Anne Reed
AFA Journal staff writer
November 2016 – Janet Mefferd Live, American Family Radio’s newest live talk program, began airing in mid-August. The one-hour, call-in show airs weekdays at noon CT on the AFR Talk network and covers biblical, cultural, and political news.
“Mefferd is an incredibly talented communicator who makes the intricate sound simple,” Jim Stanley, director of radio, told AFA Journal. “She loves the Lord and has a zeal to serve Him. We are excited to see what the Lord will do through Janet Mefferd Live.”
Mefferd took a radio class as a freshman at Baylor University because she thought it would be fun. Before long she was “spinning records” and working as a news anchor for the campus station.
“And from there, it’s been a long, winding, and fun road!” Mefferd told AFA Journal. “I was a short-term missionary at some Christian radio stations in Alaska and kept working as a DJ and news anchor in Christian radio on the side as I worked full time in journalism. Eventually, I hosted a drive-time Christian talk show in Dallas and then a syndicated program.”
Before the kickoff of her own daily weekday show, AFR began airing Mefferd’s syndicated program Janet Mefferd Today Saturdays at 9 p.m., and she filled in for other radio hosts on a regular basis.
“I love the AFR audience.” said Janet. “They are smart, funny, and they really know their Bibles. They get what it means to be Christians in an increasingly hostile culture, and they’re willing to get involved in these important cultural battles.”
Mefferd has faced some unexpected battles in the world of radio. In 2013, she agreed to interview a megachurch pastor about his book. As she prepared, she discovered pages of plagiarized material.
“I spent a lot of time praying, agonizing” Mefferd explained, “and getting the approval of principal players in the matter about whether or not to ask him about it on the air, but I knew the whole time that it was the right thing to do.”
After the interview aired, my life was turned upside down because a large number of people with financial interests tied to [the pastor] pushed back against me – very hard, mostly behind the scenes.
“God knew the plagiarism discovery was just the beginning of what needed to be revealed, like pulling a thread on a huge sweater,” she explained. Soon publicized were additional cases of plagiarism, misuse of church funds to manipulate book sales figures, and abusive leadership behaviors.
“I honestly want to glorify God in everything I do,” said Mefferd. “So my goal is to do the best, most up-to-date, informative, and biblically based show as we cover the news of the day, both outside and inside the church.
“There is so much pressure on Christians in the public eye these days to tone it down and make everything nuanced. But the Lord Jesus is clear that the world will hate us, not because we aren’t nuanced enough, but because it hated Him.”
“I love AFR’s stand for truth,” she continued, “but also its commitment to encouraging and mobilizing Christians to be salt and light. I’m really honored to join this wonderful family!” 
Jeremy Wiggins, producer of Janet Mefferd Live, also hosts In the Trenches, a one-hour look at the week’s news. ITT airs at 6 a.m. Saturdays on AFR Talk.
More Monday-Friday AFR Talk Shows
▶ Sandy Rios in the Morning 7-8 a.m.
▶ Today's Issues – 10-11:30 a.m.
▶ Focal Point 1-3 p.m.
▶ Nothing But Truth – 5-6 p.m.
AFR Talk can be heard on 115 stations around the nation and at afr.net/afr-talk on the Internet.
