Internet Radio Programming from KHQN, Utah

[Guest guest]

Thanks to the technical expertise of Balarama Das. formerly of Alachua,

there is a new internet radio station on the air. As you can imagine,14

years of broadcasting Krishna Consciousness from our own AM radio station in

Utah occasioned thousands of hours of transcendental programming. Now all

those shows are available worldwide through the audio link on our web site

www.utahkrishnas.com

56 never before heard half hour episodes of the Mahabharat and 30 of the

Ramayana are just a small sample of the programming now available. Our

format leans strongly towards dramas. We promise not an hour will go by that

you will not hear the beginning of yet another drama or dramatic reading:

Transformation of Valmiki, Scholar and the Boatman, Savitri & Satyavan,

Bhima Meets Hanuman, Shiva & Parvati, Radio Ram One and Two, Butcher's

Nightmare, Haunted House, Dracula gets a Gita, the Honeymooners, and many

others.

 

In its Feb-March 1997 issue Religious Broadcasting magazine, in an article

entitled "Not Just Jesus" reported on KHQN Radio,

"KHQN-AM/Spanish Fork, Utah is the nation's only full time Hare

Krishna radio Station. Devotee Charu Das explains how this came about, "I

had a weekly radio show in Los Angeles for the Indian community, called the

Krishna Show. To rent time in Los Angeles is pricey and it occurred to me in

1981 that for the same amount we might be able to have a full time radio

station somewhere else."

After buying the station in 1982, Das continued to run it on its

current AOR format for two years while he and his wife produced their own

shows in Los Angeles with a view to converting the format to entirely Hare

Krishna religious. Since then, KHQN broadcasts a line up of programming

which includes vegetarianism shows, serialized and dramatized Indian epics

(the Mahabharat and Ramayana), Puranic literature, stories and music. Some

of the more popular shows are on vegetarianism. Food for the Thoughtful

interviews famous vegetarian celebrities such as Bob Barker and Hayley

Mills. Eating Healthy and Karma Free takes its content from a publication

called Vegetarian Times. Music constitutes about 40 percent of the station's

programming. "there's a lot of Krishna rock music we play that has been

produced by devotees, our own counterpart to Christian Rock music," Charu

explains. Music from India and the maha mantra (the repetitive Hare Krishna

chant) is also played. "you get the maha mantra to a myriad of tunes and

instrumentation."

Das is quick to point out that the station doesn't have a large

audience. "Most people have listened to the radio station at one time or

another and are aware of its existence, but I think at any given time, there

are probably less than 3000 people listening." But , he stresses, "

Everybody appreciates the philosophy, the cogency of it. There is nothing

cultist about our movement. In this area people have very nice, respectful,

attitudes toward devotees." Das is amazed by the lack of opposition to the

station. " In 12 years, there hasn't been a single negative incident. On

the other hand, there has been a lot of positive feedback."

Covering an area nearly 90 per cent Mormon, he realizes that "people

aren't walking around looking to be converted to another religion. But since

we've been here, there's been a huge upsurge in vegetarians in the valley

among the Mormon population. "

 

 

 

Visit our web site at http://www.utahkrishnas.com.

One drama every hour on Krishna Interent radio, at the Web site

--For more stories and twice, thrice weekly updates on the Utah Krishna

temple, join

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Best wishes,

Caru das and Vaibhavi