What Faith-Kazan radio’s voice to be like
A unique Orthodox Christian educational radio project will work around the clock without commercial breaks
Faith-Kazan new radio began to work in Kazan at the beginning of spring. The first Orthodox Christian radio station, which is already present in 40 Russian cities, now got to the Tatarstan capital on 95.5 FM. His Grace Feofan wanted to launch the radio, he considered that it was especially important for the republic with a big number of religions. Two years passed after a contest for airing on this frequency, Faith at the moment retransmits the programme of Moscow, but local programmes will appear soon too. Read in Realnoe Vremya’s report how the solemn opening of the radio was, why representatives both secular and religious authorities attended the ceremony and how they congratulated the Tatarstan president on his birthday.
Almetyevsk is three years earlier than Kazan
The solemn opening of Faith-Kazan radio took place in the Our Lady of Kazan Museum not accidentally. According to Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Kirill, it is “the home of Virgin Mary who is dear to every Christian”. The museum is private but it closely cooperates with the Kazan Eparchy and runs educational activity in it. The new radio station has this function too.
Faith radio opened in Moscow thanks to a group of pious laypeople in 2016 who won the church’s support. Now, nearly 5 years later, it operates in more than 40 cities of Russia — in Khanty-Mansiysk and Khabarovsk, Kaliningrad and Feodosia, Karachayevo-Cherkessia and others. The map will soon include Chita, Yakutsks, Belgorod. It is noteworthy that the radio appeared in Almetyevsk about three years ago. As Director of Faith radio Roman Torgashin told Realnoe Vremya, there were found well-wishers in the petrochemists’ city who already owned a radio frequency. They turned to the radio’s management and asked to air.
“From a perspective of the media, Kazan isn’t a simple region, the city is very attractive for business. Faith radio appeared here thanks to a consensus of secular and religious authorities on the understanding of the importance of transmission precisely in multiethnic Tatarstan. A contest was held two years ago to work on this frequency, and we managed to outstrip even commercial radio stations. The Kazan Eparchy owns the radio in Kazan, we are only representatives of the franchise,” he shared.
Will the metropolitan have his own programme?
The transmission in Kazan began at midnight. His Grace Kirill who arrived at the solemn ceremony noted that he had already managed to listen to the radio in the morning in the car.
“It is a merry, comforting and important event for us. Both the name and the essence are good. We really hope that it will be useful for residents of our region whom we invite for cooperation. How to do it? For instance, you can submit an application. Come here, record a folk choir, something else interesting. Radio workers don’t necessarily have to work on their own. It can be a dialogue with listeners, not just a case when you come, talk much and comfort yourself with it,” His Grace joked.
In answer to journalists’ proposal to chair his own programme, the metropolitan also joked: “Let’s wait and see”. He also noted that the opening day of the new radio in Kazan coincided with a number of holidays: Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov’s birthday in honour of whom they stood up and sang a song on His Grace’s initiative, the first day of spring and the Patriarch Hermogen Remembrance Day, which is celebrated on 2 March. The patriarch was born in Kazan.
His Grace Feofan’s “testament”
The unique Orthodox Christian educational radio project will broadcast around the clock. The studio is equipped in the Kazan Eparchy. The staff of the station is still formed, the schedule of programmes is defined — Kazan will have two hours a day. It will be known soon what time this will be. According to the press service of the Kazan Eparchy, the document is already ready and Metropolitan Kirill is considering it.
It is known that the radio in Kazan appeared thanks to Metropolitan Feofan. Guests were shown archived materials in which he left a part of his testament, so to speak:
“Knowing the sources of his faith, a person will respect representatives of another religious tradition more. This is why Faith radio for Tatarstan is a common acquisition, not only for Orthodox Christians but also everybody who will listen to it.”
“A low voice is heard better”
Chairman of the Synodal Department for Public Affairs in the Moscow Patriarchate Vladimir Legoyda talked about His Grace Feofan too. He didn’t manage to arrive at the ceremony, this is why he addressed the guests via teleconference:
“I remember when Metropolitan Feofan asked what the voice of a Christian radio station should be like, we talked about the human component a lot. We live in an era of cries and slogans, while our radio offers a confidential personal talk with a person about the most important things on any topic. It should answer the main question, what is it like to be a Christian today? I think service to good feats, mercy is the second important task of the radio,” the church and public activist believes.
The radio won’t have commercials, only messages about important events. Programmes with speeches of public activists and religious clerics are planned as well as music, of course. As Vladimir Legoyda said, Moscow Patriarch Kirill once reproached him saying that Faith radio in Moscow operated on Classic radio’s former frequency. “It is the only radio I listened to!” he said but immediately calmed down after learning that classic music would move to a new station. Roman Torgashin also thinks that more attention and much time should be paid to music — a listener should think about what was said and simply have a rest from a flow of information.
We can only remember folk wisdom: “A low voice is heard better”, and everything will fall into place, without shouts, urges “to buy something you don’t need” and doubtful life values of talk show participants.
Culture Ministry is ready for cooperation
Tatarstan Minister of Culture Irada Ayupova arrived in the Our Lady of Kazan Icon Museum to congratulate Kazan residents on the appearance of the Orthodox Christian radio in the city. She called the undertaking a platform where one can not only listen but also hear.
“Life is rapid like an arrow. I would like the listeners of the radio to think about how to conserve oneself, one’s heart more often. We live in a world where the picture means a lot. But we remember that the word was first. It is good that now Kazan citizens have a chance of rethinking what was said without visualisation, open their heart to God’s word. Our life has a lot of fuss, but there should be a minute to think about one’s actions. I would like to believe that listeners of the radio will support it, transmit it and go by the values founded in religion because religion is a quintessence of right to justice.”
The minister of culture added that all cultural platforms of the republic will be open for Faith-Kazan ratio’s projects.
