Since Jan. 2004, Gigmasters.com, an American entertainment booking website, recorded a near-200 per cent increase in the number of people booking Christian rock and other religious-based entertainment for everything from weddings, to corporate parties, to religious festivals. The site receives a monthly average of more than 400 requests for Christian rock entertainment alone.
“The trend of hiring Christian-themed acts for all types of special events is absolutely exploding nationwide,” said Gigmasters president Kevin Kinyon in a press release. “It’s not just for revival meetings in the Bible Belt; Christian acts are getting booked to do weddings in New York and Los Angeles, gospel singers are being recruited for corporate events. And every day we’re seeing the searches for new talent increase.”
Kinyon noted that Christian music is also getting more radio air time. “Sirius and XM Satellite Radio have recently added Christian rock stations. Not only are Christian bands getting more mainstream play, but Christian stations are claiming strong market shares.”
XM Satellite Radio, which offers commercial-free music 24 hours a day, currently features two Christian stations out of its 61 music channels — a Christian pop music station and another for gospel music.
Christian music isn’t the only type of media growing in popularity. Canadian Crossroads Television Systems (CTS) has seen increases in viewers. According to Rob Sheppard, program manager, CTS has seen a viewer increase of 10 to 15 per cent over the last few years, reaching about 1.5 million viewers each week. CTS has also increased its reach since it signed on in the Toronto/Hamilton area in 1998. In April 2004, the CRTC granted CTS licenses to rebroadcast its signal in Ottawa and London, meaning about 85 per cent of Ontario now receives the station, which is available across the country via satellite.
Presbyterians have their own TV personality in Larry Brice, who hosts CTS’ Reachout for Life, offering a practical presentation of Jesus Christ through commentary and interviews with contemporary Christian leaders. The show fits into the station’s slogan Television You Can Believe In. The broadcaster requires that its shows, particularly sitcoms and fictional dramas, should present situations where a moral decision is made that reflect the beliefs of a Christian audience.
Many of the sitcoms that air on CTS were mainstream in the ’80s and early ’90s. Shows like Growing Pains, Charles in Charge and Full House are considered wholesome enough for the network to air. The popularity of these “Christian” shows, including newer offerings such as Touched by an Angel and Seventh Heaven, is an indication that some viewers want more conservative moral values in their shows rather than risqué entertainment where violence, sex and foul language are common.
“Today there is much more choice in television and the current trend to draw viewers seems to be through profanity, sexuality and violence,” said Sheppard. “When programming is produced that fits our mandate, we will make every effort to acquire it for our audience regardless of the year or era it was produced. The reality is that most of this type of programming was produced in years gone by.”
“Maybe it’s a reaction on the part of people who are looking for something else in pop culture,” said Lois Sweet, a professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and former faith and ethics reporter for the Toronto Star. “There’s a lot of violence, and misogynist and racist stuff out there, and values expressed that some people might not appreciate. People still want to have a good time and enjoy themselves, but still be morally in line.”
Sweet said the growth in popularity of Christian media may stem from an increased yearning for diversity. “We’re an extremely diverse society, and that’s reflected in these outlets, be it music, movies or books. It brings new perspectives on the issues and to get those out into the marketplace is very positive. Christian media is part of that communication and I’m just thrilled to see that it’s out there.”
“It’s a sign of strength that diverse experiences are being aired and that people grapple with them. You need to be questioned to know what you believe.”
Listen Up TV, a weekly Canadian news and current affairs program from a Christian perspective, began in 2004, airing only on CTS and NOWTV. Since moving to Global TV with host Lorna Dueck, a regular columnist on faith and public life for The Globe & Mail, the show reaches more than 2.9 million viewers each week.
Sixty per cent of Canadians say religion is an important part of their lives, and 65 per cent of those who attend religious services weekly feel “the media does a poor job of covering faith and religion and that this area does not get the kind of media coverage it should,” according to a 2003 Angus Reid study for the Centre of Faith and the Media.
SAT-7 is a satellite TV station for Christians in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Established in 1996, SAT-7 has almost 7 million viewers. Since satellite television is the only source of uncensored information and entertainment in much of the Arab world, SAT-7 hopes it can have powerful effects on issues of freedom, women’s empowerment, illiteracy and poverty. And the station has begun work to bring the signal into Canadian homes, targeting Arabic, Farsi and Turkish-speaking communities. An office has been established in Richmond Hill, Ont.
A joint project between the International Bible Society, Faith Comes By Hearing and Trans World Radio ended a one-year radio broadcast into China in March 2005. It is estimated that the Radio Bible Project, which aired 15-minute programs of dramatized Scripture readings, complete with interpretation notes, biblical background and life application, reached more than 10 million people in one year. The initiative, which is expected to continue in other countries over the next five years, intends to reach the 50 per cent of the world who cannot read, and to give them Bible translations in their native languages.
Trans World Radio also teamed up with Kerus Global Education to produce character-based radio programming intended to help African youth make responsible life choices. The project was motivated by the alarming rate of the spread of HIV on that continent, with 14,000 Africans becoming infected each day. The initiative is part of a plan to increase HIV/AIDS radio broadcasts over the next six years. The current programs are based on a curriculum developed by Kerus, which has conducted HIV/AIDS training in 41 countries, and will begin in Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia, targeting teens, parents and pastors.
Although the market for Christian entertainment seems to be opening up, Sheppard said the most likely challenge facing Christian TV and media in the coming years is distribution. “Cable companies and satellite providers may not be too quick to add religious programming to their distribution system unless they are certain there is a demand.”
Some stations are taking the leap. Roger’s Broadcasting bought Vancouver-based NOWTV in 2005 and subsequently launched a religious channel in Winnipeg and a digital channel called The Christian Channel. Rogers has dedicated $1.3 million to support the production and distribution of Canadian religious television programming. In a June 2005 article by Frank Stirk in ChristianWeek, Leslie Sole, CEO of television at Roger’s Broadcasting, said purchasing a “spiritual station” at this time is “simply good business sense.”
