice a week as well as a segment on AFA@TheCore twice a week.
Together, Tim, Walker, and Wesley, along with a number of hosts, producers, and programs, are continuing to carry out the mission and vision that God initiated through Don when He called him to start AFR.
Wesley and Walker Wildmon
Through the years
From the very beginning, AFR has been supported through the prayers, encouragement, and financial contributions of its faithful listeners. When Don envisioned an entire network of radio stations broadcasting God’s truth nationwide, he also knew those stations would become reality only through the spiritual and monetary support of listeners.
Therefore, the first AFR Share-a-thon was held in 1991. Listeners picked up their phones and made financial pledges to support the ministry. Now, more than three decades later, some of those original Share-a-thon donors are still faithful supporters.
“It’s changed a lot through these three decades,” said AFR’s Jim Stanley, who has helped oversee the biannual fundraising effort. “But our listeners have stayed the same – except that they’ve grown in number and in their generosity. They always respond above and beyond expectations.”
Reaching people for the cause of Christ is why Don Wildmon did what he did over 30 years ago.
“It has always been Don’s main prayer,” said Lynda, “that no matter what, we would remain faithful to God.”
It was Don’s calling; it is his legacy, and it is the past, present, and future of American Family Radio.
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was first published in the commemorative March 2024 print edition of The Stand. Several staff writers contributed. Click HERE to get a free six-month subscription to the print version of The Stand.)
