How popular is christian television?

Stormin · Post by **Stormin** » 2006-06-20 02:09am

I have been looking this up all day (it's my weakest point in a debate I am having) and I haven't been able to find out how popular shows like Pat Robertson's and others of the kind actually are. Going by the difficulty of the search, it is looking like very few people watch the stuff.

Admiral Johnason · Post by **Admiral Johnason** » 2006-06-20 02:14am

Considering that most of the nonchristian network stuff comes on during late night, I would think the ratings are quite low.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-06-20 03:52am

If I ever need a quick chuckle late at night, then I flip to any of the GOD Channels or similar Christian stations. There's one that showed all these great Bible influenced parable stories as TV movies. To say it was hilariously bad is a gross understatement.

Talanth · Post by **Talanth** » 2006-06-20 05:29am

Where are these GOD Channels? I've never seen any in the UK.

Jadetear · Post by **Jadetear** » 2006-06-20 07:01am

I know that I have at least 2 channels of it with Cable in Florida in the US. They are pretty amusing to watch, only to hear the fire and brimstone.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-06-20 08:35am

Talanth wrote:Where are these GOD Channels? I've never seen any in the UK.

Last time I checked they were channels 671 and onwards on sky digital. If you don't have that, well, that's probably why you've not seen them.

I can't help out with ratings, but I will let you know that my death metal band often watch christian TV to get "worked up" before playing and will watch the christian metal bands and go "okay, let's go play better than them."

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 2006-06-20 08:43am

Talanth wrote: I can't help out with ratings, but I will let you know that my death metal band often watch christian TV to get "worked up" before playing and will watch the christian metal bands and go "okay, let's go play better than them."

That's not hard though, with a few exceptions, most christian music is utter shit.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-06-20 09:01am

outcast wrote: That's not hard though, with a few exceptions, most christian music is utter shit.

Most modern "hard" christian music is metalcore, which is usually somewhat heavy and has decent technicality and the odd good riff, though they usually have the exact same breakdown riff and the normal riffs are usually formulaic "play 5 low notes, play 6 high notes to contrast them" affairs. Most of them are mediocre at best, so it makes us be sure to not slot in an overdone hatebreed riff where a million other bands do, that sort of thing.

P.S. I'm not Talanth.

CaptJodan · Post by **CaptJodan** » 2006-06-20 01:02pm

In SDA circles there's 3ABN or 3 Angels Broadcasting Network. It is truly all the craze in the SDA world. You have to pay extra for it, though, and you have to have their special dish for it work and have it turned just right and a bunch of other annoying things in order for anyone to actually get the reception. Probably very low budget, but most of my extended family swears by it as being the best thing since the wheel. It's certainly the most watched network in that portion of the family.

What it is is a brainwashing tool, most especailly for older adults. You can't go to a normal doctor, go to one of theirs. Normal soap isn't good enough, you have to use 3ABN soap. The tripe they try and lay out there is so innanely stupid, and yet undereducated get sucked in so damn easily. My eldest grandmother drinks straight wheat grass, lays off dairy (and meat, she's never eaten meat or drank wine or other spirits), and for a while wouldn't eat much starch either. All because of the things they said and how bad they were for you.

3ABN is a curse that most of my direct family hates with a passion.

DesertFly · Post by **DesertFly** » 2006-06-20 03:28pm

You have to pay extra for it? The place where I grew up got it on normal broadcast tv. In fact, it was one of the six or so channels we got (ABC, PBS, NBC, CBS, Fox, and 3ABN).

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2006-06-20 03:46pm

CaptJodan wrote:In SDA circles there's 3ABN or 3 Angels Broadcasting Network. It is truly all the craze in the SDA world. You have to pay extra for it, though, and you have to have their special dish for it work and have it turned just right and a bunch of other annoying things in order for anyone to actually get the reception. Probably very low budget, but most of my extended family swears by it as being the best thing since the wheel. It's certainly the most watched network in that portion of the family.

What it is is a brainwashing tool, most especailly for older adults. You can't go to a normal doctor, go to one of theirs. Normal soap isn't good enough, you have to use 3ABN soap. The tripe they try and lay out there is so innanely stupid, and yet undereducated get sucked in so damn easily. My eldest grandmother drinks straight wheat grass, lays off dairy (and meat, she's never eaten meat or drank wine or other spirits), and for a while wouldn't eat much starch either. All because of the things they said and how bad they were for you.

3ABN is a curse that most of my direct family hates with a passion.

They sound like a cross between Scientology and Amway.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-06-20 04:08pm

I find Christian radio to be even more bizarre, in the sense that it's so painfully boring that I can't understand how people can stand to listen to it. I never realized that there was such a thing as 24/7 preaching radio until my last trip to the US.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2006-06-20 04:16pm

Christian televistion stations are so popular that the networks are screaming bloody murder at the possibility of a la carte cable programming options. FSM willing I hope the FCC approves it and we can finally kiss Pattyboy and his CBN bitches goodbye.

CaptJodan · Post by **CaptJodan** » 2006-06-21 12:32am

DesertFly wrote:You have to pay extra for it? The place where I grew up got it on normal broadcast tv. In fact, it was one of the six or so channels we got (ABC, PBS, NBC, CBS, Fox, and 3ABN).

There are two areas of the country where it's currently being used. The first is in a isolated area in the midwest in Illinois. It makes sense to need an extra boost there, but they also need the dishes in Mobile Alabama. Maybe things have changed. It wouldn't surprise me, given their greed for money lately.

I try to avoid the station with every fiber of my being. It's an unnecessary blood pressure riser.

Darth Raptor · Post by **Darth Raptor** » 2006-06-21 12:45am

The Family Channel, which was bought out by ABC/Disney have yet to get rid of the 700 Club. That ought to tell you something.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2006-06-21 12:59am

With my DishNetwork package, I get TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network, evangelical, with a focus on the more tranpsarently money grubbing televangelists), EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network, Catholic programming), Sky Angel (the "freebie" channel for Sky Angel Satelite network, it's much more virulently fundie than TBN, therefore more entertaining), and the newest is Daystar, a basic cable Christian channel that has wormed it's way into my satelite TV package...

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-06-21 02:23am

I suppose it's popular enough to justify Comcast not dropping the two Christian channels (EWTN and some evangelical station) it carries, but I can't understand how even hardcore fundies could watch it. Almost all of it is horrendously boring. You'd think fundies could at least produce some decent fire and brimstone TV, but it's all ugly women in way too much makeup begging for money with cheesy harp music playing in the background.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2006-06-21 02:28am

RedImperator wrote:I suppose it's popular enough to justify Comcast not dropping the two Christian channels (EWTN and some evangelical station) it carries, but I can't understand how even hardcore fundies could watch it. Almost all of it is horrendously boring. You'd think fundies could at least produce some decent fire and brimstone TV, but it's all ugly women in way too much makeup begging for money with cheesy harp music playing in the background.

Probably the modern-day analogue to self-flagellation for the Truly Faithful, I suppose...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-06-21 03:37am

RedImperator wrote:I suppose it's popular enough to justify Comcast not dropping the two Christian channels (EWTN and some evangelical station) it carries, but I can't understand how even hardcore fundies could watch it. Almost all of it is horrendously boring. You'd think fundies could at least produce some decent fire and brimstone TV, but it's all ugly women in way too much makeup begging for money with cheesy harp music playing in the background.

You grew up Catholic, which means you must have attended many Catholic Mass ceremonies. Surely you must already know about the limitless Christian capacity to endure boredom in the Name of the Lord.

Spacebeard · Post by **Spacebeard** » 2006-06-21 09:59am

RedImperator wrote:You'd think fundies could at least produce some decent fire and brimstone TV, but it's all ugly women in way too much makeup begging for money with cheesy harp music playing in the background.

I've caught bits and pieces of my local fundie station's pledge drives, and they were quite literally promising rewards in heaven for those who donated and punishment for those who didn't, complete with scriptural arguments about how you're "obligated to help if you see a need". I was actually surprised they were so heavy-handed; I had thought that most religious people would find attempts to invoke the promise of heavenly reward for donating to a television station arrogant and blasphemous.

Lord of the Abyss · Post by **Lord of the Abyss** » 2006-06-21 12:28pm

RedImperator wrote:I suppose it's popular enough to justify Comcast not dropping the two Christian channels (EWTN and some evangelical station) it carries, but I can't understand how even hardcore fundies could watch it.

Things may have changed since I heard this, but I heard years ago that religious channels and the shopping channels aren't popular; they pay the cable company extra to be on.

Elaro · Post by **Elaro** » 2006-06-21 02:23pm

Spacebeard wrote: I've caught bits and pieces of my local fundie station's pledge drives, and they were quite literally promising rewards in heaven for those who donated and punishment for those who didn't, complete with scriptural arguments about how you're "obligated to help if you see a need". (snip)

Wait, isn't that the reason for the Protestant reform in the first place? I thought they were tired of buying their way into Heaven. Or am I missing something here?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-06-21 02:30pm

Elaro wrote:
Spacebeard wrote:I've caught bits and pieces of my local fundie station's pledge drives, and they were quite literally promising rewards in heaven for those who donated and punishment for those who didn't, complete with scriptural arguments about how you're "obligated to help if you see a need". (snip)
Wait, isn't that the reason for the Protestant reform in the first place? I thought they were tired of buying their way into Heaven. Or am I missing something here?

Protestant logical inconsistency is nothing new. These are the same morons who lambast the Roman Catholic Church for treating itself as an authority on matters of divinity, while simultaneously claiming inerrant and absolutely truthful authority for the Bible ... which was originally compiled by the Roman Catholic Church.