Will Howard Camping's 'Family Radio' survive his
death? It survived several predicted rapture dates, so stay tuned...
-Ed Cummings
http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/12/17/family-radio-founder-harold-camping-dead-at-92/
Family Radio Founder Harold Camping Dead at 92
Posted on
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/12/17/family-radio-founder-harold-camping-dead-at-92/>December
17, 2013 by <http://www.radiosurvivor.com/author/jennifer-waits/>Jennifer Waits
I was saddened to hear the
<http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/1030185/5988170fbb/>news
that
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/tag/family-radio/>Family
Radio founder
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/tag/harold-camping/>Harold
Camping died on Sunday in his home in Alameda,
California after complications from a fall that
he suffered on November 30. The Christian radio
mogul and long-time talk show host achieved
worldwide attention in 2011 when he embarked on a
massive media blitz in order to spread the word
about
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/05/16/family-radio-counts-down-to-judgment-day-on-may-21/>his
prediction of an impending Judgment Day on May
21, 2011 and subsequent end of the world on
October 21, 2011. His predictions didnt come
true and Camping became less of a public presence
at Family Radio in the following months,
particularly after suffering a stroke in June, 2011.
Although I was not a follower of Campings
religious teachings, I was amazed by his
longevity in the radio industry.
<http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/radiowaves/article/Hall-of-Fame-nominees-all-winners-4504086.php>Nominated
for a spot in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame
this year in the radio executive category
(<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/11/04/bay-area-radio-hall-of-fame-luncheon-honors-2013-inductees/>he
lost to KLOKs Bill Weaver), Camping hosted a
live call-in talk show for more than 50
years. As the predicted Judgment Day of May 21,
2011 approached, he was on the air doing his live
radio show up to 7 times a week, as well as his
Family Bible Study show. After beginning with one
radio station in 1958, Camping built Family Radio
into a global radio network, with valuable radio
and television stations in major cities in the
United States. Other stations are spread across
the country and a Family-Radio-owned (until
recently)
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/11/07/family-radio-to-sell-shortwave-radio-station-wyfr-to-radio-miami-international/>shortwave
station beamed broadcasts all over the world.
Family Radio also produced religious literature
in a dizzying number of languages (at least 68)
at its Oakland headquarters and would also
provide audio recordings to listeners upon request.
I first became aware of Camping while on a road
trip to Santa Barbara in spring 2011. As I
scanned the radio dial and landed upon one of his
Open Forum broadcasts, I became riveted by his
radio persona. The certainty with which he was
predicting the worlds end was fascinating to me.
On the live talk show, caller after caller would
question Camping about his predictions and he
remained unwavering in his beliefs. Claiming that
through close scrutiny of the Bible hed arrived
at the conclusion that rolling earthquakes would
mark the beginning of Judgment Day on May 21,
2011 at 6pm local time, he refused to entertain
the notion that he could be wrong. After hearing
his show, I knew that I wanted to learn more
about Family Radio, so I arranged a visit to its Oakland headquarters.
<http://spinningindie.blogspot.com/2011/05/radio-station-field-trip-27-kear-and.html>I
visited Family Radio on May 12, 2011, less than
10 days before the predicted Judgment Day.
Although I had arranged my visit in advance, my
contact at Family Radio made no promises about me
being able to meet and talk to Camping.
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/05/16/family-radio-counts-down-to-judgment-day-on-may-21/>I
was, however, invited to watch the taping of the
Camping-hosted Family Bible Study (which was
being recorded for radio and television).
Family Radio was swarming with reporters from
major networks and publications, but I patiently
waited in Family Radios lobby after watching the
Bible Study and after taking a tour of the
station. Finally I was given an opportunity to
interview Camping. We sat in his office for a few
minutes and I mainly asked him questions about
radio. He was visibly exhausted and it sounded
like hed barely even had a chance to eat lunch.
Although he bristled at a few of my questions
that he deemed too personal, Im sure that he
also found it refreshing that I asked him about
his lengthy radio career. He revealed that he
wasnt initially interested in radio. He told me,
"I was interested in dairy cattle and I was
interested in math and interested in physics and
science, but not radio
Someone came to my
office
and he wanted to find some Christian
businessmen to buy a radio station and share the
gospel. And, oh, to share the gospel, thats what
got my interest. So, I agreed that provided we
have a non-profit corporation so that nobody
could ever realize any gains for themselves. And
so, we formed a non-profit corporation called
Family Stations, Incorporated. I became President
and he became Vice-President. I had another young
man working for me and we made him the third
member to be legally a qualified corporation. And
I put this man on my payroll
and he found a
station here in San Francisco and we bought it
and that was the beginning of Family Radio."
On a lark, Camping started his call-in talk show,
initially as a way for listeners to ask questions
about Family Radio programming and finances. He
didnt anticipate that callers would instead ask
him about the Bible and would ask for his advice.
Camping told me, "And I found that I enjoyed that
very much and I was somewhat qualified because I
had been doing quite a bit of study in the Bible
and doing some private counseling. And so that began Open Forum."
Although Camping expected his final Open Forum to
be just before Judgment Day, he was back on the
air on
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/05/23/harold-camping-says-may-21-was-a-spiritual-judgment-day-saying-end-of-world-to-come-on-october-21-2011/>May
23, 2011 with a special press conference-style
Open Forum with the media. Following that, live
episodes continued through June 9, 2011.
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/06/30/family-radios-open-forum-on-hiatus-while-harold-camping-recovers-from-stroke/>After
Campings June 9th stroke, Open Forum went on
hiatus and repeats were aired. Eventually
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/07/12/family-radio-airs-replacement-programs-in-open-forum-slot/>replacement
programming was broadcast instead.
Eventually, Camping came around to the idea that
Judgment Day may have been "spiritual," rather
than physical, meaning that his prediction of the
end of the world 6 months later would
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/10/03/family-radios-harold-camping-speaks-end-of-world-probably-on-october-21/>probably
stand. When the world did not end in October,
2011, Camping eventually acknowledged that
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2012/03/09/in-new-statement-harold-camping-admits-family-radio-was-wrong-to-predict-rapture/>he
may have been wrong and he announced that he
would no longer be making predictions. With Open
Forum off the air, Family Radio continued to
satisfy listeners desire to hear from Camping by
posting occasional recorded messages on its website.
My thoughts are with Campings family, friends,
and colleagues. He leaves behind a wife of more
than 70 years. Considering some of Family Radios
recent
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/05/21/delving-into-family-radios-finances-two-years-after-judgment-day/>financial
challenges and
<http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2013/06/21/family-radio-to-sell-three-radio-stations-to-religious-broadcaster-emf/>station
sales, I will be interested to see what Campings
death means for the future of Family Radio.
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