Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1984 A Descriptive Analysis of the Current Status of Paid Religious Broadcasting on National Television Wayne R. Bills Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Mormon Studies Commons, New Religious Movements Commons, and the Television Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Bills, Wayne R., "A Descriptive Analysis of the Current Status of Paid Religious Broadcasting on National Television" (1984). Theses and Dissertations. 4533. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4533 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. faiF ioZI10101.004 f A desceDESCRdescriptivejprcprivilivinivanivln ANALYSISANALYSES OFCA tyl11111111 CURIZENTrifcliPRENT STATUSSTAFUSOPOFPAID RELIGIOUS broadcajtjngbroadcastingbroadcasiing ON NATIONALNA 1 ional10nal telltelitelevision1.1iVISION A thesischesjhes is presentedre sentted to theuhe depardepartbepartt melic ofoc communicationscommunicatcommunicate ionslons brigham young university jnitzilk partial fuP sirijuirijf lrenee n t of the rcpeququ i irenientsloincnty lotloifotfor lietiletiloLeieeleie degree mastermaslmast r olof01 artartsarte I1tyY alynwlyn I1I1 ijllilliiBajlj 1 ai 1.1 J1 84A this thesis by wayneayne R luilfulllullsB-nisHIss s accepted inn its present fordfformordorm by the department of communications of Brighbrighamcam young university as salisfsalisbsatisfyingsatisfyjngying the thesis requirement for the degree of master of arts i I1 f f ene S rich commicammini teet c chairmancl a llebrtieberiebeellebrr G wolseywolwoisey committee memberbembmemb 2 ai rrt date 5i owen S rich graduate coordinator typed by donna M sndsnithsmithit-h j i A CKN N IS any work such as this is never solesolelyty the work of one person andondaridolid althougha 1 th0 ug h it is difficultdifdlfficultscult to ththankchankink illailallaljali thosechose involved1 there are a few who I1 eelfeelf deserve special recognition first my thanks to dr owen rich for his support and encouragement in pursuing thetlletiletopic of religious broadcasting thanks also to dr reberheberlieber wolsey and other members of the public communications department of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints I11 extend special thanks and would like to dedicate this work to my wife mary ann without her supportsup P ort dedication love for and faith in me I1 would have lacked the courage to embark upon such an undertaking and finally a special thanks to my little girl katharine ann who patiently gave up much of her time with dad while the thesis was being researched and written 1 tl3iiI A 11 t 1 0OF xntlontlUNTLNTSjnllsjolls pa chapterch J sas02eae acknowledgments 6 0 0 0 0 t 0 g 0 iiiliilil LIST OF FIGURES v FOREWORD vivt I1 introduction I11 statement of the problem 2 j 10 3 justijustlaustifjustif cationcatlonicationmication 0 0 9 methods 4 deldeidelimitationsimi tationslons 5 ilir the electronic church 7 ilililliihistoricalF toricaldorical background 8 phi losophiesphilosophies and 0101jectjec tavaveslveive 13 audience and accornplaccompllAccorn pl i shmentsslimentsalimentsslisllsilsementsmentsmenus 20 mormon way a 0 0 a 0 illlillii11 J the 0 0 9 33 1 historical background 0 0 0 0 0 33 trends and philosophies 0 36 audience and accompliaccompli8 shmentsalimentsplimentsriirilplimentsmenus 40 IV findings i a 0 11 0 4 6 contrasts 46 recommendations 48 bibliography 52 ii v distLISTL OF FIGURES figures pag 1 2 sample prayer request 0 0 4 0 0 16 2 2 total syndicated programs and audience 23 2 3 audience data on ten syndicated television ministries 0 24 2 4 percent of audiences by region 26 3 1 US audience size for LDS paid time television 42 v FFOREWORDR EW 0 1 1 ye are the light of the world A citycleycd uy that is set on a hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and pulpillput it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it givelgiveth h liihtlichtlight unto all that arcarecare in the house let your light so shine before tlienmenlen that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven matmatthewchevthewchew 551414 166 vVIi c1CHAPTERcaI1AVE I1 R 0ONEN I1 I11ntioductI1 I1 tr 0 d u C t iionlon0 11 the use of the brocadbroadcastcast media as an evangelicale tool is a subject that has received relativerelativelyly ittlelittleiuele ahtenaLtenattentionliori injn the worldwould of higher education and yet broadcast religireligareligionon is as old as broadcasting itself the first wireless voice broadcast wawas transmitted to the public in 1906 it was a christian program of songs and scripture reading the first religious program on television was broadcast on easter sunday 1940 1 during the last few years broadcast religion has received more attention than in years past more and more it is becoming a subject of interest study and conconcerdconcardconcerncerDcern many observers of the american religious scene fromfrodl the left and the right care passionately alaboutout what is currently happening in religious broadcasting it is a social phenomenon so videwidewidespreadspread and ifyortantirrmortant that it has acquired a name the Pelectronicic church inen the future the subsubjectJ ct of rellreilreligiousbiousgious broadcasting viwill11 continue to attract momorer e andondalidmoboicmoicr e auenauentionattentionquentiontion in ilnslitutionsns ti t u t 1 0 r i s 0off higher learning As a churchchurchownedowned school itjl would be well lorforcor brigham young university to bebo amot12amon the leadetbeadetleaderss in theelleeile study of and ben limstrongaimstrongalmnimarifiAim trotzigtrotrotigstrongilgtig pheihofheillo mijctijc chunh naohnashviNash vi 1 J teitetteunpsseeuiesseeunessee iiiliithomasill allmollm s neisonnelsonPutpubpublpuhlpuhiJJishersasherssliersilers incjnc7r 117799 pl 20 2aaa4 2 jeffresjeffrey K rodlenhadlenhadden mmj chorles FI1 swannSwrinncinn pi ieeleeime timerimeideime preachers powe iai1 I1 ma E L i theilietiietile risifrisiallllbiipbip weiwoiwob wo1 of0 e ni i m roadboadpoadkoad n massrumasarus i huselhusoeh ti s e tt S addisonadd bon I1 gojo 1 ajol 1 J wesley tubpublishinglishing I1 inilcric ijol p 2 application of the pritwijprinciplsprincipalste 3 TFINinvolvedoved in teaching gospelp concepts through television As john kinnear directordire lortoreor of mediamedlamedda planning for the church of jesus christ of latlerlatterday saints hasliasilashagilag saidsaldsa ad1d we muslmust use mediamedlaeffectively Q and efficiently to get the message of the church out 3 in order to do that one must first understand more fully what is happening in the world of broadcast religion today through this thesis ilit is hoped that other researchers will be prompted to investigate the field of broadcast religion even further in doing so they will add to an ever increasing body of knowledge that can be made available to those who plan and carry out the policies concerning use of the broadcastbroadcbroadba A media as ara teaching proselyting and public relations tool statement of the problem this study will present the results of extensive research concerning the current status of what has been called the electronic church it and will discuss some of the contrasts between the trends and philosophies of the major evangelical broadcast organizations and the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints LDS in their use of paid time on nationalnatdonainonaljonal television since the numbers of organizations and people involved in religious broadcasting have grown 0 o rapidly ionoi attempt wiliwillbe made to inincludelude yn f 11 the entire cast of charaerscharchargerschainchalochainupisoolsAersUPis in thistiuseffort tinslitislitls 1 tudy will t focus its altentattentionalbent donjon on at fewi PW 0ol01 theeheelleielleb ilytl cyy plpliycistyclusi tildandond willwiilwj ll11 includeincludcthetiletlletiie church of jesus christ oioj lriiarii t er day saintsS antsjnts amonaamonpimong thedthellthelitheilthem 30 interview withwittiwiell john G kinnealkinnealy altaitsaltS lakehakeike city utah 17 october 1983 31 the study will exziorexpiorexploree indi omejm aspectsas ectsactsthetiietlledifferences between the approach taken by the hnslbsLDS church and thelheahe philosophies and atUtatutudesaltitudesaltftudesudes of the evangelical broadcasters toward religious broadcasting it wiilwill i L not focus on the malnmainmainmalnlinelineaine relreirellreilrelireligionsiai2v101113S catholicaL holic methodist lutheran etc but rather it aijiwijiw111i11 looklookjook at the evangelicaevangelical1 movements that use national televisiontelevision as their primary means oiof spreading theelleeileword 11 in brief the problem was to conduct a study identidentifyingi dentilifyingying some oiof thetiietile major contrasts between the therhe church oiof jesusjeslis christ olof01 lauerlouerlatterdouer day saints and the electronic churches use of thechecileeilebroadcast media austifjustificatjionjustificationmication although much has been written on thetiietilesubject of relirellreligiousbiousgious broadcasting in general and there seems to be renewed interest in the activities of several of uhe nationallynationatlonaly known television evangelists very little hasliasilas been written