Christian Talker Ready for Secular Radio

The topics are vintage Jerry Springer:

• "I Need to Forgive My Lesbian Bipolar Mom."
• "My Son Just Found Out He Has a Baby; Should I Meet This Child?"

• "How Can I Get Past the Hurt of My Husband Looking at Dirty Magazines?"

But instead of squabbling over such things on the famously lurid TV talk show, they were discussed on a Christian radio program.

"We could do an entire show called 'Porn Talk,''' host Steve Arterburn tells Greg Hardesty of the Orange County Register about the type of calls he gets on "New Life Live," a syndicated radio program produced in Laguna Beach that airs on nearly 200 radio stations.

The hour-long call-in show, on the air since 1990, provides a Christian take on inner demons of all kinds, notably sex, drug and addiction. Two-million listeners tune in five days a week.

Now, with the recent debut of "New Life Live" on TV and iconic radio personality Dr. Laura set to go off the air in January, Arterburn sees a huge opportunity for his program.

"If you like her, you'll love us," says Arterburn, author and founder of New Life Ministries.

Like the callers to his show, the 57-year-old Arterburn shatters the stereotype that Christians somehow are more immune from others when it comes to fetishes, addictions and downright deplorable behavior.
Is this radio host the Christian Jerry Springer?

Although his program is anchored in faith, Arterburn takes a more secular, everyman approach -- which may explain the appeal of "New Life Live," whose audience, he says, has doubled over the last five years.

In June, the Christian call-in show started airing on the daily TV lineup of Dallas-based FamilyNet Television, which reaches more than 15 million homes. In October, "New Life Live" began airing weekdays at noon (eastern time) on the Christian-based National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Network.

Arterburn says he's in talks -- but not serious negotiations -- with radio producers to try to step into the shoes of Dr. Laura, whose audience is 9 million per week.

He has hired a Hollywood agent to pitch his program, which features a rotating panel of experts joining him in a tag-team approach to offering advice.



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