Catholic multimedia network Ascension set to distribute The Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, and other popular Ascension content to radio stations across the United States.
Following the success of The Bible in a Year (with Father Mike Schmitz)™ and The Catechism in a Year (with Father Mike Schmitz) podcasts, Ascension has partnered with Spoke Street Media to distribute these incredibly popular shows for free to radio stations across the United States.
** Interested radio stations can click here to learn more. **
The Bible in a Year (BIY) is the most successful Catholic podcast of all time, having been the #1 show on the Apple podcasting charts in all categories in both January 2021 and January 2022 and being the #1 global podcast in Religion & Spirituality for most of the last 3 years (source: Chartable).
The Catechism in a Year (CIY) podcast, the popular sequel for Bible in a Year listeners, has also enjoyed remarkable success. Following its debut as the #1 podcast on Apple at the beginning of 2023, it has spent most of 2023 in the Top 3 shows on Apple’s Religion & Spirituality chart. It is currently the #2 global podcast in Religion & Spirituality (source: Chartable).
Since their respective releases, these shows have been available and free to anyone with an internet connection via podcast platforms, YouTube, and most recently, on the new 2023 Ascension App. Ascension hopes that by bringing this content to radio in 2024, the life-changing episodes of BIY and CIY, as well as supplemental content from Ascension’s well-respected personalities, including Fr. Josh Johnson, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, and Jackie and Bobby Angel, will be accessible to the 19 million Americans who do not have home internet, the elderly who might not be able to access podcasts easily, and individuals in prison who are not permitted internet access but can often own AM/FM radios.
“One of the hardest aspects of prison ministry in maximum security prisons is getting good Catholic content inside,” explains Ascension podcaster Michael Gormley, who serves with Kolbe Prison Ministry in his home state of Texas. “Radios, because they are one-way devices, are the only things allowed in the cell blocks where wifi and Bluetooth are blocked. Having something like Bible in a Year or Catechism in a Year in prisons via radio would be a game-changer for evangelizing our brothers and sisters on the inside.”
In previous years, Ascension invested significantly in formatting the audio episodes of BIY and CIY for consumption on podcast, video, and app platforms. Radio, however, comes with its own specific requirements, such as a new round of editing on each of the 730 audio episodes to ensure that they hit the precise length needed for a “radio clock,” or the time segments that make up a traditional radio show. This editing requires additional investment.
To manage this intensive editorial process, Ascension has partnered with Spoke Street Media, a Catholic media nonprofit and an expert in the audio market.
“For years, we have experimented with building out blocks of podcasts to play on traditional radio clocks,” Spoke Street’s Kyle Heimann explains. “Now, we are incredibly excited to enable radio stations to regularly broadcast content from Fr. Mike Schmitz, one of the most well-known and respected Catholic priests today.”
To financially support this radio initiative and Ascension’s other free media content, click here.
Contact for Radio Stations
BIY and CIY will be provided free of charge to all interested Catholic radio stations. Those involved in radio who are interested in this opportunity can learn more here.
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 25 years, Ascension has helped to nurture the faith of more than 10 million Catholics through award-winning books, the chart-topping Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts, more than 50 unique faith formation programs, and Ascension Presents, which hosts the largest Catholic YouTube channel in English.