The Early Days of Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family magazine

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Focus on the Family magazine is the central publication of the organization that produces Adventures in Odyssey.  In the very early days of the program, it's rise was documented by the magazine.  Here are some of the first articles and ads from the magazine that deal with Odyssey.

The January 1987 issue of Focus on the Family featured the very first Odyssey-related item to ever appear.  It announced the broadcast of Family Portraits on the daily Focus program. (Family Portraits aired for Mondays for 13 weeks as a "test.")  In December 1987, another article formally announced Odyssey USA, which had first aired in November of that year.  Note that the show aired on 200 stations at the time.  In October 1988 another article appeared.  This one urged listeners to respond with radio station information.  The station count had already risen to 550.

These two advertisements were the first for cassette copies of the program.  The first appeared in the magazine in April 1988.  It featured the no-longer available "Odyssey USA" album (which was eventually replaced by "The Early Classics").  The second ad appeared in November 1988.  Note that while it has been 13 years since this album came out, the suggestion donation is still the same as it is today ($25), and the price has actually gone down from the original cost for "Odyssey USA". Aside from "Darkness Before Dawn," "Grins Grabbers, and Great Getaways" has sold more copies than any other. 

An April 1987 "Ministry Timeline" documented "Family Portraits" first airing.  The November 1987 broadcast schedule documents the first Odyssey show, which aired concurrently in the Odyssey time slot and on the regular Focus program.