Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, was honored with this year's Legacy & Leadership Award from Bott Radio Network during a special breakfast hosted for Bott's network affiliates on Feb. 26 at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention in Nashville, Tenn. The award recognizes Seltz's service as a Christian leader as well as the long-standing history of The Lutheran Hour radio program.
"It was a joy to be honored at the Bott breakfast in the presence of many of the pillars of the Christian Radio community," says Seltz. "It shows again, the power of our message and the kindness of the Lord we serve."
"When I first went to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention back in the late 1950s, I learned that it was formed by a group of wonderful, Godly men who wanted to band together and keep the airwaves open for the preaching of the Gospel," says Dick Bott, founder of the Bott Radio Network and a journalist for more than 50 years. "That is when I first heard the name of Dr. Walter A. Maier because The Lutheran Hour was one of the programs that came together to keep Gospel programming from being forced off the airwaves.
"Then in 1962, Bott Radio Network was started in Missouri and The Lutheran Hour was one of the first broadcasts that we aired," says Dick Bott.
The Lutheran Hour returned to the Bott Radio Network in May 2015 when the program began airing on the network's 101 stations. The weekly program now fills a prime slot formerly held by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on the network's broadcast coverage into 15 states, airing on most Bott stations at 8 a.m. every Sunday (some stations air the broadcast at 9 a.m.). You are encouraged to check local listings or go to www.bottradionetwork.com/stations to find out if you have a Bott station in your area.
"It is a great privilege to fill the Sunday morning time slot that was home to the Billy Graham 'Hour of Decision' for over 50 years," says Seltz. "In many ways, one can see the legacy of The Lutheran Hour coming full circle. When Walter Maier died, Billy Graham rose to prominence on radio and television. A great respect was developed between him and Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. For the Botts to think of us as a respected replacement for Dr. Graham's Sunday program is an opportunity that I will cherish for a long time."
The NRB International Christian Media Convention is an annual four-day, jam-packed event that connects, equips, and edifies thousands of Christian communicators - from broadcasters to producers, writers to publishers, managers to pastors, artists to consultants. This "must attend" event for Christian communicators provides internationally known speakers and artists, numerous networking events, and helpful industry insights.