BGEA: Records of the Hour of Decision Radio Program - Collection 191

[Note: What follows is a description of the documents in this collection which are available for use at BGC Archives in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. The actual documents are not, in most cases, available online, only this description of them. Nor are they available for sale or rent.]

Table of Contents

Brief Description of This Collection

Title Page and Restrictions

General Historical Background of Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Historical Background

An Essay on the Contents of the Collection (Scope and Content)

Lists of Audio Tapes, Compact Disks, and Phonograph Records (Transcription Disks) in This Collection (Location Records)

Audio Tapes
Compact Disks
Phonograph Records

List of the Contents of Boxes of Paper Records in This Collection (Box List)

Collection 191

[March 14, 2006]

BGEA: Hour of Decision Radio Program; 1950-

Records; 1950-2003

2 Boxes (1 card file case, 1 DC; 1.1 cubic feet); Audio Tapes, Compact Disks, Phonograph Records (Transcription Discs), Program Cards

Brief Description

Recordings of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's weekly radio program, which included music, announcements about evangelistic meetings, and a sermon by Graham, an associate, or guest. Many programs make references to then-current political or social events. Also includes the Spanish Hour of Decision program Momentos de Decision on compact discs and digital audio tapes, 2000-2003, n.d.

Restrictions

All materials in this collection are on deposit from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and may not be copied without written permission from the BGEA. Any researcher who wishes to request permission must get the required form from the Archives staff. It is the responsibility of the researcher to fill out the form and send it to the BGEA.

Historical Background

Note: Because a knowledge of the organizational history of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association would be helpful in using this collection, a brief but more extensive history of the BGEA than the following paragraph is available. Ask the Archives staff to see a copy.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) was incorporated in 1950 as William Franklin "Billy" Graham's evangelistic ministry became well known nationwide. The organization planned and coordinated evangelistic meetings and other activities of Graham and his associate evangelists. The Association was based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with offices in cities around the world--Sydney, Buenos Aires, Winnipeg, London, Paris, Frankfort, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. Besides its work in evangelism, the BGEA or its subsidiaries, Grason Company and World Wide Pictures, published periodicals (the color tabloid Decision was prepared in six languages and Braille), books, phonograph records, and audio tapes, and produced films and radio and television programs.

The origins of the Hour of Decision are closely tied to those of the BGEA. In 1950, Rev. Theodore Elsner, president of the National Religious Broadcasters, and his son-in-law, Fred Dienert, partner in the advertising firm of Walter F. Bennett and Company, spoke with Graham about starting a radio program, but Graham was unenthusiastic. Dienert and Elsner followed Graham to Portland, Oregon, where he was leading an evangelistic campaign, and several times urged him to begin broadcasting. After thought and prayer, Graham agreed to mention the possibility of a weekly radio broadcast to the evening's crusade audience for their reaction. That night twenty-five thousand dollars was donated to the project and Graham and his associates decided to go ahead.

The BGEA was incorporated in order to create a tax-exempt entity which could receive the money raised for the radio program. Graham, his wife Ruth, song leader Cliff Barrows, evangelist Grady Wilson, and business manager George Wilson were the first trustees.

The first broadcast was November 5, 1950, from Atlanta, Georgia. The program title was suggested by Ruth Graham. Cliff Barrows served as announcer, Jerry Beaven gave news about Graham's evangelistic campaigns, George Beverly Shea sang, Grady Wilson read Scripture, and then Graham gave a brief message. Although the format varied some over the years, the heart of the program remained Graham's sermon, which often was closely related to, or took its starting point from, current events. Occasionally, one of Graham's associates such as Leighton Ford would give the message. Beginning in the 1980s Franklin Graham became a frequent speaker. One hundred fifty stations on the ABC network carried the first broadcast. That first year brought in over one hundred seventy-eight thousand pieces of mail. By 1964, two hundred thousand pieces were coming in yearly in response to the radio program and television broadcasts of crusades. By 1970, over twelve hundred world-wide stations carried the program to an audience estimated in the tens of millions.

Cliff Barrows supervised the recording of the program, assisted by John Lenning and sound technician Bob Benninghof. Marshall Dishin was the director, with Bennett and Dienert as the producers. Lee Fischer helped with the preparation of many of Graham's radio messages in the 1950s and 60s. From 1951 to 1954, there was also an Hour of Decision television show.

[Note: In the Scope & Content section, the notation “folder 2-5" means “Box 2, Folder 5"]

Scope and Content Description

Series: Paper records

Arrangement: Chronological

Date Range: 1950-2001

Volume: .25

Boxes: 1-3

Type of documents: Transcripts of sermons, program note cards.

Subjects: Sin, salvation, conversion, Jesus Christ, the Bible. Frequent reference to current political and social events

Notes: A typical program card lists the date, the songs sung by the choir, special guests (if any), song by George Beverly Shea, and the sermon topic (Billy Graham was almost always the preacher, although occasionally others substituted for him). Some cards also indicate other dates that the same program was rebroadcast.

Fifty-five transcripts (folder 2-1 to 2-10) are from 1956 to 1976, with most from 1974 and 1975. Several of them are from broadcast that dealt with current events, such as the Watergate hearings, the expulsion of Alexander Solzhenitsyn from the Soviet Union, the International Congress on World Evangelization, the end of the Vietnam War, Father’s day, Easter. The vast majority of the transcripts are of sermons by Leighton Ford, although there are a few by Billy Graham. In folder 2-7 there are also eight undated (probably 1973) French and English transcripts (programs #47-54) which appear to correspond with tapes TF34k-TF40k. A 1960 “BGEA Report on the Hour of Decision Broadcasts” prepared by Walter F. Bennett and Fred Dienert is filed with the transcripts in folder 2-1. This report gives a review of the dimensions of the medium (radio and television), current problems and concerns in gospel broadcasting, continuing and careful study of present operations, and a program of faith strengthened expansion. Two recommendations presented were first expansion into missionary radio broadcasting in foreign lands and languages and second expansion into television broadcasting. The last part of the report gives statistical information on stations in the United States which carry the Hour of Decision (HOD), stations carrying the HOD on a no charge basis, stations in Canada carrying HOD, stations in foreign countries carrying HOD, and a HOD cost summary

Series: Recordings of radio broadcasts

Arrangement: Chronological

Date Range: 1950-1999

Type of documents: Audio tapes and transcription disks

Subjects: Sin, salvation, conversion, Jesus Christ, the Bible. Frequent reference to current political and social events

Notes:

Following this scope and content note is a list of the tapes in the Archives which gives their date, number, sermon title, and, in a few cases, information on guests or the broadcast location of a particular program. The tapes start at #T43. There are no tapes numbered 1 through 42.

Twelve different sets of tapes were used to make up the archival set. They are listed below:

1.      “a” =   ABC

2.      “b” =   NBC

3.      “c” =   No label

4.      “d” =   WCFL

5.      “e” =   Winnipeg, Canada

6.      “f” =    BGEA masters

7.      “g” =   BGEA duplicates.

8.      “h” =   NBC, 12" master reels.

9.      “i” =    ABC, 12" master reels.

10.    “j” =    Copies of programs kept at the BGEA's Minneapolis office

11.    “k” =   Hour of Decision in French (obsolete)

12.    “m” =  Hour of Decision in Spanish (obsolete)

13.    “n” =   USA version

14.    “p” =   Canada version

15.    “r” =    England/BI/UK version

16.    “s” =   Foreign version

Two sets were received from the BGEA for the years from 1950 to 1963. One was labeled masters and the other duplicates. These are sets "f" and "g". The years 1963 to 1980 are covered by tapes labeled ABC, NBC, no label, WCFL, or Winnipeg. These are, respectively, sets "a," "b," "c," “d," and "e." Set "h" is made up of masters on 12" reels labeled NBC. Set "i" is also on 12" reels and is labeled ABC. Set "j" consists of copies of programs kept at the Minneapolis office of the BGEA. Because the ABC programs are shorter than NBC, whenever possible it was the NBC 12" reels which were kept. The contents of sets "b," "c," and "d" are exactly the same. The contents of "e" are the same as "b," "c," and "d" except for a Canadian mailing address given at the close of the program. Tapes of the "a" set are shorter and vary somewhat from the others, usually by leaving out one or two musical numbers. The "c" and "e" tapes are labeled with release dates one week later than "a," "b," and "d" tapes. The Archives has not kept all the various editions made of the Hour of Decision program after 1963. One "j" tape was kept for each date where available. If none were available, then "a," "f" or "g" was kept. If neither of these were available, then one of the others. Set “k” consists of the Hour of Decision in French; see list under Location Record after the English set (TF series). Set “m” consists of the Hour of Decision in Spanish; see list under Location Record after the French set (TL series). There are two 5" reels of unedited interviews with Billy Kim (T1222 Kim) and Sam Moffett (T1222 Moffett) which were incorporated into tape T1222.

Beginning in the year 2000 the Hour of Decision radio broadcasts were recorded on compact disks (CDs) instead of audio tapes. There are four versions for each program: USA, Canada, England/BI/UK, and Foreign. The Archives kept all the USA versions and a set of all versions for two dates from each year (2000-2002). The various versions are indicated with a lower case letter (see chart above) at the end of the CD number. Most of the CDs contain two programs and about a thirty second promo for each program except for July 30 to August 20, 2000 which contain only one program and one promo. See Location Record: CD File for the list of CDs. There are three Digital Tapes (November 2001-January 2002) which contain two radio programs each (DT2706, DT2707, DT2710-DT2713).

Momentos de Decision the Spanish Hour of Decision radio program are recorded on compact disks and digital tapes and cover part of 2000 trough 2003. Program numbers (PGM#) for each disk or tape are listed in the notes section of the Location Record: Audio Tapes and Location Record: CD File.. These CDs and tapes contain four programs each about fifteen minutes in length.

The format of the programs through the years remained very similar to that of the original program, as described in the historical background. Graham often began his sermons with brief allusions to political, social, or economic events in the news. Sometimes there was more substantial discussion. For example, tape T158f contains his impressions of Korea after a Christmas visit in 1952 and tape T628f has a lengthy segment on his views of the then-current status of South America. The bulk of Graham's sermons, however, deal with evangelistic topics such as sin, death, faith, and the meaning of Christ.

Provenance

The tapes in this collection were received from the BGEA in 1981, 1983, and 1988 through 1998.

Accessions 81-77, 81-83, 83-30, 83-78, 86-94, 87-159, 87-161, 88-8, 89-11, 89-17, 89-99, 90-14, 91-6, 91-13, 92-11, 93-48, 94-19, 95-84, 95-90, 96-40, 96-47, 97-16, 97-33, 97-56, 98-10, 98-31, 98-52, 98-73, 99-30, 00-07, 00-24, 01-04, 02-22, 02-42, 03-11, 03-19

October 22, 1983

Revised, April 26, 1988

Robert Shuster

G. Lynch

A. Peterson

J. Nasgowitz

D. Shorey

M. Wohlschlegel

Updated: November 12, 1998

Janyce H. Nasgowitz

P. Ericksen

B. Shufelt

J. Taussig

W. Weber

Revised 5/22/01

Robert Shuster

Updated: November 19, 2002

Wayne D. Weber

Updated: June 8, 2004

Wayne D. Weber

J. Aernie

E. Kuehn

LOCATION RECORD

Accession: See Provenance

Type of Material: Audio Tapes

The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:

NOTE: Tapes begin at T43. Most of the following information was extracted from BGEA program cards for each broadcast. Where a city is noted in the NOTES elements, as in T43j, it is either the location where the recording was done, or where a crusade was occurring at the time and was reported on during the program. Featured guests names may also appear in the NOTES. Other information appearing in quotation marks are exact text transcribed from the note cards; “Rep.” means that a program is a repeat or rebroadcast of a previous program. Tapes are reel-to-reel, one side, recorded at 7-1/2 ips. Most tape are 7" but a few are 12" (see note in Scope and Content section of this guide). Billy Graham is the speaker unless otherwise noted.

DT = Digital Tape, M = Momentos de Decision Spanish Hour of Decision program.