What could make EWTN better?

[Cat]

I watched it about 4 years ago. It was dry, boring, stuffy and seemed to be marketed for the age group 60-85 years old.

There were very few uplifting, exciting or entertaining programs.

So, its not for me. EWTN could become edgier I suppose and show some well financed documentaries.

I can go along with this.

I think that EWTN ought to seriously look into reaching out to the youth and youth-oriented. There are probably key hours each day that they could air concerts by Catholic rock bands. That wouldn’t be too expensive, and the Catholic rock bands would probably like it because it would help them sell more CDs.

Panel discussions featuring youth hosts and youth participants would also be interesting and fairly cheap to make (no more expensive than the adult discussion shows). There are a lot of issues that Catholic youth face in school and community, and often they can’t find answers, so they flounder. Dating, movies, sex, music, the war, abortion, megachurches and other religions, etc.–discuss them and give answers that teens can actually use in their everyday life.

There are a lot of teens involved with pro-life issues–this would be an AWESOME way for EWTN to start reaching out to youth. Get some of the more active teens who already have a respected reputation with groups like Right to Life and March for Life, and let them do some youth-oriented programs. My daughter filmed a short video of a trip to March for Life that she made with three other teens and four chaperones–it’s an awesome video (made about 8 years ago). I’m sure other teens have videos of their experiences, too–air them. Why let YouTube have all the good stuff?

I see nothing wrong with doing a catechizing show geared towards youth and young people. I don’t especially like listening to Mother Angelica and Bishop Sheen, even though I think they are great Catholic Christians. Why not get someone like Tim Staples or Steve Ray, someone who is really good at communicating with younger people, adding a little Catholic rock, getting some color on the set, and making the whole thing look street-smart and urban? Not that expensive to do–heck, the speaker could be “videos” rather than live (just like the megachurches!).

I think a show about other religions would really go over with younger people (and older people, too!). A comparative show, with side-by-side comparisons to the Catholic Church, and preferably, a refutation of the false teachings of other religions). I predict that this would be a very popular show.

I have gotten involved in a small way with some of the film festivals (as a screenplaywriter hopeful), and I think that EWTN might want to solicit well-done short films and documentaries and air them on the network. There are literally thousands of short films and documentaries that never have a chance at these festivals. It’s not that they are badly done (a lot of them are), but the film industry just doesn’t jump at films and documentaries about Catholic issues and practices. It seems to me, though, that many of us would be very interested in seeing these short films and documentaries–could EWTN put out the call online for short films and documentaries about Catholicism, offer a stipend and a regular airing (the regular airing is the most valuable prize an amateur filmmaker could achieve!)?

 

[Rubicon]

Modern production values. The content is often great but the production values are so dated as to be distracting. They need not move to MTV-influenced, peripatetic quick cuts. However when an otherwise well-written show appears to have been filmed in someone’s basement it lessens its impact and appeal, particularly to people who are browsing for something to watch.

 

[gmags2003]

They used to have a really cool show…um I believe Leo was one of the hosts. Anyone know what I am talking about? It probably went off the air a few years ago or so. They need that one back.

 

[aimee]

Interesting point~I’m finishing up the Alex Jones story, and he goes into depth about how it felt to go into essentially a “White/European” Catholic Church, and how he wasn’t always well received by all the parishoners there~but he kept going because it’s the true Church and it’s for all…just stuff I had never considered before he wrote about regarding cultural differences; real eye-opener.

As long as its not Fr Phlager

 

[mizznicole]

Modern production values. The content is often great but the production values are so dated as to be distracting. They need not move to MTV-influenced, peripatetic quick cuts. However when an otherwise well-written show appears to have been filmed in someone’s basement it lessens its impact and appeal, particularly to people who are browsing for something to watch.

My DH works in TV/video production and that’s our #1 beef with the channel. You don’t need tons of money to make things look good, he claims.

Definitely grateful that they are there. The Papal coverage was top-notch. Maybe Raymond Arroyo can get them more money now that he’s on Fox every day with Laura Ingraham.

 

[Ella]

My DH works in TV/video production and that’s our #1 beef with the channel. You don’t need tons of money to make things look good, he claims.

What looks bad about it? I can agree that some of the shows that they get from other places look bad, SuperSaints looks awful for instance, but I think the stuff they make on site looks good, esp. Father Pacwa’s live show and the Life On The Rock stuff.
The Chesterton show looks good too, and Abundant Life.
If you visit the station you will tour their studio where the set walls are all there for the different weekly shows. It’s a very interesting place to visit. You get to see where they put the shows together on computers too and meet the people who do all this. Maybe you should go there and your husband could talk to some of them. They all seemed professional to us.

 

[Ella]

I can go along with this.

I think that EWTN ought to seriously look into reaching out to the youth and youth-oriented.

I think that is what Life On The Rock is supposed to be. I’m not sure how successful it is at that though.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I think EWTN would be much better if it included more apologetics!!! (Like “What Catholics Really Believe” - I liked that series that was on for a couple of weeks)

[SIGN]Eternal Word Television Network[/SIGN]

I think it would be better if I could get it all the time!

 

[SacredHeartFan]

1.) Movie Series about the saints more often. (I like the one they played about St. Teresa of Avila. she helped me back to the faith being that that was the parish I belonged too so i prayed to her.)

2.) MORE ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN!!!

3.) More new shows. they have alot of old ones that play over and over.

4.) A show that shows the Church’s universiality. Like they could travel all over the place to different parishes and see how they do things.

5.) A political show!

6.) Move to Louisiana!!!

 

[SacredHeartFan]

I think that is what Life On The Rock is supposed to be. I’m not sure how successful it is at that though.

I LOVE LIFE ON THE ROCK!!!
They also sometimes air the Pure Life for teens.

 

[aimee]

That might not be a good idea

4.) A show that shows the Church’s universiality. Like they could travel all over the place to different parishes and see how they do things.

 

[SacredHeartFan]

I emailed a link to this thread to EWTN. I hope they take the time to read it.

 

[Rubicon]

What looks bad about it? I can agree that some of the shows that they get from other places look bad, SuperSaints looks awful for instance, but I think the stuff they make on site looks good, esp. Father Pacwa’s live show and the Life On The Rock stuff.
The Chesterton show looks good too, and Abundant Life.

I have to disagree on that point. I am a huge Chesterton fan, and think that Dale Ahlquist (I think that’s his name) does a really nice job bringing Chesterton’s ideas to the modern viewer. I have even grown to like the reenactments which I intially found distracting (although I would love to hear actual recordings of Chesterton, I assume there are some).

But as for production values, that show is worse than the average 50 year old black and white Bishop Sheen shows. The set is visually unappealing, the cuts and pans are so deliberate that they distract, etc. Imagine if it was brought up to the level of the average local news magazine show, which as others have said is not cost prohibitive–it would be much easier to watch.

I find myself debating whether to watch it or not because the medium gets in the way of the message, which is a shame.

 

[SacredHeartFan]

I have to disagree on that point. I am a huge Chesterton fan, and think that Dale Ahlquist (I think that’s his name) does a really nice job bringing Chesterton’s ideas to the modern viewer. I have even grown to like the reenactments which I intially found distracting (although I would love to hear actual recordings of Chesterton, I assume there are some).

But as for production values, that show is worse than the average 50 year old black and white Bishop Sheen shows. The set is visually unappealing, the cuts and pans are so deliberate that they distract, etc. Imagine if it was brought up to the level of the average local news magazine show, which as others have said is not cost prohibitive–it would be much easier to watch.

I find myself debating whether to watch it or not because the medium gets in the way of the message, which is a shame.

Hey don’t bash Bishop Sheen! I love that man!

 

[Rubicon]

That might not be a good idea

4.) A show that shows the Church’s universiality. Like they could travel all over the place to different parishes and see how they do things.

Actually that could be very informative if done the right way. A show we like to watch is Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (yes, he cusses too much, I know). He goes to different restaurants that are struggling for one reason or another, and puts them through a boot camp for a week to get back on track. He then follows up a while later to see how things went.

I think it would be very educational and interesting to see a team of clergy and lay experts go into struggling parishes and help them get back on track. They could cover a variety of topics–liturgy problems, financial woes, how to develop a vibrant complement of ministries, including music.

Just as on the restaurant show, it would highlight both the bad habits that get formed over time (usually due to personal preferences) and how the right way to do things is the best. I even think the recommendations would be the same in both cases–clarity of roles, simplicity and fidelity to universal standards, etc.

I would watch that, and if done right–with the right production values and editing–I could imagine non-Catholics watching it as well. It might even be the best way to get them to understand that there is a “right” way to do things, by showing them both the inevitable problems caused by fiddling with the Church’s standards as well as good examples of the standards working well.

That would be a nice advertisement for Catholicism, since I think it would resonate with a growing number of Protestants who have watched their churches vacilate and wander in modern times (and for the last couple few centuries, for that matter).

 

[Rubicon]

Hey don’t bash Bishop Sheen! I love that man!

I actually meant my comment as praise for Bishop Sheen! He compensated for the very limited technology of the day through careful staging and a good match of his delivery to the available medium with all its constraints.

Watching his old shows he gets more impact with two cameras and a stage than most of the EWTN shows get with five decades of technological advancement.

Of course, the Bishop was an extraordinary man–asking everyone to match him is silly. But contrast say Father Corapi, whom I haven’t watched much. While the rest of the broadcast media have moved forward in the intervening half century, his broadcasts are actually worse in many ways compared to Bishop Sheen’s. It’s often just him at a podium for long stretches of time, with crowd shots of intent but passive listeners.

I don’t know much about Father Corapi, but he seems to be our closest current analog to Bishop Sheen in terms of energy and delivery. Somehow EWTN has given him a less apt showcase than the Bishop had, not more.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

To answer the question: What could make EWTN better? If MANY more people would donate to EWTN each and every month!!! (mostly from those who criticize what they are doing and trying to tell them what they should do) (I am not saying that this applies to any of you kind people, I hope it doesn’t )

I LOVE EWTN!!! and know that God is leading them to do what is right.
A few suggestions or comments from reading this thread.

Have all of you read Mother Angelica’s book written by Raymond Arroyo? If not I would highly suggest it, it talks about the struggles of starting EWTN and the cost of running it. And from what I have heard, there are still some times they pray about how they will pay the next set of bills & salaries. I think there would be less criticism if people really understood the Faith, Love, Labor, Charity that has gone into EWTN. My fav review of the book was by Ted Turner who said; “Mother Angelica will surely be the Patron Saint of CEO’s!!!”

Do you remember to give to EWTN? I hope you do, and if you don’t I hope you will consider it.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

Also, to the person that suggested that they move EWTN to Louisiana. It is covered in the book why they moved it where they did. I am sure you ment this in humor, just know that Mother had her reasons and guidance from God.

 

[SacredHeartFan]

Also, to the person that suggested that they move EWTN to Louisiana. It is covered in the book why they moved it where they did. I am sure you ment this in humor, just know that Mother had her reasons and guidance from God.

Yeah i did. I’m just really big on state pride! I’m going to EWTN in three weeks!

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I actually meant my comment as praise for Bishop Sheen! He compensated for the very limited technology of the day through careful staging and a good match of his delivery to the available medium with all its constraints.

Watching his old shows he gets more impact with two cameras and a stage than most of the EWTN shows get with five decades of technological advancement.

Of course, the Bishop was an extraordinary man–asking everyone to match him is silly. But contrast say Father Corapi, whom I haven’t watched much. While the rest of the broadcast media have moved forward in the intervening half century, his broadcasts are actually worse in many ways compared to Bishop Sheen’s. It’s often just him at a podium for long stretches of time, with crowd shots of intent but passive listeners.

I don’t know much about Father Corapi, but he seems to be our closest current analog to Bishop Sheen in terms of energy and delivery. Somehow EWTN has given him a less apt showcase than the Bishop had, not more.

In its day, though, that technology wasn’t limited. It was top-of-the line.

I only care about the medium when it gets in the way of the message.