Summary
Salem Communication, a little-known for-profit Christian radio empire, has ridden the evangelical movement to the big leagues, and is quietly becoming a force in national politics. The goal of Stuart Epperson and Edward Arsinger III, Salem's founders, is to spread the word of the Lord and offers an alternative to the creeping secularism that they see as responsible for America's moral decay. Here, Piore discusses how the rise of Salem Communication's radio empire reveals the evangelical master plan.
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Extract
A Higher Frequency
IT'S A SUNNY MORNING IN SOUTHERN California, but inside the gleaming Glendale studios of KKLA, nationally syndicated radio personality Dennis Prager has spotted a dark cloud on the horizon, namely the "soullessness" of Europe. The white-haired host with a deep baritone and, this morning, a purple tie has fresh evidence of the Continent's decline: a recent study linking depression in France to the nation's loss of religious faith. "The breakdown in Christianity has led to a profound crisis," he says, his meaty hands cutting the air for emphasis. "What will people believe in? It leads to communism and fascism. It's one of the reasons I so worry about secularism in our society. I don't want that breakdown here."
You'll hear that message a lot on stations owned by Salem Communications, a little-known for-profit Christian radio empire that has ridden the evangelical movement to the big leagues and is quietly becoming a force in national politics. Before it was purchased by Salem, KKLA was owned by a cigar-chomping preacher whose promises of redemption raked in millions to help finance a lavish Pasadena estate, replete with a Rembrandt, a Monet, and show ponies. But Salem's founders, Stuart Epperson and Edward Atsinger III, have a far grander goal: spreading the word of the Lord and offering an alternative to the creeping secularism that they see as responsible for America's moral decay. "When you secularize a culture," says Epperson, "you lose your moral compass." A mission statement in Salem's 2003 annual report reads: "One mended marriage. One regained child...See the full content of this document
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