The city council of Argenta, Italy, voted in July to grant Adventist World Radio (AWR) a “long-awaited, long-prayed-for” permit to build a new shortwave facility to reach the Middle East, North, East and West Africa and large areas of the Asian continent, reports Don Jacobsen, AWR president.

Jacobsen said that, after a final technical review by AWR engineers next month, bids for construction would be let, and construction could begin soon after.

“This new station will enable us to add some 15 new languages to the nearly 60 that AWR is already using, focusing primarily on those areas of the world where we are not now able to work by any other means,” says Jacobsen. 

The Italian government passed a law allowing for shortwave stations owned by nonprofit organizations in 1995 and, under this law, granted AWR a shortwave license in 1996.  In September 1997, a zoning variance allowed the construction of the station in a formerly agricultural area. Groundbreaking is planned for August 17, 2000, said Jacobsen.