National Religious Broadcasters (NRB)

The organization was founded in 1944 by about 150 independent Evangelical broadcasters and church leaders who opposed religious broadcasting regulations favored by the Federal Council on Churches. ³

The NRB convention is frequently attended by the sitting President of the United States. President Gerald Ford was the first president to address the annual NRB convention; since then, Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump have addressed subsequent conventions. ^{4 5 6}

Background

National Religious Broadcasters claims it was established to protect the free speech rights of members and to advocate for those rights in governmental, corporate, and media sectors. ¹

NRB says it has more than 1,100 member organizations that touch every continent through Christian radio, television, Internet, and other platforms. ⁷

History

In 1943, the Federal Council of Churches (the National Council of Churches, as of 2024) supported restrictions to remove independent Evangelical preachers off the radio airwaves, arguing the radio preachers who were not accountable to a denomination could not be trusted with proper theology. The council further opposed the sale or purchase of airtime for religious broadcasts, arguing religious content should only be aired as a free public service. The church council persuaded the NBC, CBS, and the Mutual Broadcasting System, the three national radio networks at the time, to restrict selling airtime to nondenominational Christian broadcasts. ^{3 4}

In response, about 150 Christian broadcasters and church leaders formed National Religious Broadcasters. ³ It was formally founded on September 21, 1944, with the first convention held at the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. The group made William Ward Ayer its first president. ⁴

In 1949, the new ABC radio network aired paid religious broadcasting, and the other networks followed. ³

In 1962, NRB formed a working agreement with the International Christian Broadcasters. ⁴ In 1975, NRB created the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame. ⁴

In February 2001, NRB severed its official association with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). NRB asserted this was in part because it has grown larger than the NAE. It was also because of a difference of opinion regarding the licensing of low-power FM stations for local community groups. ⁴

Conventions

The National Religious Broadcasters says the annual National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention is the largest nationally and internationally recognized event dedicated solely to the field of Christian communications. ¹

At the 2024 NRB International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, 5,000 Christian media professionals attended, including 268 international attendees from 45 countries. Former President Donald Trump spoke at the convention. ^{1 8}

In January 1975, then-President Gerald Ford became the first president to address the annual NRB convention. ⁴ Other presidents to speak at subsequent conventions have included Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. ^{4 5 6}

Litigation

In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by the National Religious Broadcasters regarding what radio stations pay in music streaming royalties. NRB wanted to overturn the Copyright Royalty Board’s June 2021 decision that resulted in higher rates for religious broadcasters. The Copyright Royalty Board decided that noncommercial operators would have to pay an additional $0.21 for every 100 songs streamed for all digital audio transmissions above 159,140 aggregate tuning hours in a month per station or channel. The NRB unsuccessfully argued that this violated both the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. ⁹

In May 2024, NRB and member group American Family Association sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block a rule that requires all broadcast stations to provide data on their employees’ race, ethnicity, and gender, including nonbinary gender identification. The plaintiffs assert the rule exceeds the FCC’s statutory authority and other constitutional rights. ¹⁰

Leadership

Brandt Gustavson, a former National Religious Broadcasters president, became the executive director in in 1990. ⁴ In February 1993, the organization changed the office of president to chairman of the executive committee. The office of executive director, held by Gustavson, was changed to president. Gustavson held the job until he died in in May 2001. ⁴

In January 2002, NRB appointed Wayne Pederson as president and chief operating officer of the organization. Pederson said in an interview that NRB should pull back from conservative politics. This prompted the executive committee to ask him to resign in February 2002. After Penderson’s resignation, NRB Chairman of the Board and chief executive officer Glen Plummer and NRB Executive Vice President Michael Glenn Plummer became the interim leaders of the group. ⁴

In 2021, NRB fired Daniel Darling as its senior vice president of communications after he voiced support for requiring the COVID-19 vaccine during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” ¹¹

Troy Miller is the president and chief operating officer of NRB. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1983 to 1988. He later worked with the Gateway computer company, as well as for Dr. James Kennedy Ministries. ^{12 13}