A Protestant Christian organisation, the High Adventure Ministries based in Van Nuys, California, in the United States, has set up a new radio station in south Lebanon. The stat ion called "The Voice of Hop???" has been built as a "people to people" project, reportedly without any government help, and with no aims toward political propaganda.

SYNOPSIS: The station, whose call letters are "WORD" carries dual aerials sixty metre (200 Ft.) high topped by peace doves. The two studios feature the most up to date equipment. For the opening Christian Militia Commander Major Sa'ad Haddad arrived wit h Mr. George Otis, President of the founding group.

It was at a meeting of the two men in Metullah, Israel, last March, that permission was extended by Major Haddad to build the station. Funds were then raised in Canada and the United States.

Programming will include country-western, gospel and contemporary music, with newscasts every hour in English, Arabic or French.

Major Haddad opened the broadcasting in Arabic and as heard by the crowd outside. A unique content of the programming will be sixty seconds of reading from the Old Testament at the end of each fifteen minutes of music. These readings are referred to as "God's Commercials" by the High Adventure organisers.

Major Haddad spoke about the U.S. State Department's wish for a postponement of the opening, since they do not recognise Haddad's proclaimed "Free Lebanon."
The four hundred thousand dollar station is now on the air.