Vision Celebrates 35 Years of Broadcasting in Australia

Clare Bruce -

Thursday of last week marked 35 years to the day since the seeds were planted for what is now Vision Christian Media.

It was on December 7 in 1988 when a team of six believers headed by Hal Short established the vision of UCB (United Christian Broadcasters) International... to take the gospel message “to every corner of Australia” through media.

For the next ten years, UCB Australia, under the leadership of Warren Rout as managing director, helped establish Christian community radio stations in 30 cities and towns across Australia’s east coast.

Then, in 1999, ‘Vision FM’ first aired in the town of Beaudesert, QLD under a narrowcasting license. With their new networked approach, Vision was able to begin spreading Christian radio across the nation much more quickly and at a lower cost, and in places that could never sustain a full local station of their own.

The network had spread to 100 small towns within just three years, and to 400 within the first decade.

  • 1995 – UCB begins distributing The Word For Today devotionals
  • 1999 – Vision FM is established and airs for the first time in Beaudesert, QLD under a narrowcasting license.
  • 2001 – Vision National News commences
  • 2002 – Christian resources store opens
  • 2006 – Prayer service begins
  • 2009 – Youth devotional first published
  • 2010 – First tour group visit Israel
  • 2012 – the Vision App 1.0 is launched
  • 2015 – Vision 180 for the youth market is launched (now V180)
  • 2015 – Vision Christian Media is launched as a trading name of UCB Australia.
  • 2020 – Operations begin in new Vision hub in Springwood
  • 2022 – Hobart 104.3 FM high-frequency radio station launched
  • 2023 – Brisbane DAB+ digital radio launched

Reflecting on 35 years, CEO Phil Edwards wrote, “I stagger to think just how many people we have helped over those years as together we have faithfully shared the good news of God across the nation through media. And as we grow, the number of thankful souls also grows.”

The team at Vision is celebrating not only its 35th birthday, but also a highly successful year in ministry, including what they are calling a “mammoth miracle”, raising $2.3 million in their ‘Visionathon’ appeal.