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St Francis Magazine Vol 9, No 4 | August 2013
As for RSB, the audience follow up had high importance: since 1986 it was involved in ‘intermission
follow up’. RSB joined other organizations working in the same area to pool resources.
That was urgent because of faltering mail systems, but it would also allow the agencies ‘to avoid
duplication in contacting people that respond to different missions programs’. 188 Some North
Africans had learned that by writing to the different Christians broadcasters, they could receive
Bibles, books and other materials.
In mid-1986, RSB published that it had received 30,000 letters since Light upon Light began in
1977. These were, according to RSB, ‘mainly based’ on that program which was broadcast three
times a week by TWR. 189 Fraser-Smith was careful in his estimation of how many North Africans
listened to Light upon Light during the 1980s. ‘It is very difficult to make even guesstimates at the
numbers listening to Christian broadcasts in the area, but recent indications are that every evening
there could be five-figure audiences; and over the period of a year, the number of at least one-time
listeners could be in the order of 100,000. Reports further suggest that the greatest concentration of
listeners are in cities like Rabat and Casablanca.’ 190
90 percent of the response to the programs was from men. Men ‘have been more likely given a
chance to finish secondary schooling. But even the ten percent of women responding is higher than
the average for other radio programs,’ according to Vishanoff, who was responsible for audience
research. He found that the majority response was from urban men, with an average education to 17
years of age, and who were avid listeners to foreign radio broadcasts. They were ‘frustrated’ in their
own country, with a ‘desire’ for anything western. According to Vishanoff’s findings, many were
unemployed or dissatisfied with their jobs. 191
In 1987, 2,513 radio letters were received. 192 In the five years after that, Algeria faced many
problems. Due to the civil war and possibly as a campaign against the Christian broadcasters, the
mail in Algeria could not be trusted during those years. In 1990 RSB received 2,477 letters. 193
In February 1991 the BCC section received encouraging numbers of letters from Algeria. Mail
from Algeria began arriving again. In order to see whether contact with old contacts could be
restored, RSB did a test. Of those who replied positively between 1962 and 1971, 200 were selected.
They received a Gospel of Luke as a test to see whether contact could be reestablished. 194 It has not
been possible to find information about the results of this test.
In 1992, RSB had 1,942 ‘active students’ for the BCC’s in MSA. There were 810 students doing
the lessons in French. These students together would send 500 to 600 letters and lessons per month
to Marseille. Of all students, 82 percent lived in North Africa, 10 percent in the Middle East, and the
rest in Europe. Of the students from North Africa, 54 percent were from Algeria, 40 percent from
Morocco, and 6 percent from Tunisia. 195 That the programs were listened to in North Africa was
apparent from an article in a newspaper in 1992:
Beware of the programmes on Trans World Radio… especially the programme Nemshi Maan [sic], which
is prepared by persons who have learned the art of trickery and playing on people’s minds – especially the
youth who face many problems in life. They lead them to believe that Christ is the Saviour and that
without Him there is no salvation. This is a false belief. […] So beware of these destructive programmes
and don’t let their beautiful words deceive you, nor their songs, which carry poison. 196
188 ‘Follow-Up’, in Contact (November 1987), p. 1.
189 ‘Bombs, Radio and the RSB’, in NAM-Media (Autumn 1986), pp. 1-2.
190 David Porter, The Man Who Was Q: The True Story Of Charles Fraser-Smith, The ‘Q’ Wizard Of World War II. Appendix
two: Open Doors– Media for Islam (Carlisle, 1989), p. 178.
191 ‘Cry for Hope’, in NAM-Media (Spring 1987), p. 3.
192 Keith Fraser-Smith, ‘Special Report’, in Contact (March 1988), p. 1.
193 Keith Fraser-Smith, ‘Media: Reaching the Arab World’, p. 2.
194 ‘Newsbriefs’, in Contact (February 1991), p. 2. This booklet was called ‘Skinny Luke’ as it was printed in such a manner
that it could be mailed in a normal envelop without attracting undue attention from the postal authorities.
195 ‘BCC at a Glance’, in Contact (April 1993), p. 2. ‘Partners in Prayer’, in Contact (April 1993), p. 2.
196 ‘Radio Feedback’, in Contact (February 1993), p. 2.
St Francis Magazine is published by Arab Vision and Interserve 27