wfn.org | Muppets May Pull Presbyterians Back onto Airwaves

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11-January-1999 
98419 
 
    Muppets May Pull Presbyterians Back onto Airwaves 
 
    by Evan Silverstein 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-After disappearing from the airwaves three years ago, 
Presbyterian-related programming will return to the small screen next year 
- thanks to the Muppets. 
 
    The Jim Henson Co., best known for creating cuddly puppets like Kermit 
the Frog, and Hallmark Entertainment recently paid $100 million for big 
stakes in the Odyssey Channel, a cable network that offers religious 
programming to nearly 30 million subscribers. 
 
    The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a member of the National Interfaith 
Cable Coalition (NICC), one of the channel's two former owners, along with 
Tele-Communications Inc.'s Liberty Media. Henson and Hallmark will serve as 
Odyssey's new managing partners. 
 
    Formation of the partnership, announced Nov. 16, is expected to 
generate millions of dollars for the Presbyterian Church and other 
NICC-affiliated denominations lacking large television budgets, according 
to Portia Badham, vice president of public affairs for Odyssey. Terms of 
the restructuring call for NICC to receive approximately $5 million 
annually, to be used in part to help coalition faith groups cover 
programming expenses. 
 
    "What it provides the faith groups is a much better opportunity to do a 
higher level of programming production," Badham said. "A $5 million budget 
is certainly nothing to sneeze at." 
 
    That sounds good to Ann Gillies, PC(USA)'s coordinator for media 
services, who hopes to see the church produce two 30-minute television 
specials in 1999. 
 
    "That's good news for Presbyterians and others who have been looking 
for ways to get their voice into the marketplace of television," said 
Gillies. 
 
    Gillies said she hopes enough money will be available to add one 
additional program each of the next three years, with the church producing 
four programs a year by 2001. She said potential topics would appeal to 
both Presbyterians and a broad-range of viewers. NICC will control the 
purse strings by determining the amount each program will receive. Odyssey 
and the individual churches will have to make up the difference. 
 
    Possible program topics may include events taking place in the various 
Presbyterian ministries, such as peacekeeping efforts, education and 
disaster relief operations. "That could be hunger, that could be peace, 
that can be feeding the poor, that can be almost any area of our church," 
said Gillies, who is accepting outside suggestions for program topics. 
 
    The church hasn't produced any regular scheduled television programming 
since 1995. Since then media department funding has been reserved mainly 
for videotaping Presbyterian events or shooting specials for paying 
clients. 
 
    The price tag associated with producing a television show is 
staggering. The "rule of thumb" is $1,000 to $1,500 per minute of on-screen 
programming, according to Gillies. 
 
    "Right now I get enough [funding] to keep the lights on," she said. 
"There's nothing for production." 
 
    NICC is a consortium of 66 Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, 
Evangelical and Pentecostal faith groups and traditions. NICC founded and 
launched the Odyssey Channel in Sept. 1988 as Vision Interfaith Satellite 
Network, (VISN). 
 
    In 1992 the American Christian Television System, owned by the Southern 
Baptist Radio-TV Commission, became colleagues with VISN on the network 
that became Odyssey. Three years later NICC joined in a partnership with 
Liberty Media, in which NICC, through its VISN Management Corp., retained 
the position of majority and managing partner of the cable channel. 
 
    In 1996 the network, then called the Faith & Values Channel, was 
renamed the Odyssey Channel. It hopes to put programming changes into place 
starting next spring. The network will be based in Los Angeles with offices 
in New York, Chicago and Denver. 
 
    Henson and Hallmark will jointly own 45 percent of the cable network. 
NICC reduces its stakes to 22.5 percent, while Liberty Media - which has 
ownership interests in numerous cable networks - such as Discovery Channel 
and The Learning Channel - winds up with a 32.5 percent cut. 
 
    The move preserves the amount of time available on Odyssey for original 
faith-based  programming, however the number of repeat broadcasts is likely 
to decrease. Henson and Hallmark say they plan to make available $200 
million worth of their own new and existing programming. 
 
    "This partnership represents a wonderful opportunity to help viewers 
get a new vision of both religious and family television," said Wilford V. 
Bane, president of VISN Management Corp. 
 
    Henson and Hallmark teamed to produce "Gulliver's Travels" and "Merlin" 
and started the pay cable Kermit Channel in Asia. The two corporations had 
been looking for an opportunity to start a network in the United States for 
sometime, according to published reports. 
 
    "By weaving exceptional values-based entertainment programming with 
broad-based and inquiring religious programming," Bane said, "we hope our 
channel will more closely reflect reality - where values and searching for 
meaning are a part of everyday lives." 
 
    Forty hours of time on Odyssey will be reserved for religious-oriented 
programming each week. NICC will be responsible for filling 30 hours with 
shows produced by coalition faith groups. Ten hours will feature programs 
produced jointly by NICC, Henson, and Hallmark. 
 
    "They are really raising the bar on the quality of the programming that 
we can put on," said Gillies, who also serves as VISN Management's vice 
president. 
 
    The new arraignment could eventually lead to television exposure for 
Presbyterian congregations, Gillies said. Only the worship services of 
Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta are broadcast on Odyssey, but the 
programming is not funded by the denomination. 
 
    Odyssey is currently available to 30 million homes nationwide through 
1,500 cable systems and the Prime Star direct-to-home satellite service and 
to C-Band dish owners. If the channel is not available in your area, 
Gillies suggested contacting local cable providers to ask for Odyssey. 
 
    To phone, write, fax, or e-mail suggestions for potential program 
topics, Gillies can be reached at: 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, Ky., 
40202-1396; (502)569-5211 (phone); (502)569-8845 (fax) or by e-mail: 
ann_gillies@pcusa.org. 

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