WQOM is the Boston-area Catholic radio station, and while their signal is not as strong in my listening area, I know many of my Massachusetts and Rhode Island friends are very much blessed by its presence. The station recently started a billboard campaign and it is a simple message…

I hope folks in Massachusetts will consider some of the programming on WQOM. And I hope my little billboard here at The Back Porch can help lead people to it.

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We’re also blessed in this region by Catholic TV and EWTN on our regional cable stations. Check them out, too! Both of them have many programs to watch on demand, besides regular daily programming.

Catholic TV has its studios in Watertown, just outside of Boston, and they have an app for your smart phone! Find them on Facebook.

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I love radio, and I guess I’m kind of partial to it. It’s a great, inexpensive medium, compare to television, for the new evangelization. My radio roots have definitely shaped me.

Back in the 80s, when I was a newlywed, living in New York, there was no such thing as Catholic Radio. A few stations might have an hour of a priest giving a message on a Sunday morning, but there really was no such thing as a Catholic radio station, and Catholic television stations were fledgling and few. So, after working in commercial radio and advertising, I did a five year stint in Christian Radio for the old WLIX on Long Island.

There I was, a devout Catholic, sharing in the ministry of gospel radio alongside Evangelical Christians, Baptists, including a few former Catholics who left the church for Protestant congregations. Looking back on those years, I can see the roots of much of the ministry I engage in now — the desire to share the gospel (and its specific proclamation within the Catholic Church and to the world), and to write and work in media. I grew up a lot in those five years and learned the lessons of ecumenism, including praying for and with others, respect for other faith traditions, and discovering my genuine need to go deeper in my own Catholic faith, and learn its tenets so I could adequately defend and share it.

Fast forward to today. I’m writing and speaking, and I am a frequent radio guest on many Catholic radio programs near and far. And I have been so grateful to all of the hosts and producers and owners for sharing the airtime with me. I’m so impressed with the growth of Catholic radio across the nation.

Catholic television continue to grow, and I’ve support and promoted Catholic TV in my area and via new media. (I’ve even been asked to do some television now and again, like Catholic TV’s This is The Day, and I don’t mind saying that I find that so much more daunting!)

But the point of this post is to remember that we all have a role in helping to spread the word about these stations. Most of them are non-profits, and they need our support for their growth. So do what you can! Listen! Get a bumper sticker! Tell your family and friends! Put an announcement in your church bulletin or school! Retweet their stuff on Twitter or plug their shows on Facebook or Google + or your favorite social sharing site. Heck, write a blog post!