Bo Pelini, head football coach at the University of Nebraska, threw his support behind the fundrais-ing campaign by addressing more than 100 supporters of Catholic radio at an event April 13 in Lincoln.

“Catholic radio is a lot like coaching,” Pelini said. “You reach people in different ways.”

A member of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln, Pelini told the crowd he is “committed” to Catholic radio.

“I hope you’re committed to it. I think it’s a great thing and something that will be extremely powerful,” he said.

“In order for a project like this to take off, you have to make sacrifices. You have to be committed,” Pelini said. “It’s got to become who you are, and it’s about what this means to Nebraska, to Catholicism and the impact it can have on the world.”

Spirit 88.9 FM-KVSS, Omaha’s Catholic radio station, announced plans last month to nearly double the broadcast reach from an area with 662,000 people to an area with a population of about 1.2 million people, including in-home reception throughout Omaha and Lincoln. Car reception will extend over a 100-mile radius.

“We are asking for your prayers and support,” said Tom Pogge, board president for VSS Catholic Communications, which oversees KVSS. “We need to raise another $800,000 over the next five weeks to make this happen.”


He said the short time to raise funds for the expansion is prompting requests for gifts of $5,000 to $250,000 in both the Omaha and Lincoln areas.

On air by fall

Jim Carroll, manager of the KVSS station, said the goal is to complete all FCC and engineering aspects and have the station on the air as early as this fall.

If the campaign is successful, the station will be one of the largest Catholic radio stations in the country, he said, adding that the station also will reach an area with more than 200,000 in western Iowa.

“This will truly be eastern Nebraska and western Iowa’s Catholic radio station and has the full blessing of Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss and Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Diocese of Lincoln.” Pogge said.


Carroll said VSS Catholic Communications will be partnering with Kolbe Media, a lay group from the Lincoln diocese, which was in the process of establishing an FM signal in Lincoln. The current 88.9 FM signal and the signal in Lincoln will be sold to help pay for the expansion, he said.

“In the spirit of the new evangelization proclaimed by our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the mission of Spirit Catholic Radio will continue to focus on broadcasting the truth of the Gospel message through the lens of the Catholic Church so that all may know, understand, and live the faith” Carroll said.

KVSS recently held its semi-annual care-a-thon membership drive and raised $210,000. “This result gives encouragement that listeners want Catholic radio to stay on the air,” Pogge said.