AUBURN — A small suite of offices above Auburn’s Knights of Columbus hall on Washington Avenue may soon be the centerpiece of a growing statewide radio network.

Plans call for at least three new transmitters in the next 13 months, the ability to air programs from Portland to Bangor and to do it with a staff that would make the cheapest station manager suffer pangs of guilt.

Just three full-time people — an executive director, a vice president of operations and a production assistant — run the 24-hour Presence Radio Network.

“We do a lot with very few,” Executive Director Cynthia Nickless said.

But they have faith.

The station, which began transmitting in July 2010, is Maine’s only Catholic radio. It’s funded entirely by pledges, relies heavily on the aid of volunteers and is designed not to make a profit.

Instead of making money, its goal is to reach people. And it seems to be working.

Its first pledge drive, held earlier this month, raised more than $70,000 and drew a long list of positive comments.

“It’s not just a Catholic listenership,” Nickless said. Every caller who pledged a donation was asked about the station, what they liked and what they didn’t. “It really is a broad audience.”

The new studio was created as a permanent alternative to a rented space in Freeport. 

Auburn’s Knights of Columbus at 4 Washington St. not only donated the space on its second floor but oversaw the volunteer force that built the studio. All Presence had to do was come up with the materials to work with.

The results are several spartan rooms dominated by a modest, windowed studio. Here, live interviews may be done. But more importantly, the studio acts as a kind of radio hub, processing the free Catholic programs that make up the night-and-day schedule. 

Most of the shows that are played on the station come from a variety of Catholic networks, including EWTN Radio Programing, Relevant Radio, Franciscan Radio and Ave Maria Radio.

Though Maine’s Roman Catholic diocese does not have an official role in the station, Bishop Richard Malone has been a supporter. He has recorded rosaries for broadcast on weekday mornings and blessed the station on the last day of its pledge drive.

The work is all aimed at achieving three goals: spreading Catholic truths, helping clergy and affirming what Catholics already believe.

“There are a lot of mistruths that circulate in the secular world about the Catholic faith,” Nickless said.

The goals are fueling the station’s expansion.

Nickless is working with Knights of Columbus groups across Maine, several of which own radio licenses.

“At this point, we have three other stations that we are trying to get on the air,” Nickless said. “One is Corinth, which will serve the Bangor area. Another one is Bath. The third station is Greene. That will be a better signal in the Lewiston area.”

The Corinth station is expected to be on the air by the end of the year. Bath should be settled by next September and Greene will be on the air by next October, she said.

Meanwhile, the station’s job is to serve up the best product possible, on the radio and via the Internet through its website, thepresence.fm. The station also streams live via iPhone and Android mobile apps.

The hope is that listeners can hear the station’s shows anywhere.

“We have to be as professional, as good as professional radio is, to be able to gain an audience and retain an audience,” she said.

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