Joe Emert was recently interviewed by General Manager Doug Myer on radio station WDAC in Lancaster PA (www.wdac.com) regarding the latest news from the Papua New Guinea radio project known as "Wantok Radio Light." To hear this 20 minute interview click here...

Joe Emert interviews Pastor Joe Pineow, evening announcer on Wantok Radio Light. Pastor Joe receives thousands of texts per month for his program "Chapel in the Air."

Joe is shown here with Thelma Ninjipa, Senior Announcer for the Network and Pastor Joe Piniau, Evening Announcer and host of a two hour program called "The Chapel In The Air." Thelma interned at the Christian radio stations operated by Life Radio Ministries in Georgia and Pastor Joe is affiliated with the PNG Bible Church, one of the partners who established the radio ministry 12 years ago.

Pastor Joe Piniau receives, on average, over 17,000 text messages each month from listeners seeking prayer, advice, or making song requests!

Joe Emert's love affair with Papua New Guinea began in the early 70's on the campus of God's Bible School & College in Cincinnati, Ohio. President Samuel Deets asked Joe to be part of a student "welcome Committee," when the first two young men from Papua New Guinea were delivered to campus, fresh from the Highlands. They were, in fact, the very first two Papua New Guineans to study abroad following the Nation's independence. When Pilipo Miriye and Peter Maginde stepped out of that car a decades-long relationship was born. Today, Pilipo serves at International Director of Missions for the 600 churches of the PNG Bible Church. Peter, long desiring to serve God in government even as a student at GBS, is the Ambassador from Papua New Guinea to the EU, Brussels, Belgium.

Today, Wantok Radio Light is a growing radio network in this island nation of nearly 7 million people. An additional 40 to 50 FM radio stations are planned around the country thanks to a generous grant of nearly 2 million dollars! 20 FM transmitters have been ordered and there is a strong desire in the nation to hear the Word of God daily. To God be the glory!

Mr. Pawa Warena, Managing Director of the Papua New Guinea Christian Broadcasting Network, passed away unexpectedly Monday December 12, 2011. Mr. Warena was a founding member of the original team which launched the radio ministry as Papua New Guinea's first Christian radio network. Just prior to his death, the radio network had concluded its 10th anniversary Sharathon resulting in over 900,000K (kina) being committed. (Approximately $423,000) Remarkably, at the conclusion of the Sharathon, the government of PNG, following a long-standing tradition of assisting valuable Christian ministries in the country, awarded Wantok Radio Light 4 Million Kina (approximately $1,878,000.00) for the expansion of the radio network to add an additional 60 FM repeaters across the Nation.

Wantok Radio Light began broadcasting in January 2001. It quickly grew into a network of 12 FM radio stations and a Shortwave station designed to cover the island nation of 6 million. Wantok Radio Light was the recipient of the NRB International Station of the Year award in 2007. Additionally, thanks to the generous offering collected at the NRB convention that year the NRB sister station, an FM station located at Buka, was constructed and began broadcasting in October of 2007. Dr. Frank Wright and Dr. Ron Harris represented NRB in Buka for the ceremony, dedication and launching of the radio station.

The US based partners and board members are HCJB Global (Dave Pasechnik), EBM International (Gerald Bustin), and Life Radio Ministries (Joe Emert).

(Pictured to the right: Frank Wright, President of National Religious Broadcasters and Pawa Warena at the 2007 NRB Convention.)