99-662: The Catholic News Agency ( CNA ) is a news service owned by Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) that provides news related to the Catholic Church to a global Anglophone audience. It was founded in 2004 in Denver , Colorado , United States as the English section of the worldwide ACI Group, which publishes the Spanish-language news service ACI Prensa [ es ] . It was acquired by EWTN in 2014. It
198-692: A 15-year veteran of WVTM and sports talk radio host. The station also hired other longtime news presenters in Birmingham, including Ken Lass, Mark Prater, and David Neal. WIAT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 42, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 30, using virtual channel 42. On May 7, 2012, LIN Media announced that it would purchase
297-443: A 2021 trip to Slovakia, Francis complained in a "meeting with Jesuits" that "a large Catholic television channel that has no hesitation in continually speaking ill of the pope," and that "they are the work of the devil [...] I have also said this to some of them." In reply, archbishop emeritus Charles J. Chaput , who "led the archdiocese of Philadelphia and who is a former EWTN board member", stated that "any suggestion that EWTN
396-688: A Sunday Mass, and reruns of older Catholic programs such as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen 's Life Is Worth Living . The remainder of the time was filled with shows produced by dioceses across the country, shows from Protestant sources which Mother Angelica determined were in concert with Catholic teachings , and children's shows such as Joy Junction and The Sunshine Factory . About one-third of programming time consisted of secular content, such as re-runs of The Bill Cosby Show , public domain films, and cooking and western -themed shows. EWTN eventually increased its broadcast schedule to six hours per day and then to eight hours per day by 1986. Secular content
495-587: A chapel on the monastery grounds. Most shows from non-Catholic sources were eliminated and a more theological image gradually developed. From 1982 to 1994, the network had competition from another Catholic broadcaster, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America . The network was sponsored by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops which poured $ 30 million into the venture before it failed. In 2000, "in
594-430: A child with EWTN employee Christina Presnell. Stone was forced on leave of absence, and Presnell was fired from EWTN. By 2018, he was reported to be suspended from his religious order. In summer 2020, the network came under fire from listeners for its "Morning Glory" show, a radio program hosted by Gloria Purvis and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (both African American ), and Msgr Charles Pope, among other guest hosts. In
693-720: A company focused on media holdings in the Southeast. The company assumed ownership of WBMG in January 1997 and fired 17-year general manager Hoyle Broome in March. His replacement was Eric Land, who arrived from WGRZ in Buffalo, New York . Among Land's first moves was simulcasting WBMG's newscasts on WNAL in Gadsden , which had replaced WJSU as the CBS affiliate in the eastern portion of
792-636: A deal announced in August and completed in October 2006. After the sale, WIAT cemented itself as the number-three station in ratings. It debuted a full-fledged morning newscast in September 2007, and it began attracting noted news personalities under general manager Bill Ballard, who ran the station from 2003 to 2013. Herb Winches, a veteran Birmingham sportscaster for WBRC and WVTM, worked at channel 42 from 2007 to 2008 before being replaced by Jim Dunaway,
891-473: A deal backed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama pension fund. The sale of Park led to the end of Herrod's Action News format and combative approach in favor of a more mainstream news presentation with the same amount of crime news as other local stations. A new news director was hired in late 1995; the station initiated new weekend, morning, and 5 p.m. newscasts in 1996; and the newsroom
990-505: A final report by Nieves was never issued, and "even today, outsiders know little about what occurred". When asked about the visitation by Global Sister, "EWTN did not respond". In March 2021, Pope Francis reportedly told the EWTN reporter and cameraman on board a papal flight to Iraq that the network "should stop bad-mouthing me," according to a report in the Jesuit magazine America . On
1089-525: A half-hour criticism of the "liberal church in America" and the post Second Vatican Council reforms. "I'm so tired of you, liberal church in America [...] Your whole purpose is to destroy [...] It's time somebody said something about all these tiny little cracks that you have been putting for the last 30 years into the church." Among other things she opined that "We're just tired of you constantly pushing anti-God, anti-Catholic and pagan ways into
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#17327659341211188-417: A high story count; while still in fourth place, they were a marked improvement in quality and ratings over their predecessors. After ratings plateaued in the early 2000s, the station moved to a more conventional format and brought in veteran Birmingham news personalities, which made channel 42 more competitive in the market. Media General acquired WVTM-TV in 2006 and sold WIAT to New Vision Television to make
1287-512: A morning newscast, which WBMG had debuted prior to 1997. The station did not begin airing a local morning show until 2000, when it began simulcasting an hour of the morning show hosted by Russ and Dee Fine on WYDE radio. The station added a 6 p.m. evening newscast the next year. Land departed in 2001 when Media General tapped him to run WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida , the company's flagship television property; he reunited with Cate, who had joined
1386-540: A new sub-branding of "International Catholic Network", then "Global Catholic Network" in 1996 after uploading its signal for worldwide viewing. [REDACTED] Media related to Eternal Word Television Network at Wikimedia Commons WIAT WIAT (channel 42) is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama , United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group . The station's studios are on Golden Crest Drive atop Red Mountain , where its tower
1485-559: A newscast] that I have ever seen in my life". Land responded to Primo's scathing remarks by comparing the format to the Al Schottelkotte News , a longtime staple of WCPO-TV in Cincinnati from the 1960s until 1990, for which he had been a reporter: "[The Al Schottelkotte News] was very nontraditional, but jam-packed with information." 42 Daily News represented an immediate ratings improvement over its predecessor;
1584-592: A package of four smaller-market NBC affiliates owned by the NBC network, which included WVTM. Media General opted to keep WVTM because its signal reached more households; it also was third in the market in revenue compared to WIAT in fourth. The company put four of its stations up for the sale, including WIAT, to finance the purchase and meet ownership limits in the Birmingham market. WIAT and KIMT in Mason City, Iowa , were sold to Atlanta-based New Vision Television in
1683-538: A political statement and is dividing the people." In 2000, Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico , performed an apostolic visitation of EWTN. Nieves focused on three issues – the actual ownership of the network; the associated monastery's right to donate property to EWTN; and, since she had never been elected, the authority of Mother Angelica. However, before Nieves could write his final report, Mother Angelica resigned from her positions as EWTN CEO and board chair. According to Global Sister Report,
1782-445: A return to local news production, prompting Tuscaloosa-based WDBB to cancel its low-rated 9 p.m. local newscast. Park invested $ 1.5 million to start WBMG Action News Birmingham , which debuted on January 12, 1987. The news department, with weeknight 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts as well as weekend editions, focused on news in the five-county Birmingham metro area, rather than the much larger news coverage areas of WBRC and WVTM;
1881-495: A shareholder revolt in the wake of an unsolicited offer from Nexstar Broadcasting Group , which agreed to acquire the company in 2016. Several of the veteran personalities hired under Ballard departed in the late 2010s. Prater abruptly left WIAT in April 2018, later pleading guilty to harassing a woman he had dated. Dunaway moved to the news desk in 2015, co-anchoring the evening newscasts with Jackson, before leaving in 2018. He
1980-550: A spokeswoman for the Birmingham Zoo , WBMG produced a news special openly asking whether WBRC could be considered a reliable source for reporting on the troubled facility. Doors being slammed in WBMG reporters' faces became a common sight on channel 42's newscasts, and the station did a series of reports on why Birmingham city officials were not talking to WBMG. Even though WBMG's news audience consisted of one to two percent of
2079-539: A third VHF TV channel to Birmingham. The station initially aired the CBS and NBC programs not aired by channel 13 until the two stations each took full-time network affiliations in 1970. It was hemmed in by its weaker signal, the existence of CBS affiliates in Tuscaloosa and Anniston , and the dominance of the VHF stations in the ratings. Roy H. Park Broadcasting acquired WBMG in 1973, but WBMG never moved above third in
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#17327659341212178-479: A traditional newscast. That's already being done in this market." The station's employees had expected Land to make significant changes. While lead weeknight anchorman Chris Schauble told the Birmingham Post-Herald that he had known as early as Thanksgiving that he was going to be fired, many other staffers did not know exactly what would take place until the firings were announced. A day before
2277-471: Is a Catholic news service with bureaus across America, Latin America and Europe. The EWTN news department produces a daily news service for television and radio, featuring news sources including Vatican Radio . A reflection of its size and influence is that it has 30 staff members covering the Vatican alone, "far outnumbering other English-language media outlets". Tracy Sabol is currently the lead anchor of
2376-585: Is a consultant to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications , leads EWTN. In addition to its television network, EWTN owns the National Catholic Register newspaper, which it acquired in January 2011, and Catholic News Agency . The network maintains an online presence through its primary site, EWTN.com, and it has a dedicated commercial site, EWTNReligiousCatalogue.com. EWTN also has a 24-hour radio network , offering Catholic talk and worship programming to about 350 radio stations around
2475-475: Is affiliated with 384 stations in the United States and more than 500 stations globally. In January 2011, EWTN acquired the National Catholic Register , a newspaper founded in Denver, Colorado , in 1924 as a periodical for local Catholics, and which became a national publication three years later. EWTN officially assumed total control on February 1, 2011. EWTN also owns Catholic News Agency which
2574-542: Is also located. Channel 42 in Birmingham went on the air as WBMG on October 17, 1965, nearly nine years after its construction was approved. It was the city's third commercial station after channels 6 and 13 (now WBRC and WVTM-TV ), whose very high frequency (VHF) signals carried further than WBMG's ultra high frequency (UHF) signal; the Birmingham Television Corporation, which built channel 42, had been unsuccessful in efforts to allocate
2673-588: Is everything: the elderly, the born, the unborn, all of us." However, in a 1993 episode of Mother Angelica Live broadcast live from World Youth Day 1993 , Mother Angelica harshly criticized a mimed re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross where a woman played Jesus, which Pope John Paul II did not attend. Mother Angelica denounced the display as "an abomination to the Eternal Father" and proceeded with
2772-523: Is now based in Washington, D.C. In 2011, CNA said its editors would provide free news, features, commentary, and photojournalism to editors of newspapers. As of January 2023, CNA's executive director is Jeanette De Melo, the longtime editor-in-chief of the National Catholic Register , which is also owned by EWTN. De Melo currently serves as executive director of both the Register and CNA. CNA
2871-451: Is the largest religious media network in the world, and it says it has a reach of a quarter-billion people in 140 countries. The network is unrated in the United States, though various articles cite millions of viewers watch per month. On YouTube and other social media platforms, EWTN has more than 1,000,000 active followers and online viewers. EWTN is also available on demand on streaming services Roku, Kindle, and Apple TV. EWTN's Internet site
2970-469: Is unfaithful to the Church" is "simply vindictive and false." Recurring guests on the weekly EWTN show "The World Over", hosted by EWTN anchor Raymond Arroyo, include: [...] prominent Francis critics, including Cardinal Raymond Burke, who co-signed a list of dubia about Pope Francis' openness to allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion in some cases, and Cardinal Gerhard Müller,
3069-412: Is viewed three to four million times monthly, according to SimilarWeb. In the United States , EWTN is available through most cable and satellite providers with a reach of around 70 million households. EWTN had an annual revenue of $ 64,946,744 in 2019, and has received an 84.3 (out of 100) overall score and rating from Charity Navigator . EWTN's logo has incorporated a globe outline in some form since
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3168-453: Is zero". Cardinal Mahony regarded her comments as accusing him of heresy . Mother Angelica later conditionally apologized for her comments. In 1999, Bishop David E. Foley of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama , issued a decree prohibiting priests in his diocese from celebrating Mass ad orientem (which literally denotes 'to the east', which refers to the priest having their back to
3267-880: The Best of Mother Angelica Live or Mother Angelica Live Classics . From then until her death on Easter Sunday of 2016, she led a cloistered life at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama . In its early history, EWTN broadcast Catholic programming from a great variety of Catholic sources, which ranged from Catholic charismatic programming, such as that of Fr. Michael Manning , to programs focusing on social reform and social justice , such as Christopher Closeup , to doctrinal programs hosted by clergy. The network began broadcasting daily rosary broadcasts in 1987 and daily Mass in 1991. In
3366-491: The Birmingham Post-Herald . One anchor manned the news desk, while the other read stories from various places on the new set. The 2-Minute Drill sportscast was provided by Paul Finebaum , a Post-Herald columnist and radio show host on WERC ; the sportscast in the 5 p.m. newscast aired live on TV and radio. The other weeknight news presenters, like Cate, came from out of the market: Sherri Jackson
3465-474: The Roku streaming player. The player provides six live channels of EWTN at no cost, including English , Spanish , and German languages, thus permitting users to view the channel on their televisions. In addition, select EWTN programs can be viewed through the video on demand option, and a live feed of EWTN Radio is available. Often, EWTN airs special programming – holiday-specific programs; coverage of
3564-696: The United States at no cost. In 1999, programs included Mother Angelica Live and "Life Is Worth Living" with Fulton J. Sheen. WGSN in North Myrtle Beach , South Carolina , was an affiliate. Current radio programs include Open Line in which callers can have their questions regarding the Catholic Faith answered. In 2004, EWTN announced an agreement with Sirius Satellite Radio , which thereafter merged with XM Satellite Radio to become Sirius XM Satellite Radio . EWTN broadcasts on Channel 130 on Sirius XM. As of August 2020, EWTN Radio
3663-596: The 10 p.m. newscast, in particular, had increased from a paltry 3% share in February 1997 to a 7% share in February 1998, partly due to having the Winter Olympics as a lead-in. This was not enough to overtake any competitors, but it was higher than the last newscasts as WBMG. Ratings also increased once Birmingham became a metered market, moving to 3 and 4 shares on most nights early in the fall of 1998, and continued their steady climb in early 1999. Some of
3762-709: The Angels monastery. During the 1970s, she was an in-demand lecturer and produced pamphlets and audio and video tapes. She had been a guest on local station WBMG (currently WIAT, Channel 42), and on shows on the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Trinity Broadcasting Network . After she gave an interview on then-Christian station WCFC (Channel 38) in Chicago , she decided she wanted her own network. "I walked in, and it
3861-719: The Birmingham ratings, pushing channel 42 to fourth place. Nielsen Media Research , which measures television ratings, proceeded to announce that it would fold Tuscaloosa and Anniston into the Birmingham Designated Market Area as a result of their local stations being merged with WBMA; in addition, it would introduce meters instead of diaries to the enlarged market. Media General , a broadcaster and publisher based in Richmond, Virginia , announced it would purchase Park Communications in July 1996, creating
3960-533: The Catholic Church. Leave us alone. Don't pour your poison, your venom, on all the church." Archbishop Rembert Weakland of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee criticized Mother Angelica's comment as "one of the most disgraceful, un-Christian, offensive, and divisive diatribes I have ever heard". Mother Angelica responded that "He didn't think a woman playing Jesus was offensive? He can go put his head in
4059-598: The Catholic Faith. Grodi is a former Presbyterian minister who converted to the Catholic Faith in 1992. Although most guests are former Protestants , former members of non- Christian faiths (such as Judaism ) and former atheists occasionally appear. Life on the Rock is hosted by Rev. Mark Mary, MFVA . The HD feed first became available to Comcast customers in Richmond, Virginia , and its vicinity on May 11, 2010. In October 2011, EWTN became available through
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4158-660: The New Vision Television stations, including WIAT, for $ 330.4 million and the assumption of $ 12 million in New Vision corporate debt. LIN was acquired two years later by Media General, which opted to keep WIAT and divest WVTM, along with WJCL in Savannah, Georgia , to Hearst Television . After purchasing LIN, Media General initially agreed to merge with the Meredith Corporation but faced
4257-696: The Park group in 1997, it planned a major overhaul of the long-struggling station. General manager Eric Land fired all of WBMG's on-air presenters as well as other news employees in December 1997. For a month, channel 42 aired a countdown clock at 5 and 10 p.m. while the news department was rebuilt from scratch, a tactic that attracted national attention. On February 5, 1998, the station changed its call letters to WIAT—for its new slogan, "It's About Time"—and relaunched its newscasts as 42 Daily News . The news programs featured short stories, no on-camera reporters, and
4356-551: The U.S. as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio and shortwave radio . Some of the schedule is the audio from EWTN television shows and some is original programming for radio listeners. Regular network programs include a daily Holy Mass and sometimes Tridentine Mass format, the traditional Stations of the Cross , a taped daily recitation of the Rosary , and daily and weekly news, discussion, and Catechetical programs for both adults and children. Christmas and Easter programming;
4455-501: The WFLA news staff the year before. Finebaum left in May 2002 after a run of more than four years with channel 42; WIAT began broadcasting a digital signal, including high-definition programming, on November 20 of that year. Ratings growth leveled off after several years of the 42 Daily News format, and viewing figures remained flat between 2000 and 2003. While the reporter-less format cost
4554-474: The air. The Birmingham Television Corporation spent years trying to move a third commercial channel in the more established very high frequency (VHF) band to Birmingham. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the FCC considered adding such a channel to Birmingham on multiple occasions. In 1959, it considered moving channel 8 into Birmingham; WBMG favored a proposal to relocate channel 4 from Columbus, Mississippi , which
4653-415: The back toilet as far as I am concerned!" The event is believed by some ( National Catholic Reporter ) to mark Mother Angelica's emergence "as a culture warrior", as prior to it she had sometimes "criticized feminists" but "rarely, if ever, attacked the ecclesiastical hierarchy". Following the attack, "Mother Angelica and the sisters in her convent abandoned their modified post-Vatican II habits in favor of
4752-468: The conflict, WBRC-TV was sold directly to the Fox network. This deal set off a slow-motion affiliation shuffle in Birmingham as ABC sought a replacement affiliate. ABC negotiated with WBMG and was even reported to be near a deal. Instead, Park Communications signed a long-term renewal with CBS, owing to its upcoming deal to carry Southeastern Conference college sports and the company's lengthy relationship with
4851-406: The congregation) under most circumstances. Although the decree did not specifically name EWTN, supporters and critics generally agreed that the decree, which applied to "any Mass that is or will be televised for broadcast or videotaped for public dissemination", was authored specifically to target EWTN. Bishop Foley stated that the practice of the priest celebrating ad orientem "amounts to making
4950-724: The deaths of Supreme Pontiffs ; Papal conclaves , Papal elections, inaugurations , and visits; Christmas Eve , Christmas Day, and Easter Masses; installations of bishops , archbishops , and cardinals; and World Youth Days. EWTN's top news program, EWTN News Nightly , is hosted by Tracy Sabol and features correspondents Erik Rosales, Owen T. Jensen, Mark Irons and Colm Flynn. It was previously anchored by Lauren Ashburn, who in turn succeeded founding anchor and journalist Colleen Carroll Campbell. Until 1993, EWTN head Mother Angelica showed little propensity for politically conservative culture warfare, stating for example on October 27, 1992, "I believe people should vote pro-life , but life
5049-635: The early 1990s, EWTN began producing more of its own programs. This effort marked a conspicuously conservative shift in its overall orientation, with programs on topics of social reform and justice gradually eliminated and replaced by programs on doctrine and programs of dialogue. The shift was apparent in the daily televised Masses, which, in 1992, began incorporating Latin into the liturgy and gradually eliminated contemporary music. Some untelevised Masses are totally in English and some include more contemporary music. On Christmas Eve of 1993, Mother Angelica and
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#17327659341215148-527: The east to Tuscaloosa in the west. By this time, Tuscaloosa and Anniston each had their own stations: Tuscaloosa's WCFT (channel 33) debuted in October 1965, while Anniston's WHMA-TV (channel 40) started in October 1969. This situation persisted until May 31, 1970, when WAPI-TV became the sole NBC affiliate under a new agreement with NBC and WBMG the sole CBS affiliate. Likewise, WCFT and WHMA-TV became full-time CBS affiliates. In 1971, WBMG moved into larger studios on Red Mountain. Park Broadcasting,
5247-537: The final newscast, on December 31, Land announced that it would be replaced with a clock counting down to the debut of a new newscast on February 5, coinciding with the start of the 1998 Winter Olympics , which aired on CBS; he joked, "More people will probably watch the clock than watched the news broadcast anyway." The story attracted attention well beyond Birmingham; Mark Lorando in the New Orleans Times-Picayune compared Land's mass firing to
5346-469: The firings resulted in legal action against channel 42. Seven Black former employees sued the station for racial discrimination in 1999, alleging they had been fired for their race and that White employees had been treated better; Media General prevailed in multiple state and federal cases. Doug Bell , the station's sports director since 1988, and former general manager Broome each sued Media General for breach of contract. The WIAT relaunch did not include
5445-489: The first programs produced by Mother Angelica , founder of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN); she severed her relationship with WBMG in 1981 when it aired a CBS miniseries based on the 1972 novel The Word , which she believed presented Jesus as a fake. While WBMG debuted a local newscast when it signed on in 1965, its news efforts were generally minimal. One of its first employees
5544-646: The former head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who was not renewed for another term by Pope Francis in 2017. Two years later, Cardinal Müller published a "manifesto of faith" in the EWTN-owned Catholic News Agency and other outlets that have been critical of the pope, arguing against Francis' teaching on Communion for the divorced and remarried. Other guests include Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò , who has called on
5643-662: The fund raising slogan for viewers, "Please keep us between your gas and electric bill!" EWTN was founded by Mother Angelica , PCPA , in 1980 and began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama , which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. Mother Angelica hosted her own show, Mother Angelica Live , until suffering a major stroke and other health issues in September 2001. Repeats now air as either
5742-417: The goal was not to be number one but merely to occupy a niche. News director Frank Morock believed the expanding focuses of the other stations left Birmingham and its environs relatively underserved. News viewership for Action News Birmingham hovered between five and nine percent of the audience, a far cry from the shares of 30 percent or above commanded by each of WBRC and WVTM. The newscasts were losing in
5841-401: The hilly Central Alabama terrain. The station produced a number of local programs; these included a public affairs series ( Spectrum ), live studio wrestling, a weekly church service, and annual coverage of Birmingham's Veterans Day parade. In the late 1960s and 1970s, channel 42 offered Sgt. Jack , a children's show hosted by Birmingham disc jockey Neal Miller. Its studios were the home to
5940-605: The installation Masses of bishops and cardinals ; coverage of World Youth Days ; and papal visits, deaths, funerals, conclaves , and elections are also presented. Spanish language broadcasts are available on all platforms. On December 8, 2009, EWTN began broadcasting high-definition television . The network is overseen by trustees rather than shareholders or owners. All of the network's funding comes from viewer donations, protecting it from advertising secular or non-Catholic programming. Mother Angelica made her profession of vows in 1953. In 1962 she established Our Lady of
6039-466: The late columnist and commentator Robert Novak , a Jewish convert to the Catholic Faith. While the network has trustees, it does not have shareholders or owners. A majority of the network's funding is from viewer donations about which it advertises 100% viewer supported , which keeps it from advertising secular or non-Catholic programming. Its traditional plea for donations is "Keep us between your gas and electric bill ". Mother Angelica developed
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#17327659341216138-489: The market, a study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that WBMG's Action News aired more local news stories and longer stories than its higher-rated competitors in one week in April 1994, concluding, "Channel 42 was guilty of some editorializing but clearly offered more substance than the other two stations." In 1994, Park Communications sold itself to Donald R. Tomlin and Gary B. Knapp in
6237-464: The market. In response to low ratings, the station dropped local news in 1982 and restored it in 1987; the newscasts, titled Action News Birmingham , became known for a combative style and emphasis on metro-area news, but they were never highly viewed. By 1997, syndicated reruns of Sanford and Son attracted more viewers than WBMG's evening news, and a new Birmingham TV station pushed channel 42 into fourth place in news. When Media General acquired
6336-504: The midst of an apostolic visitation by San Juan Archbishop Roberto González Nieves " to investigate Mother Angelica's authority over the station and monastery, Mother Angelica gave control of EWTN to a board of lay people. As of 2011, the network's chairman of the board and chief executive officer is Michael P. Warsaw. As of 2019, EWTN programming was available through "more than 6,000 TV affiliates as well as on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and YouTube". In addition to its Irondale campus,
6435-455: The network itself) reaching 425 million people in 160 countries, with 11 networks. It was founded by Mother Angelica PCPA , in 1980 and began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama , which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. She hosted her own show, Mother Angelica Live , until health issues led to her retirement in September 2001. As of 2017, Michael P. Warsaw, who
6534-627: The network maintains a Washington, D.C. , facility for its news division, along with a West Coast broadcast facility on the campus of the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, California . In 1992, EWTN established the largest privately owned shortwave radio station, WEWN. The station broadcasts from Vandiver, Alabama , in the vicinity of greater Birmingham . In 1996, Mother Angelica announced that EWTN would make its radio signal available via satellite to AM and FM stations throughout
6633-410: The network's launch in 1981 to suggest the network's hope of a worldwide reach, usually with an outline of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica within a profile of a satellite dish inside of it. The network had the sub-branding of the "Catholic Cable Network" until 1995, when with the launch of DirecTV and Dish direct satellite broadcasters (where it was a charter network with both providers) it took
6732-628: The network's nightly news program, EWTN News Nightly , succeeding Lauren Ashburn, who in turn succeeded founding anchor Colleen Carroll Campbell. It also produces The World Over Live , which reports current events. Journalist and author Raymond Arroyo , who is EWTN's news director, hosts the program. The program is conservative in its political orientation and generally conservative in its religious orientation. Notable guests have included Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation , author and activist George Weigel , political commentator Laura Ingraham , conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan , and
6831-605: The network. As a replacement, ABC persuaded the CBS affiliates in Tuscaloosa and Anniston, WCFT and WJSU, to switch affiliations. They would act as full-power satellites of a low-power station in Birmingham, WBMA-LP , with a new combined news operation in Birmingham. The new station, which debuted in September 1996 under the moniker "ABC 33/40", featured veteran Alabama news personalities including WBRC's James Spann and Brenda Ladun, later poaching anchor Pam Huff from WVTM. The newscasts on WBMA immediately rose to third place in
6930-402: The networks' programs, series moved between the stations, sometimes in the middle of the television season. The station broadcast with an effective radiated power of 479,000 watts until 1969, when it activated a new, 894-foot (272 m) tower and increased its power to over a million watts. The new tower was boasted to increase the station's signal in areas from Anniston and Gadsden in
7029-401: The newscast was replaced with short news updates during daytime and evening programming, and the news staff was reduced from five employees to two. The station did not air local newscasts for the next several years; Park instead invested in a new, taller tower and higher-power transmitter facility for WBMG, which were activated in 1983 and 1984, respectively. In late 1986, WBMG began readying
7128-782: The nuns of her order reverted to traditional habits . From 1992 on, the Latin portions of the Mass included the Gloria, introduction of the Gospel readings, the Sanctus, and the remainder of the Mass after the Great Amen, beginning with the Lord's Prayer. Among its notable weekly programs are The Journey Home and Life on the Rock . The Journey Home , hosted by Marcus Grodi, presents converts to
7227-426: The pope and has given uncritical interviews to anti-Francis guests like Steve Bannon , who argued on air that his own populist politics better represent Catholic social teaching than Pope Francis does". In 2007, Francis Mary Stone, an ordained Catholic priest who hosted the network's show Life On The Rock , was suspended from the network after it was revealed that he violated his vow of celibate chastity and fathered
7326-485: The pope to resign. EWTN also features a group calling itself "The Papal Posse"—which includes along with Raymond Arroyo, the Rev. Gerald Murray (a New York priest, former U.S. Navy chaplain and canon lawyer), and Robert Royal (a Catholic author who founded the D.C. think tank the Faith and Reason Institute and the blog "The Catholic Thing")—that according to Colleen Dulle of America magazine, "riffs on one another's criticisms of
7425-585: The pre-Vatican II style." In 1997, Mother Angelica publicly criticized Cardinal Roger Mahony , then Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles , for his pastoral letter on the Eucharist , "Gather Faithfully Together: A Guide for Sunday Mass", which she perceived as lacking emphasis on transubstantiation (the presence of Christ in the Eucharist): "I'm afraid my obedience in that diocese would be absolutely zero. And I hope everybody else's in that diocese
7524-604: The purchase. LIN Media acquired New Vision in 2012, and Media General acquired LIN in 2014—this time, keeping WIAT and selling WVTM. Nexstar purchased Media General in 2017. In March 1956, the Birmingham Television Corporation—formed by Harry and Elmer Balaban —was incorporated in Alabama and proceeded to file for Birmingham's unused ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 42. That same month, Birmingham radio station WSGN filed for channel 42 as well. It
7623-411: The radio and television enterprise of Roy H. Park , acquired WBMG in 1973, bringing its station group up to the then-limit of seven outlets. Park continued to make capital investments in channel 42 in spite of its reduced coverage area, including new video tape equipment, electronic news gathering , and a new antenna. However, these changes did not fully help WBMG, whose signal could not fully penetrate
7722-554: The ratings to syndicated reruns on Birmingham's independent station , WTTO , though station management contended and a coincidental telephone survey found that viewership was higher than reflected in ratings diaries. John Herrod left KTXS-TV in Sweetwater, Texas , to become WBMG's news director in 1990. He sought to give the station a defined news image by airing longer, more in-depth stories. Channel 42 also became known for aggressive reporting. When WBRC anchor Janet Hall became
7821-451: The ratings, and they were so poor that not even the anchors' parents watched, Land later recalled. Speculation of a major shakeup was fed by a major research project as well as the resignations of several senior managers over the course of 1997. On December 11, 1997, WBMG fired all of its on-air anchors and reporters as well as other news staffers, a total of 21 people, effective December 31. Land declared, "We just cannot continue to offer
7920-452: The recently renamed WVTM-TV, and the station had no newscast at 10 p.m. General manager Hoyle Broome touted the straightforward format of his newscast as an alternative. The newscast, known as Metro News , was then moved to 5 p.m. in hopes of attracting an audience as the first newscast of the evening; WVTM dashed those hopes by debuting a 5 p.m. newscast of its own, prompting station officials to reevaluate. In March 1982,
8019-543: The series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which nearly every news staffer was fired. During this time, the news department was reconstructed with input from focus groups and market research. The newsroom also kept functioning; the station sent coverage of the January 29 bombing of the New Woman All Women Clinic in Birmingham's Southside neighborhood by Eric Rudolph to CBS Newspath , CNN , and stations in neighboring markets, even though it
8118-461: The slogan of the station's new 42 Daily News newscasts, which aired at 5 and 10 p.m. The Daily News format eschewed on-camera reporters; stories were packaged into topical minute segments such as "Alabama Minute" and "Education Minute". The format earned comparisons to CNN Headline News from Keith Cate , who came from WMAR-TV in Baltimore to serve as lead co-anchor, and an article in
8217-530: The sole owner of the Birmingham Television Corporation when it bought out the Balabans' stake. In November 1964, Winston-Salem Broadcasting filed to sell a two-thirds stake to four investors: William P. Dubois, Enterprise Funds Inc., Northwest Growth Fund Inc., and Exchange Capitol Corporation. The FCC approved this transaction in March 1965. With the new ownership, plans were set in motion to construct WBMG, with Dubois as general manager. Even at this juncture,
8316-475: The state. The station also ended its longtime relationship with UAB athletics; Broome, a noted booster, was known for preempting CBS prime time programming for sports. Land's priority was to fix the news department; he had previously overseen major overhauls at WGRZ and at WEYI-TV in Saginaw, Michigan . The station's newscasts had sunk below The Andy Griffith Show on WTTO and Sanford and Son on WABM in
8415-453: The station attempted to improve its position by filing for the lower channel 21. WBMG began broadcasting on October 17, 1965. The quarters it occupied on Red Mountain had belonged to radio station WJLD and were designed to accommodate a television operation. WBMG did not hold a primary network affiliation at launch. WAPI-TV (channel 13) held the primary affiliations with CBS and NBC in central Alabama, and not all of their programming
8514-543: The station less—the WIAT news department had 25 employees in 2003, compared to 70 at WBRC—it was not prospering against more traditional news competition and with a lack of recognizable faces. Beginning in 2005, WIAT produced a 9 p.m. newscast for WTTO, at that time the market's affiliate of The WB . The new WIAT production replaced WTTO's News Central hybrid newscast and required the expansion of channel 42's news staff. In 2006, Media General announced it would acquire
8613-513: The wake of the murder of George Floyd , Purvis became known for defending anti-racist measures around the country in response, while the more conservative Burke-Sivers, Pope, and another priest opposed the measures and Purvis' sentiments. Listeners from EWTN's largest radio affiliate, Guadalupe Radio Network , complained about the alleged "conflicts" and GRN suspended the show in response, making headlines in Catholic media and elsewhere. Purvis
8712-405: Was Bill Bolen, who had worked at WSGN radio and later left to spend 41 years at WBRC; he recalled channel 42 as "primitive". By 1977, the news staff numbered four people, while WBRC and WAPI-TV each had 20 or more employees in their news departments. Few people watched. In 1981, WBMG's 6 p.m. newscast attracted six percent of the audience at that hour to 49 percent for WBRC and 33 percent for
8811-505: Was also denied. In 1963, it opted to deny the addition of channel 3. The pending proceedings spared the unbuilt station, with the call sign WBMG, from deletion. In 1960, the FCC sent letters to the permittees of 54 unused or unbuilt UHF stations, including WBMG, ordering them to resume or lose the permit. WBMG and a permit in Grand Rapids, Michigan , were spared due to the pending proposals. In 1963, Winston-Salem Broadcasting became
8910-468: Was expanded from 1,500 square feet (140 m ) to 3,900 square feet (360 m ). Meanwhile, a major realignment of television station affiliations and ownership was brewing in the market. In May 1994, New World Communications agreed to affiliate 12 stations with Fox , including ABC affiliate WBRC-TV, which it had just agreed to buy from Citicasters . At the same time, New World agreed to buy Argyle Television, owner of NBC affiliate WVTM-TV; to resolve
9009-435: Was gradually reduced from 1986 to 1988, and satellite distribution was expanded late in 1987, after which EWTN acquired a far more desirable satellite channel and began broadcasting around the clock. At this point, EWTN began broadcasting the praying of the rosary on a daily basis and added a number of educational shows. In-house production of original programming gradually increased. The Mass became televised daily in 1991 from
9108-600: Was hired from WSAZ-TV in Huntington, West Virginia , while Declan Cannon had worked at The Weather Channel . Al Primo , who created the Eyewitness News format at KYW-TV in Philadelphia in 1965, delivered sharp criticism of what he felt was "a product that was generated solely by research and implemented by people who don't know anything about the news business" and "the most disjointed presentation [of
9207-483: Was interviewed by the New York Times concerning the controversy, and EWTN initially expressed support for her and said the show would continue to be produced despite the suspension (which was in fact permanent). In December 2020, however, the network canceled the show without explanation, occasioning accusations of racism . Purvis was hired for her own podcast affiliated with America Media in 2021. EWTN
9306-405: Was just a little studio, and I remember standing in the doorway and thinking, 'It doesn't take much to reach the masses'. I just stood there and said to the Lord, 'Lord, I've got to have one of these'". Mother Angelica purchased satellite space and EWTN began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, with four hours of daily programming, which included her own show, Mother Angelica Live (aired bi-weekly),
9405-480: Was led by editor-in-chief J.D. Flynn from Aug. 1, 2017 until Dec. 31, 2020, when he departed with Washington bureau chief Ed Condon to form The Pillar . EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network ( EWTN ) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic -themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in America, but reportedly "the world's largest religious media network", (and according to
9504-474: Was not airing a newscast. The reason we did [the call sign change] was because the perception of WBMG was so bad and the news produced was so bad. We had to make a clear break. ... That included changing the call letters. Micah Johnson, WIAT news manager On that date, at 5 p.m., viewers saw Land push a plunger to blow up the WBMG logo before an audience of Birmingham community leaders. The station changed its call sign to WIAT, for It's About Time,
9603-704: Was part of a consolidation with the Balaban application, which was approved. Of the prospects for a new station, which would likely have been an ABC affiliate at that point in time, Roger Thames of The Birmingham News wrote, Personally, I don't believe anybody's going to establish a UHF station in Birmingham. I don't believe there are very many sets in use here which will bring in the UHF signal. And UHF operators elsewhere have had little luck in persuading folks to spend money to gear their sets to get UHF. But ... it costs money to keep an application alive, and something must be in
9702-598: Was seen in Birmingham as a result; channel 42 filled this gap by airing the network shows not aired on channel 13. This was illustrated in its first day of programming: the inaugural program was an NBC News special, but later in the evening the station aired The Ed Sullivan Show from CBS. Likewise, WBMG aired the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on weeknights. Carson had gone unseen in Birmingham in several years. Because WAPI-TV had first-call rights on
9801-579: Was the second application for television made by WSGN, which had previously sought channel 48 and was an ABC affiliate in radio. The fact that two applicants were seeking a UHF channel was of note given that UHF television had proved mostly an economic failure due to lack of transmitter power and the inability of many sets to tune UHF stations. WSGN's owners, the Winston-Salem Broadcasting Company, withdrew their application for channel 42 on November 28, 1956. The withdrawal
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