Origin

In 1969, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists established a committee to explore the feasibility of establishing a worldwide shortwave broadcasting service. The proposal had been suggested by several individuals, including H.M.S. Richards, Sr., the founder of the Voice of Prophecy radio program.

Prior to this initiative, the church had been broadcasting into Europe from a commercial station located in Tangier. However, this station ceased operations following a change in the Moroccan government, and the transmitter was relocated. The station's owner subsequently planned to construct a larger and more advanced broadcasting facility in Portugal and extended an invitation to the General Conference to utilize the new station once it was operational. By 1969, construction of this station was underway, with broadcasts expected to commence in the fall of 1970. This development served as the catalyst for the General Conference Communication Department (formerly known as Radio/TV) to initiate the concept that would later become Adventist World Radio. Adrian Peterson was the one who proposed the AWR name to Walter Scragg.