A Changed Heart
Engineer Victoriano Salvador joined HCJB’s technical staff not long after the station started. He designed several of HCJB’s early transmitters and built this 1,000-watt unit that went on air in 1937. Victoriano was a religious man who worked diligently at the station for many years. Yet at the same time, he was reluctant to embrace […]
HCJB Compound – c.1952
By 1946, the directors of HCJB began looking to move the radio transmitters and antennas to a new location. HCJB’s compound was becoming crowded and Quito’s city limits were moving ever closer. HCJB’s radio towers consisted of simple wooden poles bolted together.
From Priest to Evangelist
As a child in Spain, Manuel Garrido Aldama was sent by his parents to be trained as a Roman Catholic priest. But God had other plans. Manuel Garrido came to Radio HCJB in 1937 and was the station’s first Spanish evangelist. Listeners loved his Spanish accent. He also had an amazing ability to explain complex […]
Jungle Communities
The medical staff in Shell regularly visited and treated communities in the jungle. In 1961, a polio epidemic occured among the Waoroni, resulting in immediate action by HCJB doctors and nurses, and thus saving many lives.
Programs in German
In 1945, HCJB began broadcasting a weekly 15-minute live program in German by volunteer Otto Seidlitz. The mission, however, wanted full-time staff that could expand the amount of German programming and better correspond with listeners. Clarence Jones challenged the Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services to supply staff for the German Department. David and Anna Nachtigal were the […]
HCJB Engineers and Technicians
It was essential for Radio Station HCJB to have staff that could maintain and repair the radio transmitters. The lack of finances to purchase commercially built models meant that most all HCJB’s early radio transmitters were built by HCJB staff. Clarence also opened the Quito Radio Agency to sell and repair radios. Jones had planned […]
Hospital Vozandes-Quito
Dr. Paul Roberts had a much larger vision than a small indigenous clinic. He wanted a large, modern hospital where everyone could receive the best medical care possible, regardless of race, social status or ability to pay. Land for the hospital was purchased in 1953. Materials for it came from countries around the world. The […]
The Beginning of Radio in Ecuador
Radio was virtually non-existent in Ecuador in 1930. As far as it could be determined, there were only six radio receivers in the entire country. So Clarence Jones arranged for Reed & Reed to import and distribute radios. He also sold radios personally through his Quito Radio Agency. But HCJB was not the first to […]
More than just a Home
On the Quinta Corston property was a charming ivy covered «cottage» built by the former Scottish owner. The Jones’ shared their home with Other staff and the house was frequently crowded with guests. The formal sitting room was used as the original HCJB radio studio. The adjoining enclosed porch was converted into the control «room». […]
Portuguese Programs
HCJB’s Portuguese broadcasts from Quito began with the arrival of Martin Janson and his wife in 1945. The Jansons produced two programs daily. Martin wrote, “It is more than natural that such a challenging opportunity to reach so many millions through the wonderful means of radio with the centuries-old but ever-reviving gospel message would impress […]
