About Us
History
- The daily radio program was first introduced in 1956. From its inception, it was intended to be a brief devotional thought for the day. To date, the program has been on the air for more than 24,000 consecutive days;
- During its tenure, it was heard on as many as 500 radio stations;
- Originally known as Portals of Prayer, its name changed to By The Way in the 1980s, and the name is a registered trademark;
- It was introduced, produced, and distributed by KFUO Radio in St. Louis, Missouri;
- During its first 18 years, four different speakers served as the voice of the program. Since that time, Paul has been the speaker;
- It was distributed initially to radio stations on long-play vinyl record albums; Today it is distributed to radio stations, individuals, websites, and podcasts online;
- The first By The Way book was published in 1991. Since that time 4 additional books have been published.
About Paul
Paul’s first radio job was right out of high school at a local radio station in his hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin. During college, seminary, and graduate school he continued to work part-time in radio, though never intending or imagining he would be involved in radio the rest of his life. BY THE WAY has been an effort of Paul’s in addition to other full-time positions.
During his career, he has managed radio stations, been a Pastor, served in a number of executive positions in the church, and was National Director of a program authorized by Congress to promote adoption. Also, he led an effort in a nine-year legal battle to successfully preserve religious freedom in broadcasting.
Paul is a native of Wisconsin, a part of God’s creation he dearly loves. He was a fairly accomplished water-skier, a not-so-accomplished golfer, a do-it-yourselfer, and he enjoyed trail-biking, and spending time with his family.
Paul and his wife, Ellen, have five children and, during their marriage, have been foster parents, primarily for infants, for more than 80 children. They lived their adult lives in St. Louis and Washington DC. He is so grateful for all the opportunities he has had and continues to treasure the chance to be with listeners every day through BY THE WAY.
About the By the Way organization
From its early days, BY THE WAY was a production of KFUO Radio in St. Louis. In 2013 it became an independent ministry. By The Way, Incorporated is a 501(c3) charitable organization that depends upon voluntary, tax-deductible gifts. It is operated by a five-member board. Board members volunteer their time and effort to manage the work of BY THE WAY.