MARCH 2004

an
aramaic
an
voice
Broadcasting Chaldean issues in Aramaic all over the world
BY VANESSA DENHA
They have come a long way since the closet space
below the flight of stairs in the basement of Mother of
God Church in Southfield, the place where they once
broadcasted “The Chaldean Voice,” originally known as “Voice
of the Chaldean Youth.” Today, 24 years later, the studio is in a
comfortable apartment on the third floor of the Chaldean
Manor in Southfield complete with state-of-the-art broadcast
equipment, a bathroom and a kitchen. On this day, it resembled
a Chaldean family’s home with hot chai (tea) on the stove.
It all started in 1979. Mar (Bishop) Sarhad and the late Mar
(Bishop) Garmo started the church’s radio show focusing on religious
issues. A year later, the two clergymen approached members
of the Chaldean American Youth Club and asked that they host
an entertainment-type show for the younger generation.
Over the years, much has changed including the cost to air
the program, the radio stations they leased time from and the
length of the show. It went from a one-hour show to a two-hour
show in a short time span. At one point, the show aired five
hours a week. However, one thing that never changed was the
love for the community and their commitment to the show.
Even in 1981, when the show faced financial difficulties and
the church ended its program, the team never gave up.
“Bishop Ibrahim, who was in California at the time, called
and asked us if we could continue both hours of the program,”
said Shoki Konja, one of the original hosts of the youth club’s
program. “When we expanded into two hours, our community
was there for us with donations and paid for commercials.”
That is how they continue to operate the show. “One listener,
a woman on welfare, is so dedicated to ‘The Chaldean Voice’
that she has been sending a $10 check every month for the past
three years,” said Konja. On the show’s 25th anniversary, the
team at “The Chaldean Voice” plans on honoring that woman
in a special way.
Since the days when they taped their show in a space that
only one person could stand up in, the show has expanded in
coverage and airtime. The crowded corridors in those days
meant that the on-air talent would have to leave the closet
space for the next person to go on the air. In fact, if someone
had to use the restroom, it caused a bit of a commotion.
Today, on AM 690, the show is not only heard throughout the
22 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2004