HCJB
World Radio
Celebrating 75 years of equipping the voices and hands of the growing church
Ecuadorian Stamp Honors HCJB World Radio’s 75th Anniversary
Nov. 3, 2006

President David Johnson receives special stamp booklet
President David Johnson receives special stamp booklet
A postage stamp commemorating 75 years of broadcasting on Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, was unveiled in a presentation at the station on Thursday, Oct. 26. About 80 people attended, including Carmen Elena Salazar, executive president of the Postal Services of Ecuador, and HCJB World Radio President David Johnson.

“I cannot forget the occasions when Radio HCJB was my companion,” said Salazar who presented examples of the first-day cover—an official envelope bearing the anniversary stamp canceled with a special commemorative seal from the post office.

Salazar told of enjoying the station’s classical music as well as hearing the early-morning personal greetings from people living in Ecuador’s Amazon region.

“It was their only way to communicate,” Salazar said, explaining a longstanding programming service to Ecuadorians. “They sent messages via the radio to their relatives living in the rest of the country.”

First-day Cover
First-day Cover
Counting it a privilege to be a part of Ecuador’s entry into the technological age, Johnson thanked God for Ecuador’s varied landscapes of beaches, mountains and rain forests.

He also said the nation’s people have welcomed HCJB World Radio. Born in Ecuador of missionary parents, Johnson said Ecuadorians have warmly embraced the broadcasting ministry through the years “not just out of courtesy but with a deep desire, a deep affection that was much more than was deserved.”

Pictured on the stamp are five members of the ministry’s founding families. The five (as well as others) participated in Radio Station HCJB’s first broadcast in English and Spanish on Christmas Day, 1931. Superimposed on the photo’s lower portion is emblazoned “75 años” (75 years) while a close-up photo of an HCJB microphone lies diagonally across the stamp’s lower left-hand corner.

The Commemorative Stamp
The Commemorative Stamp
Ecuador previously issued commemorative stamps on the 70th and 50th anniversaries of Radio Station HCJB, the flagship station of HCJB World Radio.

Speaking of Ecuador’s golden era of postage stamps, Eduardo Espinosa, manager of philately (stamp collecting) and postal history, said the country’s stamps were once considered among the world’s best. That era began in 1950. He sees philately reviving again as the Postal Services of Ecuador promotes it through seminars in schools and elsewhere. His department’s slogan is, “Philately Is Art, Science and Culture.”

As part of the HCJB commemorative stamp, the cancellation seal (28 mm by 38 mm) includes the mission’s 75th anniversary logo. The stamp is valued at US$1, and first-day covers are available from Correos del Ecuador for $3.50. To order send an e-mail to eespinosa@correosdelecuador.com.ec. For more information click here. (HCJB World Radio)
 
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