A Long Way From Preach and Teach

Faith-Based Networks Expand Offerings, Tout New Technologies in Surprising Ways

By David Tanklefsky -- Multichannel News, 10/31/2011 12:01:00 AM

Long-haired, 300-pound Harley rider Stan Ellsworth may not be the first person you’d expect to see on BYUtv, the cable/satellite channel operated by Brigham Young University since 2000. But, as Multichannel News has documented in these pages over the last few years, religious programming has come a long way since the staid preach-and-teach sermons enjoyed for so long by the Silent Generation.

Ellsworth is the host of American Ride, a show that chronicles the man and his bike as he travels to historic sites across the country and gives history lessons, of sorts, on the founding of America. It is one of 10 new series being introduced by the network this fall.

Also on the schedule is Fires of Faith: The Coming Forth of the King James Bible, a three-part documentary fi lm that explores the history of that version of the Bible and its longstanding influence. Then there’s Turning Point, a collection of inspirational stories about people who made one pivotal decision that changed their life in a positive way.

While the network still offers some programming that focuses strongly on the Mormon faith, like a devotional service and performances from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on weekends, much of the new programming is focused on common bonds of faith and family that resonate with people of all religions.

“During the week, the focus is not on conversion at all. It’s about conversation and the things we share as a culture,” BYUtv director of content Scott Swofford said.

The church and the university are careful to remain politically neutral, but Swofford admits that having Mitt Romney, a Mormon, as a formidable candidate in the race for the Republican nomination for president may bring some interest to the religion and by proxy, his network. Jon Huntsman, another adherent, also is vying for the GOP nod. If those candidacies drive new viewers to check out BYUtv, he said, that’s a bonus.

“I’d say it’s having an increase in viewership,” he said. “Some people are labeling this the ‘Mormon moment’ in public awareness and people that are coming to our channel would have to make that connection. Anecdotally, every flight I’m on, someone finds out you’re from Utah, you get questions pretty quickly.”

In keeping with the travelogue-type programming of American Ride, BYUtv has also launched The Story Trek, hosted by Todd Hansen, a former reporter at Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU. In the show, the newsman goes to offthe- beaten-track locales, has someone pick a direction and a distance for him to travel, and then knocks on doors of ordinary Americans until he fi nds someone who is willing to tell their (often remarkable) story.

Also new to the network is Dining With the Dean, a gourmet cooking competition that pits college organizations against one another in a cook-off , with prize money going to charity.

Other religious networks are continuing to get creative when it comes to programming as well. Bostonbased Catholic TV said it is the fi rst Catholic network to launch a Catholic-themed sitcom, Mass Confusion. The scripted series, which debuts this Thanksgiving, is about two distinct families who join together for a celebration.

The show is the brainchild of Greg and Jennifer Willits, who host The Catholics Next Door on SiriusXM Radio. They worked with the Rev. Robert Reed, Catholic TV’s president, to develop the TV series. As shooting was beginning this summer, Greg Willits sent an email to the network to say, “God wants us to at least give it a try.”

“We hear from a lot of people who are certainly interested in religious programs, but they also want to be entertained,” Catholic TV director of market ing and programming Bonnie Rodgers said. “There’s clearly some division between what goes on in the secular media and what you can sit down and watch with your family and not be embarrassed by.”

While it isn’t new scripted programming, family friendly entertainment is also for INSP: The Inspiration Network, which reaches 70 million households on 2,800 cable systems nationwide. This fall, the network introduced shows like Bonanza, The Brady Bunch and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to its slate.

“Instead of being keepers of the aquarium, we want to be fi shers of men; we want to grow the audience,” Mark Kang, the newly hired senior VP of worldwide distribution at INSP and longtime cable distribution executive, said.

The network’s overall ratings have doubled since it launched its “New Day” initiative aimed at baby boomers, according to chief strategy officer Bill Airy.

Like the trend on BYUtv, Airy said INSP is working to incorporate more shows that reflect a core set of values, rather than overt ly religious programming. “Christians tend to watch the same TV shows that the general population watches,” he said. “For us, it’s more about weaving our message into the programming. We still do ministry programming but we’ve made a very clear distinction.”

The ratings indicate that INSP’s new initiative is paying off . The network rates very well in terms of loyalty (above FX, HBO and Lifetime for hours watched per week, according to Rentrak National TV Essentials analysis of set-top box data), and Airy said it has come close to tripling yearover- year ad sales in 2011.

Religious programmers continue to make strides in emerging media as well. Trinity Broadcasting Network just recently launched iTBN.org, a kind of Christian version of Hulu. Th\e network recently made more than 10,000 hours of archived footage available for free via video on demand. Higley said the programmer has charted traffic from 145 countries, vice president of affiliate sales and marketing Bob Higley said.

“All of us at the faith channels, we take our lead from the major players,” Higley said. “Let them spend all the R&D and create the Hulus of the world, and we’ll see that’s a tried-and-true method to distribute shows.” Religious programmers are following that lead, he said.

Catholic network EWTN is also making a play in emerging media by making channels available through Roku streaming players for free to Roku customers.

“The Roku partnership really came out of this renewed focus on our web and digital services,” EWTN president and CEO Michael Warsaw said. “We were convinced that it is an excellent platform for delivering our content and one which is very attractive to people who are interested in religious content.”

A number of religious broadcasters are also building out their youth programs with a vision of creating the faith-based MTV. Executives at TBN are exploring making young-adult music-video network JCTV into a viewer- supported channel. “We want JCTV to stay forever young,” Higley said. “Right now, it’s depending on its parent [company] to give it money, so it’s [about] allowing it to come out on its own, stand on its own two feet.”

Signifi cant growth has also been seen at Jewish Life TV, which saw a 50% increase in distribution this year, to 33 million U.S. cable and satellite households (including new pacts with Comcast and Time Warner Cable). The network also has plans to launch a high-defi nition feed in 2012 and later this year will offer up a major new annual programming franchise around Chanukah sponsored by Macy’s. In early November, JLTV will carry live coverage of the Jewish General Assembly in Denver.

With all the new religious programming initiatives just launched and on the horizon, it’s clear that the days of just sermon and song are long gone. With a devoted and growing audience, broadcasters of faith are continuing to troll that river of viewers, rather than be keepers of the aquarium.