Family Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as LeSEA Broadcasting, is an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...

. Founded by

Lester Sumrall Lester Frank Sumrall (February 15, 1913 – April 28, 1996) was an American Pentecostal pastor and evangelist. He founded the Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association ( LeSEA) and its humanitarian arm LeSEA Global Feed the Hungry, World Harvest Rad ...

in 1972, Family Broadcasting Corporation is headquartered in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, and broadcasts Christian and family programming. Peter Sumrall, son of Lester Sumrall, served as its president and chief executive officer from 2002 to 2015. His son, Drew Sumrall, now serves in the same position.

National channels

World Harvest Television (WHT)

World Harvest Television (WHT), channel 367 on

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...

, focuses mostly on direct

televangelism Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-proc ...

, carrying hosts such as Sid Roth,

Joseph Prince Joseph Prince (born ''Xenonamandar Jegahusiee Singh''; 15 May 1963) is the evangelist and senior pastor of New Creation Church based in Singapore. He is one of the church's founders in 1983. Background He was born Xenonamandar Jegahusiee Singh ...

Joyce Meyer Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Christian author, speaker and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband Dave have four grown children, and live outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her min ...

, and James Robison. Program time not filled by televangelists is filled with

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

s; WHT does air some limited entertainment programming, consisting mainly of a block with ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company, it ...

'' and the public-domain episodes of ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from ...

'' in the afternoons, along with non-religious E/I programs and a few syndicated programs such as ''

Sports Stars of Tomorrow ''Sports Stars of Tomorrow'' (''SST'') is a United States nationally syndicated sports television show about high school athletes. The show began in 2005, when it was hosted by Bill Jones. College and National Football League television analyst Ch ...

'' and ''

Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford ''Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford'' is a weekly home improvement television program, weekly radio program and weekly podcast, hosted by Danny Lipford. Television Danny Lipford first hosted a local cable home improvement program, ''Remodelin ...

'' on Saturdays, along with

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

games. WHT is available in over 21.2 million homes across the country on

, as well as on the Sky Angel Faith Package; a video stream of the channel is available on the Internet.

Family Entertainment Television (FETV)

Family Entertainment Television (FETV), channel 323 on

, channel 82 on

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...

, channel 245 on Verizon Fios, channel 578 on

AT&T U-Verse U-verse TV is a DirecTV brand of IPTV service. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse included broadband Internet (now AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber), VoIP, IP telephone (now AT&T Phone), and IPTV (U-verse TV) services in 48 states.

, and

Sling TV Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor aims ...

offers viewers a mix of religious and family-friendly programming. FETV provides such programming as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', '' Matlock'', the ''

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', ''

Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

'', ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...

'', ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marrie ...

'', ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book ''The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Tere Rio ...

'' and ''

The Roy Rogers Show ''The Roy Rogers Show'' is an American western television series starring Roy Rogers. 100 episodes were broadcast on NBC for six seasons between December 30, 1951 and June 9, 1957. The episodes were set in the prevailing times (1950s) in the st ...

'', as well as a selection of televangelists in the morning time slots.

Family Movie Classics (FMC)

Family Movie Classics (FMC), channel 387 on

features viewers a mix of classic American movies with big Hollywood stars.

FBC-owned TV stations

WHMB-TV

Originally acquired by Family Broadcasting Corporation in 1972,

WHMB-TV WHMB-TV (channel 40) is a religious broadcasting, religious independent station (North America), independent television station in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Family Broadcasting Corporation (formerly k ...

40 is the longest, continually operated Christian television station in the United States. WHMB reaches the entire

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

television market covering over one million households.

WHME-TV

On September 10, 1977,

WHME-TV WHME-TV (channel 46) is a religious television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, serving as the flagship station of World Harvest Television. The station is owned by locally based Family Broadcasting Corporation (formerly known as Le ...

46 South Bend came onto the airwaves with mostly religious programming, as well as some family programming. Today, WHME is Family Broadcasting Corporation's headquarters, housing a number of separate divisions. Its programming is a blend of religion, local sports, and family entertainment.

KWHE

KWHE KWHE (channel 14) is a religious independent television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. The station is owned by the Family Broadcasting Corporation (formerly known as LeSEA Broadcasting), and maintains studios on Bishop Street in down ...

TV 14 covers the major population centers of Hilo, Maui, Kona, and Honolulu, with Christian and family programming. The station is carried on Oceanic Cable channel 11 and on

Hawaiian Telcom Hawaiian Telcom, Inc., is the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) or dominant local telephone company, serving the state of Hawaii. In 2005, Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc., was formed by The Carlyle Group, following its purchase of the Hawaiian ...

channel 14.

Former television stations

KWHB

Purchased by Family Broadcasting Corporation in 1985,

KWHB KWHB (channel 47) is a religious television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, owned and operated by the Christian Television Network (CTN). The station's studios are located on Yellowood Avenue in Broken Arrow, and its transmitter is at ...

47 is the oldest Christian television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today,

can be viewed on over 84 cable stations in Oklahoma, serving a potential audience of over 1.5 million people. The station was sold to the

Christian Television Network Christian Television Network (CTN) is a non-profit broadcast television network of small owned-and-operated stations (O&O) that broadcasts religious programming. It is based in Largo, Florida (with a mailing address of Clearwater), and the flagshi ...

on February 20, 2020.

WHFT

WHFT WHFT-TV (channel 45) is a religious television station in Miami, Florida, United States, owned and operated by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The station's studios and transmitter are located at the Lakeside Park (formerly Lake Trinity ...

TV 45 Miami, Florida signed on in 1975, was acquired by LeSea in the summer of 1976, and was sold to

Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...

in July 1980.

WHKE

WHKE signed on June 1988 and was owned by LeSea. The station was sold to

Paxson Communications Ion Media (formerly known as Paxson Communications Corporation and Ion Media Networks) was an American broadcasting company that owned and operated over 71 television stations in most major American markets (through its television stations group ...

in 1995, being a temporary affiliate of the

paid programming Paid or PAID may refer to: * ''Paid'' (1930 film), an American film starring Joan Crawford * ''Paid'' (2006 film), a Dutch film *''Personality and Individual Differences'', a journal See also * Paide Paide is a town in Estonia and the ...

network inTV before the August 1998 launch of PAX TV, today's

Ion Television Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented enter ...

WHNO

WHNO WHNO (channel 20) is a religious television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, owned and operated by the Christian Television Network (CTN). The station's studios are located on St. Charles Avenue in downtown New Orleans, and its ...

TV 20 New Orleans signed on October 1994. The station was sold to the

in April 2018.

WCVI-TV

WCVI-TV WCVI-TV, virtual and UHF digital channel 23, is a dual CBS/ ABC- affiliated television station serving the United States Virgin Islands that is licensed to Christiansted, Saint Croix. The station is owned by Lilly Broadcasting. WCVI-TV's transm ...

23 was acquired in 2014, and it is the Family Broadcasting Corporation station in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The station was sold to

Lilly Broadcasting Lilly Broadcasting, LLC is a privately owned American broadcasting company owned and operated by the Lilly Brothers’ Brian Lilly and Kevin Lilly. The company was founded in September 1999 with the purchase of WENY-TV (ABC) and WENY-FM & AM ra ...

in 2020.

METV

Middle East Television Middle East Television (METV) is a Christian satellite television broadcasting network located in Limassol, Cyprus. Programming on METV includes a mixture of Christian programming, plus non-religious entertainment programs like ''The Red Green ...

was acquired from CBN in July 2001. It is located in

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, and broadcasts to all of

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

. The station was sold to Sid Roth's Messianic Vision, Inc, in September 2016.

Radio

Shortwave

Since 1985 Family Broadcasting Corporation has operated World Harvest Radio International (WHRI), designed to reach the over 200 million

shortwave radio Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

receivers in the world. Family Broadcasting Corporation is the only Christian broadcaster currently operating a global network of shortwave radio transmitters. Transmitter facilities are located in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and in

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

, Oceania (T8WH). Six transmitters are in operation full-time, named the Six Angels. * Angel 1—Covers Africa, North America, Central America, South America, and Australia * Angel 2—Covers parts of North America, Europe, and parts of Asia * Angel 3—Covers Asia (T8WH) * Angel 4—Covers Australia (T8WH) * Angel 5—Covers Africa * Angel 6—Covers North and Central America In August 2020, it was announced that WHRI was selling its facilities to Allen Weiner, owner of

Monticello, Maine Monticello is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the northern branch of the Meduxnekeag River. The population was 737 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Originally known as Wellington Township, it was settled in 1830 b ...

-based shortwave station WBCQ, pending FCC approval.

FBC-owned FM radio stations

Harvest FM

Harvest 103.1 FM, or

WHME (FM) WHME (103.1 FM, "PulseFM") is a Christian radio station in South Bend, Indiana. The flagship radio station of Family Broadcasting Corporation, it broadcasts a contemporary Christian music format as part of a trimulcast with 96.9 WHPZ and 92.1 WHP ...

, began broadcasting in 1968. The radio station, which serves the South Bend, Indiana, area, features a mix of interactive talk, Bible teaching programs, and inspirational music 24 hours a day.

Pulse FM

Founded in 1996, Pulse FM WHPZ 96.9 broadcasts

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

to the

Michiana Michiana is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, Indiana defines Michiana as St. Joseph County and "counties that contribute at least ...

market. In December 2004, Family Broadcasting Corporation purchased WDOW 92.1 FM to increase Pulse FM's listening base, and the call letters are now

WHPD WHPD (92.1 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to Dowagiac, Michigan. WHPZ (96.9 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to Bremen, Indiana. WHME (103.1 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to South Bend, Indiana. The three stations ar ...

92.1. For many years, the radio station hosted

World Pulse Festival The World Pulse Festival is a Christian contemporary music festival in South Bend, Indiana. The World Pulse Festival was started by LeSEA Broadcasting Corp. in 1986 as a birthday celebration for radio station WHME.South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

References

External links

*
Family Entertainment Television
{{U.S. broadcast television Television networks in the United States Christian mass media in the United States Christian television stations Religious television stations in the United States