I have been thinking about the state of Catholic media in our country. In speaking of Catholic media I cast the net broadly and include TV, terrestrial radio, internet radio, podcasts, magazines, newspapers, websites, satellite, blogs, and umm, well that’s about all I can think of. The question I am asking myself is what is the quality of this media. If I were to aggregate it and rank it as a whole, what grade would I give to it?

Catholic TV is practically non-existant as a broadcast medium and what is available is pretty bad. But, you say, what about EWTN? I am stepping into a quagmire here but I would say it is definately fine. I do not dispute that Mother brought the network about through blood sweat and tears and that God’s intervention allowed EWTN to be established and grow. I also admit that God has used the channel to bring about countless conversions. That is not my point. I assert the vast majority of the programming on EWTN is made up of talking heads. Sometimes the content is compelling and other times not. Hence the grade of a ‘C’ meaning it is average, or fine.

Print publications. What to do with these? The magazines range the spectrum of excellent to ‘line the bird cage’. I will not name names, not because I fear retribution, but simply I have not read enough of them to comment on them individually. I definately have read my share of both ‘liberal’ heresy and ‘conservative’ wack-jobiness to last me quite some time. I must say the visual quality of some of the magazines and newspapers has increased tremendously. Also, the content of some has increased significanly. However the presence of blatant heresy in some and hatred in others is alarming. Due to the increase of the quality of some I would give the whole catagory a ‘C-’.

Terrestrial radio. On the whole, Catholic terrestrial radio is pretty bad. First of all, much of the programing is repurposed EWTN television. Hearing statements such as “as you can see…” on the radio is just terrible. Also, the broadcast of the Holy Mass on radio is just bad radio. I would suggest that what most people want is to hear the readings and the homily. In that case, give us that. So if EWTN on television is a ‘C’ then EWTN on radio is a ‘C-’. Beyond that, when local stations do original programming, it is again a duplication of the talking heads. Sometimes it is engaging, often boring. The rise of some interesting programming is heartening, but the fact that no terrestrial station would pick it up speaks of a bigger problem. I suggest that the majority of terrestrial stations are afraid to take a chance on truly interesting shows. The fear seems to be not only the fear of making a bad programming choice, but a fear of saying or doing something wrong that is perceived to be ‘out of line with the Church’. These fears seem to drive all decisions in terrestrial radio. There is prudence and then there is fear. I see more fear than prudence. As a result we are left with pretty dull programming (with occasional notable exceptions). Terrestrial radio then, rates a solid ‘C-’. (I realize I have left out Relevant Radio. I have not consumed enough of their content to comment on it).

Podcasts. I am a bit biased here. I think this is where the most exciting and innovative stuff is going on. A few shows have gathered audiences in the tens of thousands and others in the tens. The quality of the shows is all over the place. From what I have experienced the programs ranges in quality (content and production value) from a B+ to an F. Some shows improve over time and others faded into the ether after just a few shows. What most podcasts do, however, is fall into the talking head catagory. Even the podcast I am currently producing Playing with Fire falls into this catagory. It does it well, but it is still mostly one person talking alone or with another person. Dr. Bill is a fascinating personality and had great stories and I think this helps it rise to the top in terms of production and content. Still, at our best I would rate it a ‘B’. Some of you who listen, may disagree, but hey, this is my posting. How do I rank all of the Catholic podcasts together? I’m going to give the catagory a C+. That’s a tough one though.

Satellite radio. There are currently two flavors of programming on Satellite radio: EWTN and the Catholic Channel (both on Sirius). As I have said, EWTN on radio is a ‘C-’ and I have not heard much of the Catholic Channel to rate it. I have heard everything from “It is so good, I listen to it every day” to “It spouts heresy and I have written Rome about it” as well as comments in between. For the time being, I am going to leave Satellite radio out of the mix. We shall see.

I have left out some catagories. I know that, but I have already gone long. Let’s see what I have:

Television       C

Print                C-

Radio               C-

Podcasts         C+

That seems to leave my report card on the state of Catholic media as a solid ‘C’. Am I being too harsh? I don’t think so.  I am saying Catholic media is average, good, fine. Nothing necessarily wrong with it, but nothing that allows it to rise above the mediocre media that is in abundance in our world. The question we must answer is how will Catholic media move from ‘good’ to ‘GREAT’?

That discussion must wait for another day.

Tags: Podcasting, Catholic Media, Sirius, Terrestrial Radio, Relevant Radio, Satellite Radio, EWTN, Catholic Channel, Playing with Fire | 2 Comments »

I can be pretty down on Catholic radio. I have done my share of ranting and sharing of others rants. When I came across this post, I figured it was time to appear to be fair and balanced:

Catholic radio Rocks! Well, not literally, but Catholic radio is pretty cool. All over the country, Catholic Radio keeps on springing up in city after city, strengthening & encouraging Catholics in their faith. It’s awesome! [More. . . ]

Make sure to peruse the other entries in the blog. It covers a number of issues from a Catholic perspective. It is well-written in a light conversational tone. It is also exceptionally well layed out. Kudos to Victoria and her blog ‘Solidarity‘

Powered by ScribeFire.

Tags: Catholic Media, Blog, Terrestrial Radio, EWTN | 2 Comments »

There is a very good posting over at CatholicSphere entitled ‘Why is Catholic programming so boring?’ The commentary is right on. It is unfortunate that there exists such an unmet spiritual hunger for quality Catholic programming. This is what Disciples with Microphones is supposed to be about - to meet this need and train others how to do so. We have a lot of work to do. Maybe this will wake us up a bit. Please take the time to read the posting. Unfortunately, anyone who is likely to read it is not the ones who need to hear the message. Oh well, I’m just glad Matt from CatholicSphere ’said’ it.

In my own quest to bring some high quality Catholic programming, I have been working with a group on a new podcast called Playing with Fire. We just released episode #3. I’d love for you to listen and give me your input.

I am also in production of a podcast with the working title of ‘Roodscreen Radio: the journey’s of a part time mystic’. I am conducting interviews with people who have had a strong experience of the divine in their life. I did my first interview and am in the process of editing it. I want to have six under my belt before I release them as a podcast.

I’d love to hear what you are up to.

Tags: Look Who's Podcasting, Terrestrial Radio, EWTN, Playing with Fire | 1 Comment »

I’ve posted about my work on the Playing with Fire Podcast. Episode #1 it out and so on we go. On March 1st, Dr. Bill Thierfelder, President of Belmont Abbey College, was on EWTN’s Life on the Rock last Thursday. I grabbed the audio and posted the interview.

The interview is interesting on several levels. He speaks of the nature of true liberal arts, the Mandatum, sports, the Playing with Fire podcast, and more. It is worth the listen. The interview runs 33 minutes.

Tags: EWTN, Belmont Abbey College | No Comments »

I am sorry for not posting more this last week, but a lot has been happening. I’ve been working on a series of proposals for some organizations wanting to look at both terrestrial radio and podcasting. Both are Catholic organizations and they have been asking some very interesting questions.

I will be flying out to do a presentation later this week with a group who wants to look for ways to integrate podcasting into their current structures. It is exciting, but a bit daunting since there are so many possibilities. Just getting an agenda together has been fun.

I have been having a great time putting together, what could be, a significant proposal for a group looking to venture into Catholic radio. It will be interesting to see what direction they decide to take.

This week has also been the start of the griping about The Catholic Channel on Sirius satellite radio. Some pretty harsh sentiments have found their way to me about how “liberal” some of the programming is. Since I do not yet have access to the programming, I am flying a bit blind here. That has never stopped me from speaking definitively on a topic before.

My first take on the grumblings is to take a deep breadth and remember that the Catholic community will always criticize Catholic media. Some will say any programming is too conservative, too liberal, too protestant, too ‘old school’, too ‘new school’, to ’spirit of Vatican twoey’ (I just made that last one up, but I like it). I am not sure what any of these labels mean, but you can be sure that folks feel very passionately about them. We are not far away from loud vocal criticism as more people begin to digest the programming. Catholicism is not a homogenous reality. We have always argued. We will always argue. It is ‘our way’.
My second take on the grumblings is to say ‘good’! If some folks are not bothered by the programming, it can’t be any good. I am not advocating heresy, but all of us religious types (whatever that means) have a tendency to get complacent. We begin to assume that our take on life, the universe, and everything is THE take. A good challenge, while never pleasant, is always necessary. I welcome a lively discussion on the merits of The Catholic Channel’s efforts.

My third take is to wonder what discussions the good folks at the Catholic Channel had about their target audience. I wonder who the programming is targeted at. The two main approaches that exist right now are the EWTN and the Relevant Radio approaches. Both are valid, but very different.

Relevant Radio, I suggest, is looking to catechize an uncatechized group of Cultural Catholics. They seem to be seeking to ‘bring them back into the fold’. They are seeking to engage people where they are and help them move forward to a decision for Christ and His Church. I have spoken to many people who have come to a deeper knowledge of the faith, returned to the Sacraments, and are living a more faithful life due to their exposure to Relevant.

It seems EWTN has long appealed to the ‘Concerned Catholics in America’. They see the problems that exist within our Church and within the culture and want to find a way to bring healing. They have family and friends who have left the Church and the hurt they feel daily is palpable. EWTN seeks to ‘give you the faith’. They teach, expose, and pray. I have spoken to many who have been strengthened in their faith, come to an understanding of the Truth of the Church and have had their family and friends brought back into a vibrant relationship with our Lord thanks to the work of EWTN.

I feel it necessary to admit that there are those who are in the Relevant Radio camp and think EWTN ‘does it wrong’. There are those in the EWTN camp who think Relevant equally ‘gets it wrong’. I am convinced that both are true to the Magisterium of the Church and both are being used by the Holy Spirit to bring about the Kingdom. The fact that people can even get bothered by Catholic media is a good thing. It means that on some level Catholic media is penetrating the consciousness and lives of people. It has been a long time since there has been any evidence of that.

Now, back to The Catholic Channel. What is the target market for their programming? Who do they imagine will be their listeners? If they manage to alienate the ‘Concerned Catholics’ and not reach the Cultural Catholics in need of a change, then they are up the creek without a proverbial paddle.
I was disappointed to learn that when my business partner and I took a look at our year-end finances, we couldn’t justify two subscriptions to Sirius for 2007. I would love to roll up my sleeves and try to figure out the Catholic Channel’s target market. There are so many possibilities, I pray they can find their authentic Catholic voice.

If you have been listening, let me know your take on what they are doing. Their work could be a significant vehicle in spreading the Good News. It could also do a lot of damage or fall flat and be the paste that is often religious media. Time will tell.

Please keep Catholic media in your prayer. If I can be so bold as to ask for your prayers, there is a lot going on with meetings, proposals, stations purchases, programming decisions, and more. I pray only that God’s will be done and that I can be an instrument in bringing that about. Historically, I often get in the way and attempt to impose my will. I keep going back to the image Mother Theresa often used of being a pencil in the hand of God. If you think of me this next week, please send up a prayer. I would appreciate it.

Tags: Catholic Media, Terrestrial Radio, Relevant Radio, Satellite Radio, EWTN, Catholic Channel | 1 Comment »

If you missed DwM’s own Greg & Jennifer Willits of Rosary Army on EWTN’s Life on the Rock, you can catch it here. You will find him being interviewed at around minute 12:00. The interview is around 2 minutes. Greg you did awesome!

BTW, I am not sure how long the link will function. EWTN may not archive their video. The link should be active until at least May 4th.

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Yesterday afternoon I got a surprise phone call from one of the producers of EWTN’s Life on the Rock. They have invited my wife Jennifer and I and some other Rosary Army soldiers to be on the show this Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 8 PM EST.

We’ll be on for just a few minutes at the beginning of the show, and then we’ll be in the background throughout the show making Rosaries.

If you don’t have EWTN, you can tune in via their website, and they usually put the current week’s episode in their archive for the week. I believe they also provide Life on the Rock via audio podcast, too.

The show airs (live, I believe) Thursday at 8 PM EST with encores on Friday morning at 1 AM and 1 PM and again on Sunday at 11 PM.

So please tune in and please pray for us!

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Dick Lyles is the new CEO of Relevant Radio. He took this position in October 2005. He recently gave and interview to Tim Drake of the National Catholic Register. One of the questions asked of Mr. Lyles was “Most communities seem to have either EWTN or Relevant Radio. Why isn’t there greater cooperation in Catholic radio?”. Good question, I thought, why isn’t there. The answer he gave is rather lengthy, but there are two parts I want to repeat here. Mr. Lyles responds, in part, to Tim Drakes question in this way:

“The reason there are so many factions [in Catholic radio] is because each network has a different purpose. Our purpose [at Relevant Radio] is to be part of the New Evangelization. We’re not here to provide intensely Catholic programming that’s filled with Catholic jargon that only 5% of the population can understand. Our purpose is to form and evangelize and educate peopole on the faith and current issues.”

Interesting insight. God calls each of us for a specific purpose. In this case Relevant sees its mission to be different than that of EWTN. Does that make Relevant Radio less of a Catholic Network because it is not EWTN? There are those who would like us to think so. This attitude is ridiculous. The only criteria that should exist in judging Catholicity is faithfulness to Christ and His Church. Using this criteria, Relevant passes the test with flying colors. I think there is another approach to viewing Catholic media, but I will need to leave that for another time.

Mr. Lyles also states:

“There are those who think that if I just have Catholic radio, Catholics will listen to it. We believe programming should have the best possible production value and quality. People will listen to it because it’s good”

I want to emphasize that last part again and put it into our own context. A certain number of people will listen to our podcasts because they are Catholic podcasts. But then again, some of these same people would listen to paint dry as long as a Cardinal did the painting. If we are going to gain any kind of strong listenership, if we are going to proclaim Christ to those who most need to hear it, then our podcasts must be GOOD. People will listen, not because we proclaim ourselves to be Catholic, but because our podcasts are good.

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Tags: Catholic Media, Relevant Radio, EWTN, Catholic Radio | 14 Comments »

Good news. EWTN has changed its podcasting page. I have not tried it out yet, but they have added XML buttons to each of the shows. This should allow for the subscription to individual shows. This is very good news. The way it was did not provide true podcasting.

Give it a try and report back as to how it works. I am thinking that the webmaster received a number of emails from folks and have responded. Kudos to EWTN for the relatively quick response.

Tags: Uncategorized, Podcast, Podcasting, EWTN | No Comments »

[Editor: This story is exclusive to the DwM blog. Thank you John]

MOTHER ANGELICA STILL PROVING ‘RIDICULOUS LETS GOD DO MIRACULOUS’.
by John Lillis

BIRMINGHAM, AL — EWTN’s Global Catholic Radio Network is all grown-up. Sporting radio veterans, newcomers and over 100 attendees from around the world, the Catholic Radio Association (CRA) and EWTN rolled-out a spectacular radio conference October 19th through the 22nd. Featuring Christ as the rightful centerpiece of both the conference and how to get started-in and grow existing Catholic Radio apostolates, the Holy Spirit was alive and well in the house of the Crimson Tide.

Held at Birmingham’s notable Winfry Hotel, conference attendees began on the 19th by sharing testimonies and working out how to make their apostolates grow, make stations more effective and praying for proposed stations to become reality — all on the first evening! The next morning, Thursday the 20th, attendees traveled away from the Winfry to one of the worlds most resplendent shrines — the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.

Below the main Church at the Shrine is a traditional crypt church and this is where Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss, Shepherd of Omaha, Nebraska and Episcopal Chair of the CRA, electrified radio aficionados and newbies alike with his address on uncompromising faith and an unwavering commitment to loving one’s enemies through Christ. Appropriately, the theme of the 2005 Global Catholic Radio Conference was “Ut Unum Sint” — that we may all be one! Immediately following his uber-convicting talk on unity, the Sacrament of Penance was available and a short time later the Archbishop presided over Mass at the Shrine which is home to the world’s second largest Monstrance — an incredible 8 feet tall — where Mother Angelica and her nuns spend 24-hours per day in adoration of the Christ.

Bishop Baker of Charleston, South Carolina who was there for the conference and is co-chair of the CRA’s Episcopal Advisory Committee, delivered an excellent Mass and homily on the morning of the 21st at the EWTN Chapel, located at the network’s headquarters in Irondale, AL. After the Mass, all were whisked-back to the Winfry for a day of talks and “how-to” seminars. If you haven’t guessed it already, the staff of EWTN was extremely busy being gracious hosts and chauffeurs for the attendees as they worked there way back and forth, miles and miles to and from the humble Christendom that is EWTN.

From the network television headquarters in Irondale featuring the world’s largest religious cable network center, to EWTN’s Radio Mountain that sports the world’s second largest shortwave array ever assembled — to the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament some 40 minutes in another direction, God is still using Mother Angelica to prove that walking in complete faith, the “ridiculous” in the eyes of the world, allows God do the miraculous both in the lives of those who create Catholic television and radio as well as those which the end product touches around the globe.

Boasting a cooperation never before seen in Catholic Radio and featuring programming partnerships ranging from Catholic Answers Live produced in San Diego, California to Kresta in the Afternoon produced at the Ave Maria Radio Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan — EWTN used the conference opportunity to roll-out its 2006 radio line-up. There are now more live shows than ever before available on Catholic Radio and additional content is produced by a number of apostolates and even more programs are in the line-up from the Ave Maria network. Many conference attendees were pleasantly surprised by the new spirit of synergy found within the apostolates and between the networks.

Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and layman made up the bulk of attendees at this years conference that underscored the need for Christ as the heart of the apostolate and saw the passing of the “baton” in leadership from the Chairman of the CRA, Gene Zurlow, to the newly appointed Doug Sherman. Mr. Sherman has been at the forefront of Catholic Radio since the 90’s, starting a station in Reno, NV about 10 years ago and now operating 10 stations in the West, including Albuquerque, New Mexico which came online last month.

Most Catholic Radio Stations are started in the United States by faith filled Catholics who know nothing about radio and have no money. This fact reinforces Mother Angelica’s call to do the ridiculous in order to let God do the miraculous. According to a Monsignor close to Catholic Radio in America: “God rarely calls the equipped, but in fact, he equips those he calls.”

Catholic Radio has grown in the United States from a handful of stations in 1999 — about 9 in the entire United States, including Alaska — to 125 stations on the air today. Thanks to Mother Angelica and EWTN making programming absolutely free to affiliates in the 1990’s and thanks also to Catholic Answers, Ave Maria and the several other apostolates who have provided content for the radio stations that pepper the landscape from Reno, Nevada to Brooklyn, New York.

The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament is actually an amalgamation of wonders made up of a Temple of the Lord, a piazza larger than an acre, a monastery and a castle both featuring 13th Century architecture and includes 300 acres of farm land, guest houses and converted barn Friary. For more information on this definite Catholic “must-see,” log on to: www.olamshrine.com

For more information on Catholic Radio, log onto www.ewtn.com or www.catholicradioassociation.org. Please pray a Chaplet of Divine Mercy on Fridays at three o’clock in the afternoon for the Global apostolate of Catholic Radio.

—

John Lillis is Executive Director of NEI Radio, a non-profit radio service organization that assists in the operational start-up of Catholic Radio around the world. More information on NEI Radio is on the web at www.neiradio.com

[Editor: John is also a member of Disciples with Microphones]

Tags: Catholic Media, Expo/Conference, Terrestrial Radio, DwM, CRA, EWTN, NEI | No Comments »