TV, the eclipse of religion

It was the grandfather Amos, one of the pastors who had the privilege of seeing Jesus in the manger, to tell the story of the Nativity to children and adults, on the first channel of BBC, on Christmas Eve. Its fascinating history – in that magical night he had been brought to the barn on the wings of an angel – was told in a cartoon titled “On angel’s wings.” An increasingly rare example of religious programs on British television: in fact, only two such programs are still aired regularly. “The big questions”, is a format with debates involving famous guests where the religious point of view is usually outnumbered. It is broadcast, on BBC1, at 10 every Sunday morning, the same channel of “Songs of praise”, choirs from churches in different parts of England, in aired in the early afternoon, also on Sundays. A successful program, ongoing since the ’60s, and still followed by over 5 million people. However, viewers are decreasing every year because of its elderly audience, mostly women over sixty.Audience and advertising. “The BBC is required by law to transmit religion, because it’s the public broadcaster for which each subscriber pays the fee.  God has virtually disappeared from commercial channels except for some documentaries”, said Andrew Brown, renowned religious commentator, former recipient of the Templeton Award. Brown works for The Guardian and for BBC. According to the journalist, the audience of religious programs does not attract advertising because viewers are “old people, with a lot of common sense and little money.” “The disappearance of religion from television palimpsests has not only commercial reasons,” said Brown; “experts in religion are lacking and so is the audience. Those who work in the media, in the UK, usually, don’t know anything about religion since the topic is considered outdated and outmoded. In most of the population, only a general belief in God continues to thrive. These people choose alternative channels to traditional churches.”Popular evangelical TV networks. In this secularized horizon, broadcasting networks of evangelical inspiration, such as the “Trinity Broadcasting Network”, are an exception. Available in the UK on cable and satellite TV, as of the beginning of January it began broadcasting also in digital terrestrial television on “Freeview Channel 65”. The success of “Tbn” is due to a precise formula, according to Luke Coppen, editor of the weekly “Catholic Herald”. “Evangelical televisions appeal to a very specific segment of the public for which they prepare targeted programming,” says the editor of “Herald”. “The BBC, by contrast, has to deal with a larger audience whose interests are unclear. The new trend, in the globalized world of the media, is to produce specific programs addressed to a specific segment of the population, a small group of interest, with a strong identity.”For Andrew Brown, the commercial success of TBN is also due to another reason. “Evangelical networks propose a kind of Christianity that tends to cover all areas of daily life, with ‘Christian’ cooking, music and psychology programs. The audience is happy to sponsor these channels that infuse a sense of belonging, protecting viewers from the feeling of being cut out from the rest of the world”, the commentator explained. Luke Coppen shares his view, adding that the commercial success of TBN is a fact. “Given the cuts that have been made in the UK, there is no doubt that only who those with an active budget survive”, said the director of” Catholic Herald “. “And I’m sure that Tbn viewers willingly finance the TV network.”A positive note. In this landscape, somewhat disappointing, of almost disappeared religious programs there is a positive note. BBC has entrusted past summer the religious news to Caroline Wyatt, appreciated journalist, former correspondent for defense. For Andrew Brown and Luke Coppen it’s a significant decision that could mark renewed interest for religion. “Following and understanding this sector is increasingly important”, they say. “As shown in the attack on Charlie hebdo.”