Radio broadcasting transforms from an amateur industry into a regulated system of professionally operated broadcast stations. Christian leaders embrace the new medium to spread the Gospel, with the likes of Paul Rader preaching from the Steel Tent in Chicago and the Chicago Moody Bible Institute establishing the music station WMBI.

Now-famed voices proclaim the Gospel on the airwaves, including Walter Maier with the Lutheran Hour, Theodore Epp (pictured) with the Back to the Bible broadcast, Charles E. Fuller with the Old Fashioned Revival Hour, and more.

Youth for Christ broadcast a meeting through WMBI and WDLM to communicate God’s work to an extended audience while Moody Memorial Church Young People produce a weekly “happy informal broadcast” of singing and fellowship. Preachers such as Billy Graham (pictured), Rex Humbard, Oral Roberts, and Bishop Fulton J. Sheen use broadcast to extend the reach of their teaching.

Amidst the surge of Christian voices on radio, the Federal Council of Churches, later renamed the National Council of Churches, supports proposed regulations that would result in every evangelical broadcaster being taken off the national radio networks. NBC, CBS, and the Mutual Broadcasting System adopt the proposed regulations, pushing Christian voices to the fringes of broadcasting.

150 Christian broadcasters and church leaders hold a series of meetings to respond to the regulations.

Leaders convene at Moody Memorial Church in Chicago to adopt a constitution, bylaws, statement of faith, and code of ethics to establish the organization which commits to building the credibility for evangelical broadcasters, securing their fair share of available public interest slots, and overturning the ban on the purchase of radio airtime for religious broadcasting.

The newly formed ABC radio network reverses the ban on paid religious broadcasting, with the other networks following their lead. In a few short years, Evangelical radio broadcasters are again a dynamic and growing presence on major radio networks, with scores of new programs serving a vast national audience.

Percy Crawford establishes the television station WPCA Channel 17 in Philadelphia, but it dies due to a lack of confidence in the medium. Shortly thereafter, WYAH’s TV Channel 27 welcomes Pat Robertson (pictured) in what eventually becomes Christian Broadcasting Network. Other Christian TV shows follow, including Jim and Tammy, Circle Square, A Closer Look, Zola Levitt, Dean and Mary, and Guidelines for Living. As Christian broadcasting expands to include TV, so does the scope of NRB.

Pictured: Gerald Ford becomes the first of many U.S. presidents to address an NRB Convention. During this time, NRB is recognized by the media as the premier gathering of evangelical leaders.

Ford’s second address at NRB awakens religious broadcasters to their potential as a social and political force. NRB conducts interviews for distribution to the Christian media with both major presidential candidates, Republican incumbent Ford and Democrat Jimmy Carter (pictured), who both profess a born-again Christian faith. For the first time in the modern political era, candidates are invited to describe their personal religious faith and how it influences their decisions. In addition, NRB representatives are invited to the White House twice.

Under the Reagan Administration, new stations and networks emerge at an unprecedented rate, with over 1,100 Christian radio stations and 300 television stations active by the end of the decade. President Ronald Reagan addresses the annual NRB Convention seven times during his presidency as NRB solidifies its role as a leading forum for Christian voices in media.

In response to a broader crisis of confidence in charitable and religious organizations, NRB expands its mission to include building trust by setting high ethical standards. NRB joins the recently created Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

For the first time in 26 years, NRB convention is held beyond Washington, D.C. The Los Angeles setting highlights the increase in Christian broadcasters making their case for access to the airwaves on a cultural level — not just convincing the nation’s leaders but making the argument to the American public.

Members of the National Religious Broadcasters found the NRB Network with a vision of impacting the culture through Christian television. Twenty years later, the network continues to encourage viewers to "think deeply and live differently" under the name NRBTV.

What began as an effort to secure access to the airwaves has evolved into a dynamic communications movement spanning broadcasting, publishing, film, streaming, podcasting, journalism, social media, and emerging technologies. Today, more than 60% of American adults engage with Christian media, underscoring the continued influence and reach of faith-based communicators in a rapidly changing media landscape.