# Reformed TV Channel



## scottmaciver (Mar 21, 2017)

I recently had a conversation with someone I know who no longer attends church, but mentioned that she watches the "Christian channels", including Joyce Meyer. It made me question why there isn't much by the way of sound content available on TV.

I know that there is plenty of reformed content available online, should you seek it out, but I'm not aware of a reformed TV channel, which is easily accessible. Again, I know that RC Sproul & John Macarthur, for instance, are available on some of the Christian channels, but sound reformed content is few & far between. I wouldn't feel comfortable pointing someone in the direction of any of these Christian channels, as you never know what you're going to expose people to.

Obviously there would be great expense in running a reformed TV channel, but those with contrary theology seem to operate such ventures. It would be great if there was a fully reformed television channel easily accessible, perhaps something along the lines of a television version of RefNet. Perhaps a collaboration amongst various ministries?


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Mar 21, 2017)

You already hit the nail on the head. CASH. and a lot of it. TV is extremely expensive and most Reformed Ministers are dealing with the basics of keeping their church going, much less being able to start a TV station. 
Just the basics of making a video recording is not easy (if you at least want something of quality), good equipment is expensive, and having people who can actually do the work is a whole other level.
Not only would you have to buy or purchase the channel / air time, you would need a whole staff of people to run it with various skills.
A 30 second commercial, for example, on a cable outlet in a local area will run you $500. And, you have to have the commercial already shot and made. That's just air time.
I used to work for a production studio. Costs to create a basic, simple, 1-2 minute "video" with "relatively good equipment" ran $25,000.


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## scottmaciver (Mar 21, 2017)

Thanks for the quick response Matthew. Obviously the charismatics have a lot more cash available than us reformed!

So the airtime alone would be prohibitive, even if it was a case of playing pre-existing content, gathered from various ministries, rather than brand new content?


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Mar 21, 2017)

Some stations (Sky Angel) will allow you to send a full 30 minute episode for play . If they like it you can continue to send it to them in varied episodes. But they have format requirements and such. Otherwise, you are buying time.


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## joebonni63 (Mar 21, 2017)

Matthew I might be doing something like Reformed TV that could cost next to nothing but here in California things move really slow so I am staying on it so pray for the future and we will see and it would be free to watch even on your cell phone 24 hour streaming ..............


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## Dachaser (Mar 21, 2017)

scottmaciver said:


> Thanks for the quick response Matthew. Obviously the charismatics have a lot more cash available than us reformed!
> 
> So the airtime alone would be prohibitive, even if it was a case of playing pre-existing content, gathered from various ministries, rather than brand new content?


The Charismatics, especially those of the prosperity/health and wealth Gpspel. are those that teach what the flesh loves to hear, as they appeal to our carnal sinful sides, as all want to be healthy wealthy and wise!


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Mar 21, 2017)

With the onset of smart TV, apps linked to venues such as Vimeo should be more leveraged for Reformed content.


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## Contra_Mundum (Mar 21, 2017)

"Faith cometh by _*hearing*_."

Reactions: Like 3 | Amen 1


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## scottmaciver (Mar 21, 2017)

Contra_Mundum said:


> "Faith cometh by _*hearing*_."



That's of course true, but there are many who aren't hearing the Word of God. I suppose that is what was on my mind in posting this thread in the first place.


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## Timmay (Mar 21, 2017)

TV is dying. It's all going on the Internet. All Ligonier has to do is turn their RefNet into a 24hr video stream on YouTube or something. (RefNet is Internet radio/this idea is Internet TV) Throw in a Todd Friel 30min show with the aforementioned, put it all in an app for Apple TV or Roku, and there you go, you've got your channel. 


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## Contra_Mundum (Mar 21, 2017)

"The medium is the message." Marshall McLuhan

I agree that a single service, like Ligonier, may be able to stream its vid loop online, provided the bandwidth charge can be subsidized.

I don't know if it is possible to have a successful--in the lasting sense--Reformed TV channel. We wouldn't believe it was simply one channel in the sea of options, but that is what it would be on the day it was born. And this effort would be seeking "market share" from that instant. I don't think that's what the apostles had in mind when they launched into the burgeoning religious variety-show that was the 1C Roman Empire. It was an uncompromised, conquering message they proclaimed. It was a message demanding unconditional surrender.

Given the costs associated with producing a virtually endless stream of content, the inevitability of celebrity-culture (isn't it bad enough just with nationally syndicated radio, and the conference/speaker circuit?), and the relentless pressure to blunt the hard-edges for the sake of a wider audience; I question whether the concept rightly suits Reformed teaching.

But the biggest drawback I see, brings us back to the nature of idolatry and its confrontation by the Word. Hence, the quotation above from "the prophet of the information age" http://marshallmcluhan.com/

Using the specific example of the printing press as a paradigm, MM argued that "technologies ... exert a gravitational effect on cognition, which in turn affects social organization: ... changes our perceptual habits..., which in turn affects social interactions." quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan

TV, as a medium, becomes of the essence of the message it conveys. It is unavoidably and highly *visual. *It is no coincidence that video clips are the most shared of internet aspects; and video is widely seen as now indispensable to making an impact everywhere, from websites to Facebook, etc. The attention span of western man is shrinking down to a lower limit.

I'm glad there are efforts at creating cartoon-length vids for this opening. And there are other sermons, teaching, and lectures available and constantly being churned out. I question it can be "successful" as a TV-channel, given the basically _aural _nature of the gospel message.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Edward (Mar 21, 2017)

Cable TV is dying. So I wouldn't expend any effort going down that path at this point. So you are back to online platforms. Here are some options. http://www.pbs.org/pov/filmmakers/resources/diy-digital-distribution-platforms.php


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## hammondjones (Mar 22, 2017)

scottmaciver said:


> I'm not aware of a reformed TV channel, which is easily accessible.



Truth for Life (Alistair Begg) has a Roku channel, but that is much closer to YouTube than it is to the kind of broadcast/cable TV that we all grew up with.

Most of the Roku "religion" channels are in the mold of JW/LDS/Hebrew Roots/Elevation - it is slim pickings. There are much better Reformed options on the SermonAudio channel, but that is audio only, as could be expected.


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## Dachaser (Mar 22, 2017)

scottmaciver said:


> That's of course true, but there are many who aren't hearing the Word of God. I suppose that is what was on my mind in posting this thread in the first place.


My church is now going to be on our own You tube channel, and people can subscribe to the feed once up and running in order to get some good free theology on the net!


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## Jack K (Mar 22, 2017)

The Gospel Coalition has nearly a thousand video titles available from many excellent sources including some that everyone here would agree are Reformed. To leverage an existing effort like that one and turn it into a full-fledged smart-TV channel, with regular content not only self-produced but also collected from other ministries and churches, would be fairly easy compared to the expense of starting a cable channel.

You can currently view TGC videos via their Vimeo channel, but something like a TGC Roku app that was well-organized so viewers can find their favorite programs would be a welcome advancement in television, especially if it included good programming produced outside the host organization.


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## Silas22 (Mar 22, 2017)

The web is the future. I'm so thankful to have thousands of solid sermons at my fingertips. I would simply encourage our reformed brethren to continue posting material online. Just look at the enormous impact Grace to You and Ligonier has had over the years! Let the charismatics have the fringe networks on cable tv. God, in His providence, has blessed the reformed community with a solid internet community since its inception. In a lot of ways, conservative expository have been ahead of the game in regards to the internet.


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## Berean by Grace (Mar 28, 2017)

Dachaser said:


> The Charismatics, especially those of the prosperity/health and wealth Gpspel. are those that teach what the flesh loves to hear, as they appeal to our carnal sinful sides, as all want to be healthy wealthy and wise!


That is exactly what came to my mind when I started reading these posts. People don't like the true gospel. Jesus preached it and was crucified.... Paul preached it and ...... we all know how the story continues.

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