Are you a fan of EWTN?

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I’ve listened to pretty much all of its radio programming over the years. I don’t listen often anymore and I don’t contribute to it because EWTN supports the Catholic League, which I think should be closed permanently.
 
Raymond Arroyo also appears sometimes on Laura Ingraham’s show on Foxnews in the evenings.
 
I watch a lot of EWTN on YouTube. I have watched it on ROKU as well. There’s a lot more on demand stuff available via YouTube, though. CatholicTV Network is good, too.
 
I am very happy the EWTN is on the radio now 🙂

I go through phases as to what my favorite is. Last Lent, I listened to Dr Larry Richards every day through the radio or through podcasts. Now I am listening more to Dr Popcak. Other times I set it up to listen to to Al Kresta. And I always enjoy the Bob and Penny Lord’s shows on the saints. They make them all so interesting! (Not the saints are boring…) And I love the Coming Home Network because they have conversion stories.

How wonderful that you, too, are enjoying it 🙂
 
I love EWTN TV and Radio. However, I don’t listen to it too much because the ETWN radio signal near me is weak by my house. I have to drive approx 8-10 miles north to pick it up very well.

So I often listen to Relevant Radio (another Catholic Radio network) which I receive at my house loud & clear.

But I do love EWTN Radio and THANK YOU for listening and supporting your local EWTN station.

God Bless!
 
I knew 2 who briefly worked there. Other than that, there are plenty of others. The programs aren’t going to have the production value of like Fox News or the View. They are on a budget. And, like I said, what would a cutting edge religious television network look like? Aren’t they all like EWTN? Just saying
 
To be brutally frank, I’ve seen YouTube channels with better production value than EWTN. I don’t think budget matters much in this regard.

As far as cutting edge religious television, I’m only intimately familiar with BYU-TV (Mormon), and their presentation is quite aesthetically pleasing and up to date. I assume this can mostly be chalked up to the fact that it’s produced on a university campus and so you have 19-25 year olds heavily involved in its execution. I know EWTN is produced out of Huntsville, AL. Is there a university (Catholic or otherwise) close by? Do they have a film production program or anything else like it? Is there a way EWTN might be able to move some of their production endeavors offsite closer to a Catholic university like Steubenville or CUA?
 
EWTN studios are in Birmingham Alabama. Mother Angelica’s Poor Clares are in Hanceville Alabama, which is a tiny rural place, very different from Huntsville.

Alabama has no Catholic college. BYU (I’m assuming is in Salt Lake) and therefore in the heart of Mormon land. In Birmingham there is one Newman center for 3 secular colleges. UAB, Samford, and I think Birmingham Southern all send their kids to one Newman center. So, very small amounts of Catholic college kids in the city…

EWTN has a small studio at Steubenville already. And I think they’ve got one in DC as well. They only film a few programs at those ones.
I mean, write a letter to them. I can tell you that the Friars and the board are well aware of the format being out of date. But they’re saying steps are being made. Perhaps they’re taking the long view. “The Church thinks in centuries” as the saying goes.

Some Catholics have moved to be close to EWTN. But, Alabama is 3% Catholic. Yeah, things would be different if it was near Catholic University of America or something. But, as you may know Mother’s story, the Holy Spirit led her here. And, she also picked a fight with a number of Bishops. Which Diocese is CUA in? Near Wuerl’s territory?
Without getting into it, EWTN evokes the worst in Church politics. Many Bishops would never allow EWTN to move to them. So, it is where it is, which isn’t very opportune. It’s not the place you would pick to have the studio. But, it would be pretty hard to move at this point.

Edit: probably some of the thinking goes, that, who watches EWTN more than anyone? Old people in nursing homes and hospitals who can’t go to Mass. They’re the ones who write more letters than anyone that “my favorite program is changing too much”. So, it’s a balancing act. I think the content is pretty great, if the aesthetics are cheesy and B-level.
 
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Fets said:
EWTN studios are in Birmingham Alabama. Mother Angelica’s Poor Clares are in Hanceville Alabama, which is a tiny rural place, very different from Huntsville.
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Oops! Thanks for the correction. Mea culpa.
Alabama has no Catholic college. BYU (I’m assuming is in Salt Lake) and therefore in the heart of Mormon land.
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Provo, UT, so yeah, Mormon land (and not just that but Provo is first and foremost a Mormon college town).
In Birmingham there is one Newman center for 3 secular colleges. UAB, Samford, and I think Birmingham Southern all send their kids to one Newman center. So, very small amounts of Catholic college kids in the city…
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Yikes. I frequently need these kinds of reality checks because despite the relative lack of orthodoxy here on the west coast we still have a strong enough “Catholic” identity that it isn’t hard to find small pockets of orthodox Catholic college students even in the most secular of places.
I mean, write a letter to them. I can tell you that the Friars and the board are well aware of the format being out of date.
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I’m reluctant to write the friars because I honestly don’t have anything constructive to say. I was just passively agreeing with another poster about my experience of the production.
Some Catholics have moved to be close to EWTN. But, Alabama is 3% Catholic. Yeah, things would be different if it was near Catholic University of America […] It’s not the place you would pick to have the studio. But, it would be pretty hard to move at this point.
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Oh I completely get that. I hear that the South is getting more and more Catholic as the Rust Belt becomes less and less so. Who knows, maybe the Holy Spirit providentially directed her there for the soon to come booming Catholic demographic? We can always hope. I can’t move out that way myself but I can remember her between my utility bills as she used to request!
Edit: probably some of the thinking goes, that, who watches EWTN more than anyone? Old people in nursing homes and hospitals who can’t go to Mass. They’re the ones who write more letters than anyone that “my favorite program is changing too much”. So, it’s a balancing act. I think the content is pretty great, if the aesthetics are cheesy and B-level.
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That makes sense. Another thing I should mention in regards to BYU-TV I mentioned: it’s owned and operated by the actual Mormon Church and so there’s next to no control at the local level whatsoever. The higher ups can have focus groups to determine the direction they ought to take and then they demand such via ecclesiastical fiat and BYU-TV must follow. I understand that this is something the late Mother Angelica was very much against; she didn’t want to cede control to the local bishop (and for very good reason!)
 
Lol. I mean, on that last point first, the Bishops often speak ‘Bishopese’. Mother Angelica was a little too fiery and Italian to be told to shut up lol.

Um, I would recommend visiting EWTN if you’re able. It’s worth it once. For being a place with so few Catholics, we are blessed with many things going on, including EWTN. Our Diocese ‘hits above it’s weight’ as many here say.
It is true that the South is becoming more Catholic. In fact, in Alabama and Georgia and other places, the Catholic Church has been the fast growing denomination recently. Sadly, much of the rest of the country the fastest growing religion is actually the Mormons.

Yes, thanks for remembering it between your utility bills 🙂 It really is kind of amazing that they managed to pull off a 24 hour Catholic channel. And there’s no commercials right? Just the religious catalogue.
I suppose they could get advertisers like My pillow and Chick-fil-A or something. But, look at Tucker Carlson losing advertisers. If you have advertisers, they’re another group of people that can pressure you based on your programming. So, I guess Mother Angelica wanted to avoid that too lol
 
EWTN does have commercials, but they’re commercials for either their other TV (or radio) shows or occasionally some other Catholic organization like “Catholics Come Home”.
 
I’ve watched EWTN since the late 80’s. Some of the programming is better than others. I think some some viewers develop their favorites.

There’s a deep undercurrent of selling books and tapes and statues and such.

I like when Mother Angelica is serious about a topic, not when she’s joking and carrying on.

I consider it poor succession planning to NOT have another nun ready to take Mother Angelica’s place, when her health failed. You mean there’s only ONE nun who can be so eloquent about the faith?

The audience members are frequently laughing when MA is saying something serious. I think they’re looking at her as an entertainer.

Fr Pacwa is very intelligent also, obviously; I don’t like when he “drifts” around too much, telling us about fried green tomatoes and irrelevant things. BUT, there must be more gifted priests like him. I worry about him getting burned out, like Mother Angelica did.

I don’t think the network spend enough time on the Bible, despite the call letters.
 
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I enjoy The Journey Home, Father Mitch Pacwa, and old Father Benedict Groeschel sermons.

I steer clear of any political bias and no longer take in any News from EWTN, OR main stream media.

The Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word are very humble Priests that have a way of filling your heart and soul with the propensity towards love and all that is charitable. I will listen to their homilies during the Masses they offer.
 
I absolutely am! I love their Daily Mass. I like Fr. Mitch too!
 
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Funny you mention the weak signal. The local radio affiliate where I live also has occasional problems where it is off the air during bad weather or for unexplained reasons for a portion of a day once in a while. I suspect they are on a shoestring budget and probably don’t have the strongest or most up-to-date equipment. However, they should be commended for living within their means and for working hard to provide Catholic programming to our area, which is less than 10% Catholic. I listen to Catholic radio much more than watch EWTN TV due to being in my car a lot.
 
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I used to be.

My oldest was a little guy and would watch with me and said, “Mother Angelica is beautiful.” :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I even went to various conferences featuring EWTN contributors.

Father Groeschel, Father Apostoli, Christopher West, Father Pavone and Father Corapi.

At a certain point we lost tv and internet, and I stopped watching. I haven’t started again.

I did like the Father Mitch program where he’d teach the various encyclicals. I watched most of the episodes about Evangelium Vitae (the gospel of life). I’m not sure if that exists anymore.
 
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