LDS radio station on the air

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The Mormon Channel is on the air.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a new 24/7 radio station Monday with church-related content designed to spread "a positive message from how we feel about honesty and integrity and being kind with others, and . . . to talk about moral principles that would help our society," said John B. Dickson of the church's First Quorum of Seventy and executive director of the audiovisual department.

The station, the first of its kind for the church, can be heard through a live stream on its Web site or through HD radio.

The church also plans to release an iPhone application later this week (pending Apple's approval) that will allow mobile phone users to access the live stream. Similar applications also will be available for Blackberry and Windows Mobile-powered devices.

"Our intent is to distribute it wherever it makes sense," said Chris Twitty, director of digital media for the LDS Church's audiovisual department. "It's very nontraditional in terms of how the station was put together."

Twenty new radio programs will debut on the channel, including "Conversations," an interview program with church members and leaders, and "Into All the World," which spotlights members worldwide.

But the station also will mine LDS audio archives for more programming, including firesides, devotionals, general conference addresses and music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The church is partnering with its other communications arms, including Bonneville Communications, the Deseret News , KSL, and Brigham Young University to provide content and run the station.

Dickson said the time was ripe to start a radio network. "Now the technology is where we can reach out and do this," he said.

Several months in the making, the radio station also comes after the church has received national attention for its stance on Proposition 8 in California, banning gay marriage. But Dickson said the recent negative attention had nothing to do with the decision to start its station.

"We just feel our message needs to be out there in a positive way," Dickson said. "We try to share that and not react to anything other than just sending good news."

The Mormon Channelis the second Utah station launching a channel for religious programming. In August, the former public radio station, KCPW AM 1010, will begin broadcasting across Utah Catholic-based content from the Immaculate Heart Radio network.