Soon the public might be able to watch as well as hear Radio Maryja

Father Tadeusz Rydzyk revealed during the 11th anniversary celebration of his radio station, Radio Maryja, that he has applied to the National Radio and Television Council (KRRiTV) for a license to open a TV station. "I just ask whether you would only like to hear us, or also to see us. Well, do you want this?" Rydzyk asked listeners who tuned into his speech on Saturday. The new TV station, to be called Trwam, plans to transmit via a satellite and is backed by the Lux Veritatis fund, headed by Father Rydzyk. "If the application is completed correctly than the concession might be issued in a few weeks," said the KRRiTV director Juliusz Braun. The new station will not be a non-profit organization like Radio Maryja, which does not broadcast commercials. It is hard to predict the audience of the new venture, as the most popular channels broadcasted through satellite and cable operators have on average 500-700,000 viewers. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A6) M.M.