Over the last few years, Bonners Ferry Adventist Church has been praying for a way to reach their community.
“I had been stewing over the problem of how to communicate the gospel, but specifically to children and families in the Boundary County area,” shared Jason Worf, Bonners Ferry Church pastor.
In 2021, Federal Communications Commission opened a one-week enrollment period for non-commercial, educational, full-power radio stations.
“The radio stations in our area didn’t provide any children’s programming,” explained Worf. “We had considered trying to buy programming time on other radio stations, but when the opportunity presented itself to apply for a radio station, we jumped at it.”
The goal was to create a family-friendly radio station with solid Bible teachings, good music and programming for kids.
Church members promptly began researching, looking for funding and finding professionals to help with the application and setup process. Cornerstone Christian School, a ministry of Bonners Ferry Church, eagerly got involved and was excited about the opportunity to have a radio station connected to their school.
On Nov. 9, 2021, the application for a radio station was submitted for 90.7 FM frequency in Bonners Ferry through Upper Columbia Corporation. The school and church began to pray for God’s will to be done and didn’t let any time go to waste as they waited. An operating board was elected and detailed plans for equipment and budget began.
Several months went by before they heard the news — FCC granted a license to build a radio station on Feb. 14, 2022.
Call letters were discussed and KQFR Cornerstone Family Radio was decided upon. As soon as the authorization to build came through, the board stepped into action and began purchasing equipment. On Sept. 7, 2022, an antenna was installed on Black Mountain and the first test broadcasts began on 90.7 FM.
The radio station board submitted a request to FCC for the final license to broadcast, which was granted on Nov. 4, 2022, almost a year after the initial application was submitted.
Since then, students from CCS have been recording content.
Adelyn Worf, student at CCS shared, “I love recording for Cornerstone Family Radio. It’s cool hearing my voice on the radio and possibly being heard by thousands of people.”
Isabella Coddington, another student, explained, “I like all the stories played on Cornerstone Family Radio. When I’m in the car, I don’t want to stop listening to it.”
Worf recalled, “We had a problem of how to communicate the gospel to children and families in our community. God answered that prayer and we launched KQFR 90.7 FM, Cornerstone Family Radio. Our mission is to bring hope and healing to the families of North Idaho through music, stories and teachings from the Word. With this radio station, we can do just that.”
