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The Hour of Comfort: A radio mainstayV /THE REV. Daniel Buser a(the mierophone during the early years of program’s broadcast.HE REV. Daniel Baser at the microphone in his studio at Hie Ai hurcb where he now tapes ‘The Hour of Comfort.”lerst Foursquare GospelBy JANE T.SNYDER C-T Religion WriterAMHERST - Oo Sept. 15, 1940, the Rev. aniei Buser took to the air. A pilot he was not; a idio evangelist he was. He still is, for that atter.Over the years Buser’s program, “The HourComfort,” has become a radio fixture in the rthern Ohio area. It recently ended its long run i station WOEL but has begun broadcasting rer WZLE, a newly organized Christian station, user, now 70, though a modest man, cannot hide s pride in the show.As he sat behind the console of the small udio at the Amherst Foursquare Gospel Church here “The Hour of Comfort,” is now taped, user recalled the early days of the broadcast hen there were no tapes, powerful amplifiers or mod systems. There were also very few ■ograms of a religious nature.c“OURS WAS THE only program of its kind atnight in much of Ohio. We'd do a morning show, one in the afternoon, and a Sunday broadcast at midnight. Our opening line for that show was ‘Good evening and good morning.’“The schedule was hectic but 1 was young then.”Buser was enthusiastic too, as were the dedicated group of men and women from his Amherst church who provided the music for the programs. Finally, because many of the women had little children and couldn’t keep the late and difficult hours, he switched to a bit of 1940’s high technology — the 78 rpm record.When World War II was declared, Buser’s daily trips to Akron and Mansfield were curtailed. “We couldn’t get gas or tires,” he said. What he did get was cooperation between the Lorain and Elyria Telephone Companies.THEY MANAGED to hook up some lines for Buser and “The Hour of Power,” continued to broadcast.Government restrictions kept him from mentioning the weather, travel conditions, or the location of service men. They did not keep Buser from talking about his deeply held conviction that his Christian duty was “to bring Christ over the air to others as I know him to be, an inexhaustible individual. Then to share the promises of God.”The promises of God were those of hope and comfort. “God said to Isaiah ‘Comfort ye my people and build them up.’ This is what we tried to do.”Because this was (and is) the heart of Buser’s message, he never berated his listeners, he said.HE PAID CLOSE attention to the “old cliche on radio that when you spoke, you were speaking to one person and you spoke to that person with sincerity and heartfelt expression.“Our purpose was not to preach at people but to open the word of God to comfort and provide assistance to help those in need.“I’ve been called the best putter-to-sleeper there is. At first I was kind of insulted but later I discovered that by being soothing and relaxing, I was actually doing-a good job.”People would not only call in, they would write, Buser said Some told him of their trials and tribulations. Some thanked him. Some sent in contributionsBUSER BELIEVES he has reached “Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, a broad cross section ” He believes he has given them an opportunity to think about their lives and God.“In the privacy of a person’s home, at night, he can turn on the radio and think about things he wouldn’t have time to think about during a busy day.”These thoughts, Buser contends, even with “the heartaches, troubles and sorrows we hide behind a facade,” do not have to be despairing and indeed, they should not be.
Newspaper Details
The Chronicle Telegram
Elyria, Ohio, US
Sat, Oct 01, 1983
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Nathan O.
OH, USA 29 Mar 2022
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