CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The people of St. Paul Radio Co. hope to bring the Catholic message to light through WLUX-AM. After three and a half years of preliminary work, they are close to fulfilling their dream of airing a unified message of Catholicism for the Kanawha Valley.

"'Lux' means 'light' in Latin, so we believe that is appropriate and memorable," board member and programming director Michael Kawash said. "This station will be perfect for a diocese like ours that's rural, with an aging population. It takes the Catholic message to the people.

"When I go to other cities I usually look for Catholic radio stations," Kawash said. "It's something I really want to see happen." He's not alone.

There have been more than 200 people involved in the process, from donors to advisors. The nonprofit group has bought a permit to build a new station, the first step in the process. "We're the first AM station in the valley in many years to acquire a 24-hour license," Kawash said.

It is estimated that the station will reach 200,000 to 225,000 people. The station will be found at 1450 on the AM dial.

There are 22 radio stations in the Kanawha valley market (AM and FM); six offer non-denominational religious programming, typically from local churches. Initially, the St. Paul station will use a national provider to supply the on-air content.

"Our Protestant peers have been on the air for years. Catholic radio has just become a force in recent radio history, and now there are 150 stations nationally," Kawash said.

"At the beginning, we'll have syndicated radio programming. There are two major sources of Catholic programming in the United States: Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and Relevant. They are the Coke and Pepsi of Catholic radio.

"Relevant is a bit more modern, with call-in talk shows and so on, and EWTN is more traditional with things like broadcasts of Masses and the reading of the rosary." The station's board is evaluating each and will make a decision on programming soon. The programming is provided free of charge by Relevant and EWTN.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The people of St. Paul Radio Co. hope to bring the Catholic message to light through WLUX-AM. After three and a half years of preliminary work, they are close to fulfilling their dream of airing a unified message of Catholicism for the Kanawha Valley.

"'Lux' means 'light' in Latin, so we believe that is appropriate and memorable," board member and programming director Michael Kawash said. "This station will be perfect for a diocese like ours that's rural, with an aging population. It takes the Catholic message to the people.

"When I go to other cities I usually look for Catholic radio stations," Kawash said. "It's something I really want to see happen." He's not alone.

There have been more than 200 people involved in the process, from donors to advisors. The nonprofit group has bought a permit to build a new station, the first step in the process. "We're the first AM station in the valley in many years to acquire a 24-hour license," Kawash said.

It is estimated that the station will reach 200,000 to 225,000 people. The station will be found at 1450 on the AM dial.

There are 22 radio stations in the Kanawha valley market (AM and FM); six offer non-denominational religious programming, typically from local churches. Initially, the St. Paul station will use a national provider to supply the on-air content.

"Our Protestant peers have been on the air for years. Catholic radio has just become a force in recent radio history, and now there are 150 stations nationally," Kawash said.

"At the beginning, we'll have syndicated radio programming. There are two major sources of Catholic programming in the United States: Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and Relevant. They are the Coke and Pepsi of Catholic radio.

"Relevant is a bit more modern, with call-in talk shows and so on, and EWTN is more traditional with things like broadcasts of Masses and the reading of the rosary." The station's board is evaluating each and will make a decision on programming soon. The programming is provided free of charge by Relevant and EWTN.

"It will be 98 percent talk, from a national provider, and it will be a single source of faithful, quality programming," Kawash said. "There are catechetical programs, talk shows, Vatican Radio, and it's true to the Catholic tradition - scriptural, the church's teachings. After a year, we hope to be able to put some locally produced content in some spots, maybe broadcasting Mass from local churches."

 The station's permit was issued on St. Patrick's Day this year and allows three years for the group to build a station, under FCC rules. The location for the station is yet to be determined, but the board is working with a local donor to acquire the land.

"We're working through the regulatory process. Volunteers have offered to help manage the construction, prepare the land, do other things free of charge.

"We've selected our tower, a very modest off-the-shelf type thing with antennae. It will suit our needs in the beginning, and it's only about 75 feet tall," Kawash said. "The site must be technically right." Once the site is procured, a small facility will be built and the tower erected.

So far, the group has raised $75,000. "The money spent so far is all through contributions," Kawash said. "This is a complete lay effort, done by in-the-pew Catholics. While the diocese is very supportive, and we have the approval of the bishop, it's been all volunteers who are putting it together."

The revenue structure has to honor FCC and federal IRS regulations for a nonprofit organization, so the station will not sell advertising. "We can have sponsors, and it will be listener-supported," Kawash said. "It's very cost-effective to run, but we'll still have to raise money."

Four other stations are under development in West Virginia, so there's a chance they will network to conserve resources. These stations are being considered in Summersville, Beckley, Wheeling and Morgantown. "We may consider a station manager for the combined effort," Kawash said.

Stephen Gajdosik, the president of Catholic Radio Association in the United States, and Bishop Michael Bransfield of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese attended a meeting Sunday at the Blessed John XXIII Pastoral Center to further discuss the project.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or (304) 348-1249.