Aleve Pact hi th VOICES IN THE ANDES: THE CHURCHES’ USE OF RADIO IN ECUADOR Alice May Mitchell A thesis presented to the UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology September 1992I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and constitutes the results of research in the subject. _ thee Meiehtl/ Alice Mitchell September 7, 1992 iiABSTRACT Radio has been used in Ecuador for the communication of the gospel and in endeavors to teach and instruct listeners in the Christian faith and in broader social issues since 1931. Both Roman Catholic and evangelical churches have seen radio as a useful tool in this enterprise. Models and expertise have tended to come from outside the country and the culture. In spite of this some real communication has taken place. In this study the history of the churches’ use of radio is briefly viewed. Then a Closer study of two Roman Catholic stations and two evangelical stations is undertaken. Two of these are rural stations attempting programming in the indigenous language of the area, Quichua. The others are urban stations, one, part of an international missionary radio model, the other, part of a network of stations. The rural stations, being indigenous and locally based, with high community involvement have been effective as agents of change in their communities. While evaluating effectiveness of the urban stations is difficult, it appears that they have been more effective in confirming and consolidating the beliefs of their listeners than in evangelization. These latter stations tend to act as a conservative force in society. Suggestions are made as to how the medium of radio might be used more effectively in the future. iii