End of an Era: Far East Broadcasting Company Headquarters Demolished in La Mirada 

The historic two-story office building at 15700 Imperial Highway, long home to the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), was demolished earlier this year, marking the end of the international Christian radio ministry’s decades-long physical presence in the city.

Founded 80 years ago on December 20, 1945, by Robert Bowman, John Broger, and William Roberts amid the postwar evangelical fervor at Southern California Bible College, FEBC aimed to broadcast the Gospel across Asia. Initial plans for a station in Shanghai were thwarted, leading to the organization’s relocation to Manila, Philippines, where its first broadcasts aired in 1948.

For generations, the La Mirada headquarters served as the nerve center for FEBC’s global operations. Studios there produced programming in languages such as Mandarin, Tagalog, Hmong, Korean, and Vietnamese, beamed via shortwave, satellite, and now digital platforms to listeners in hard-to-reach areas.

The U.S. office, now operating out of Texas, coordinated support for affiliates worldwide, providing consulting, training, and IT expertise to a network spanning over 50 countries and broadcasting in more than 150 languages.

The site’s redevelopment into a 42-unit market-rate residential condominium project reflects changing land use in the suburban community, long tied to evangelical institutions like nearby Biola University.

As FEBC celebrates its 80th anniversary and adapts to modern media, the loss of its La Mirada landmark closes a chapter on a key hub of postwar American missionary innovation.

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