Merit Street (Dr. Phil Cable Network).

[AaronQ 309]

5 hours ago, Rusty Muck said:

There's two EWTNs: the first is the channel that shows masses for shut-ins and daily rosaries (along with Bishop Sheen reruns). The second is the news service, which is to the right of OAN and Newsmax. Raymond Arroyo is their lead "anchor" when he's not chumming up with Laura Ingraham, a friendship that goes back to her conversation to the Church 20 years ago.

 

The Vatican is in a tough spot, it's not like there's enough of an audience to justify the existence of a competing network with a more liberal ideology.

 

It always had been a euphemism for the right-wing. CBN, TBN, PTL and even individual televangelists have had those beliefs for practically forever.

Don't forget Daystar. 

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

Does the TV version of EWTN still air Mother Angelica's reruns?  EWTN was her mission as a nun and was an extension of her creating a monastery in the South after experiencing a miracle of her own healing from a devastating injury.

 

Her original TV efforts were through WBMG (now WIAT) but she decided to start forming EWTN after she objected to CBS's content at the time.

 

As tormented as the Catholic Church has been throughout its history, this is probably the only religious TV channel purely devoted to faith.

[NYAZSporty 196]

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Does the TV version of EWTN still air Mother Angelica's reruns?  EWTN was her mission as a nun and was an extension of her creating a monastery in the South after experiencing a miracle of her own healing from a devastating injury.

 

Her original TV efforts were through WBMG (now WIAT) but she decided to start forming EWTN after she objected to CBS's content at the time.

 

As tormented as the Catholic Church has been throughout its history, this is probably the only religious TV channel purely devoted to faith.

Yes

[AmericanErrorist 267]

16 hours ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

 

Then air it on cable... oh right... Cable is dying as we speak.

 

Merit Street is complaining that TBN didn't help it get on cable enough.

[nathannah 2792]

2 hours ago, AmericanErrorist said:

Merit Street is complaining that TBN didn't help it get on cable enough.

That can be attestable (TBN lost most of their Spectrum carriage over the years for their other channels outside regular TBN and enlace) but there's also the reality that cable providers are not up to paying $2 more for a channel with a shaky business model (big star with their own show tricking down an audience on generic other content already found on other channels) and whose product is already otherwise free or available in rerun form elsewhere or on podcasts. TBN is hard into digital first as then they don't need to bother with the middlemen negotiating carriage or the costs of the analog era translator network they sold off to speculators and subfarm operators.

 

That he had no control of his network library at all certainly didn't help matters, but also that broadcast surcharge fees are getting near $50/month, it's beginning to be a losing battle for bundles, with providers beginning to fight back (re: the old Cinci Bell fighting Nexstar because they don't want NewsNation just to carry Dayton's NBC/CW stations) or having to capitulate (Spectrum getting back the dumped Disney networks in exchange for Hulu access at their own terms). Phil refused to do the most basic research that TBN simply doesn't negotiate carriage well outside must-carry and their JVs like Hillsong have had a high failure rate, that .1 channel leases for stations rarely watched, even must-carry on pay TV systems are a money pit (CHSN learned that too even as subchannels), and now he's learning that lesson in bankruptcy.

Edited July 3, 2025 by nathannah

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

TBN also did themselves no favors by cashing out many of their stations in the spectrum auction, and subsequently selling the licenses to other parties, much like WDLI in Canton living on as a re-packed station on Ion's (Inyo's) WVPX.

 

These TBN stations (and other full-power god-casters) exploited the must-carry obligation to get them on cable while the others opted for retransmission consent.  Donations went down over time and the spectrum was a way to make some quick cash.

Edited July 3, 2025 by tyrannical bastard

[Rusty Muck 4688]

"powergate92" on RadioDiscussions found the bankruptcy docket and this looks really bad. I'll quote them:

 

"So I found the bankruptcy docket. It looks like the plan is for Merit Street assets to be sold at auction with final sale to be completed by the end of September."

 

 

Here's the link to the dockets.

[mre29 1967]

So, for those of us who don't read legalese, what assets...er, Assets, does Merit Street have?

 

[AmericanErrorist 267]

1 hour ago, mre29 said:

So, for those of us who don't read legalese, what assets...er, Assets, does Merit Street have?

 

The ability to be plaintiffs in lawsuits against TBN and the Professional Bull Riders, supplier contracts (including carriage deals, program rights and the uplink), the "Merit Street" and "Merit TV" trademarks, a year and a half of (dated) newscasts and commentary programs including Dr. Phil Primetime, and office space and supplies, along with the repeat farm that the channel is still operating as and its few remaining employees, along with the website and Merit+ free streaming platform.

Edited July 8, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

It sounds like come the end of the year, if this goes through, Merit TV will either be finished (shut down) or something and COMPLETELY different with new ownership.

[ColtFromGulfcoast 869]

How exactly is Nexstar involved in this? Sorry if this has already been asked?

[mer764KCTV5 213]

4 hours ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:

How exactly is Nexstar involved in this? Sorry if this has already been asked?

Nexstar operated, Cunningham Broadcasting*-owned station WYZZ in Bloomington–Peoria, Illinois absolutely MeritTV on 43.2.

 

* Cunningham Broadcasting could just be considered an offshoot of Sinclair.

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

I wonder if they have more (physical) assets than Allen Media.  Either way, good riddance. 

[nathannah 2792]

And as for the PBR, there's a happy ending for them; Fox Nation (who is doing much better and can pay for the rights) will pick up their weekly events.

[Yankees4life 599]

Good riddance to garbage TV and a waste of space IMO. I feel for those who'll lose their jobs tho

[Dave Lampstein 292]

I’m sure TEGNA will welcome them all back…

[tyrannical bastard 4678]

If there was one thing worse than TBN itself, it was this deal.

 

Second place goes to CTN putting Newsmax as a subchannel on their stations.  Sure, it looks like a nice public service move, but we all know their motives.  Separation of church and state be damned.

[nathannah 2792]

4 hours ago, Yankees4life said:

Good riddance to garbage TV and a waste of space IMO. I feel for those who'll lose their jobs tho

As a number of them were part of and still employed after the first Dr. Phil HR scandal and followed him to the Metroplex away from the security of LA and CBS, some of them knew why they were signing up for. 

[Glimmer 340]

Somehow Dr Phil is gonna try again and is launching a new media channel, Envoy Media

[EVVTV12 204]

7 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

Somehow Dr Phil is gonna try again and is launching a new media channel, Envoy Media

 

[ColtFromGulfcoast 869]

10 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

Somehow Dr Phil is gonna try again and is launching a new media channel, Envoy Media

A fool and his money are soon parted. 

Edited July 14, 2025 by ColtFromGulfcoast

[SDHIll1980 150]

47 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

Somehow Dr Phil is gonna try again and is launching a new media channel, Envoy Media

 

I read the story, but I wonder who Phil is going to con into distributing this new venture?  This could have a shorter shelf life than Merit Street. 

[mer764KCTV5 213]

51 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

Somehow Dr Phil is gonna try again and is launching a new media channel, Envoy Media

Couldn't he just go back making the Dr. Phil show?

 

This is getting annoying at this point.

[SDHIll1980 150]

1 hour ago, mer764KCTV5 said:

Couldn't he just go back making the Dr. Phil show?

 

This is getting annoying at this point.

 

Hey, if Kelly Clarkson truly decides that she's done doing her daytime show, ol' Phil can weasel his way in as her replacement LOL.

[Megatron81 343]

His new network will be an epic fail just go away Dr. Phil no one wants to watch you 24/7.