Moody Radio Celebrates A Half-Century Of Broadcasting

WKES 91.1 FM is the flagship station of Moody Radio Florida and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Friday, November 11 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon.
Ravi Zacharias, host of “Just Thinking” and “Let My People Think” radio programs on WKES will be a guest speaker, along with Dr. Paul Nyquist, president of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Music will be provided by Selah, performing music from their new project, “Hope of the Broken World.”
Moody Radio chose Bell Shoals Baptist Church because they felt the Brandon community represents the majority of their listeners. Plus, it has the seating capacity of 3,000, as well as state-of-the-art audio and video equipment.
“We knew we needed a venue in the heart of the 91.1 FM listening area,” Station Manager, Pierre Chestang, said.
The station was originally WGNB (Good New Broadcasting) and began in 1961. Bill and Marge Caldwell owned the station and the studios were located on the campus of Keswick Christian School in St. Petersburg. The station’s nickname was “Keswick Radio” and the call letters were changed to WKES in 1973.
 In 1977 Moody Bible Institute purchased the station. Moody Radio is committed to compelling and substantive content that will change lives by providing programming filled with solid biblical insight and creative expressions of faith, helping listeners take the next steps in their relationship with Christ.
 Over the years, the station has taken listeners to Holy Land in Israel, as well as to the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona to support local churches and ministries. The station is in the process of building a church there and is hoping to have the facility completed by 2013.
Chestang has many hopes and goals for the radio station reach over the next 50 years. They include finding more effective ways to communicate the life changing message of the Gospel to the community and tackling present day issues from a Biblical perspective.
“I would like to see us continue to be a ministry that helps people take the next step in their walk with Christ, whether that be their first step or just another step in their long walk in faith,” said Chestang. If you would like to purchase tickets for Moody Radio’s 50th anniversary or to find out more information, you can visit www.MoodyRadioFlorida.fm or call 727-391-9994.