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History of Envoy Productions
Radio Programming
In 1930, the International Lutheran Layman’s League
(LLL) made a commitment to fund one year of broadcasting a
weekly national radio program to be called The Lutheran
Hour®. The first program was broadcast Oct. 2, 1930.
The Lutheran Hour continues on the air today, making
it the world's oldest continually broadcast Christ-centered
radio program. From the show's early years to today, speakers
Dr. Walter A. Maier, Dr. Armin C. Oldsen, Dr. Lawrence Acker,
Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, Rev. Wallace Schulz, Dr. Dale A. Meyer,
and the Rev. Ken Klaus have shared God's changeless Word and
offered comfort and hope to millions.
The success of The Lutheran Hour led the organization to kick off another radio show in 1991. Woman to Woman, hosted by Phyllis Wallace, took an in-depth look at issues facing women and handled these topics in a caring Christian manner. Guests included Kurt Warner, Wynona Judd, and Barbara Mandrell. At its peak, the program was heard on more than 400 stations throughout North America, and through RealAudio on the Internet. Woman to Woman continues in syndication with new productions on more than 250 stations.
Another addition to the organization's offerings was Life…revised, a weekly thirty-minute program targeting women ages 24-49 but appealing to all audiences. Life…revised featured host "Dr. Mark" Hannemann, a Christian counselor and licensed mental health practitioner and co-host Michelle Bauer, a working mom of three. Together they provided helpful and humorous insight into the issues today's women face. The program aired nationwide from February 2007 to April 2008 and can still be found on the Internet.
Television Programming
In 1952, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod ventured into
television with a dramatic series entitled This Is the
Life. The program examined contemporary moral problems
and gave Christian solutions. In the early years, This
Is the Life was a drama series featuring the Fisher Family.
In the later years, it was an anthology series with a different
set of characters each week. Several famous actors made guest
appearances on This Is the Life during this period,
including Jack Nicholson, Buddy Ebsen, and Leonard Nimoy.
The program aired from 1952 until 1988, first in syndication
and then on NBC. This Is the Life reruns continue today
on a limited basis in the U.S. and other countries, where
the voices are often dubbed into native languages.
On Main Street (OMS) was also a popular TV program.
Hosted by Dr. Dale Meyer, the former speaker of The Lutheran
Hour, the program shared practical spiritual teaching
on today's issues from a Christ-centered, Biblical perspective.
Guests included Jimmy Carter, Kathy Ireland, and Mary Lou
Retton. Broadcast on more than 100 over-the-air stations and
nearly 125 cable stations, OMS at one time had a potential
reach of more than 50 million viewing households per week.
While new programs are no longer in production, these can
be purchased through our online store.
Today's television programming also includes five holiday
specials dubbed into several languages and broadcast on stations
around the world through LHM's international ministry centers.
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