GREGORY Grant never dreamt of operating his own radio station.

“I’ve always loved radio; I used to listen to Dianne Mattison with Can’t Even Walk, but I didn’t have a mind to work in radio,” Grant told the Jamaica Observer North East during a visit to Good Gospel FM (GGFM) in Discovery Bay, St Ann, recently.

It was while skipping through radio stations during a trip to Kingston that he said he realised he could make that big step.

Grant said he bought a small, five-watt transmitter and started to explore.

“I started playing music and I went into my car and it was playing. I told people to turn their radio to it. They said it wasn’t mine so I turned it off,” he said, in an effort to prove that it was his.

The man said he then did research on how to get started and contacted the relevant authority for a licence.

“They said there was none available. I always pray and say ‘God, this is what you want me to do,’” he stated.

Although he was not granted a licence and it appeared that none would be issued, Grant said he remained hopeful and continued praying.

He soon started the Sunday Evening Praise on his verandah, transmitting to his immediate surroundings through his small transmitter.

“I started to buy all the equipment for the radio station before I got the frequency. I set up even before I could go on air; I set up even though they tell me I couldn’t get a licence,” he said.

Grant shared that he called the authorities weekly for approximately two years, checking to see if any frequency was available before he eventually got the go-ahead.

“On July 1, 2013, about 2 pm that same day — it was a Monday — I switched on a power button and GGFM was live in Discovery Bay. It started as a gospel station and it will always be a gospel station,” Grant said.

“All the knowledge came from God. I tried it, failed and tried again until I got it right,” he added.

During its first year on air, GGFM, which broadcasts from 90.1 in St Ann, Trelawny, St James, and Manchester, grew significantly, moving from essentially a music-only station to a mixture of music and programmes.

The station had three programmes on weekdays: Thank God it’s morning, Total Praise and Evening Glory.

Shortly after, weekend programmes were also introduced. These included: Gospel Vibration, Explosive Gospel Power and Gospel In Motion.

“After the second year we increased to having connecting partners,” Grant said. He explained that through these partners, GGFM programmes are broadcast in other countries. The radio station also carries programmes from some of its partners. Listeners can tune in online from anywhere in the world.

In 2016, the radio station also launched its app for Android and iOS devices.

“For one month we have seen listenership in over 105 different areas,” he disclosed.

He said that one of his biggest achievements through GGFM is the impact it is having on people.

The 33-year-old Christian said many people have been motivated to make significant changes in their lives as a result of GGFM’s programmes.

Grant now hopes to break through denomination barriers to spread the gospel in his community and beyond.