CJIL-DT (channel 17) branded on-air as Miracle Channel, is a

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 ...

religious

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth ...

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to ...

, Canada, owned by The Miracle Channel Association. The station's studios are located on 31 Street North in Lethbridge, and its transmitter is located on Highway 25 north of the city. Launched in 1996, CJIL was the first over-the-air religious TV station in Canada. It has been carried on cable and

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providers in other parts of Canada since 2000.

History

The

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

(CRTC) granted a

broadcasting licence A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary f ...

to Dick and Joan Dewert (also known as Dick and Joan Deweert) on April 4, 1995. It debuted on January 14, 1996, broadcasting in southern Alberta, after Canada's 60-year ban on

religious broadcasting Religious broadcasting, sometimes referred to as faith-based broadcasts, is the dissemination of television and/or radio content that intentionally has religious ideas, religious experience, or religious practice as its core focus. In some coun ...

was lifted. It expanded nationally on September 11, 2000. CJIL was the Canadian partner of the U.S. religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). (The Dewerts had set up an unlicensed

relay transmitter A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

for TBN in 1986, which was shut down by the CRTC before CJIL's license was granted.) The station is available globally via satellite and on the Internet. In 1999 and 2001, two additional transmitters were approved by the CRTC to be added in Bow Island and Burmis. On May 20, 2007, Dick Dewert admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned from the station. Joan Dewert resigned as well. Mervyn Mediwake was installed as the

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. On January 1, 2010, after a series of interim leaders, the board of directors of the Miracle Channel Association hired Leon Fontaine, senior pastor of the

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

-based Springs Church, as permanent CEO. On July 8, 2013, TBN announced a partnership with Miracle Channel. As a result, Miracle Channel began airing some of TBN's flagship programs, including '' Praise the Lord'' and ''Behind The Scenes'', while TBN's networks will pick up some of Miracle Channel's programs, including Springs Church services, and ''The Leon Show'' on

The Church Channel TBN Inspire is an American Christian broadcast television network owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is carried on the digital subchannels of TBN's stations. The network originally launched as The Church Channel, which focu ...

. Plans were also announced for Fontaine to be a regular host on ''Praise the Lord'', and for four episodes per year to originate from Canada. The two networks also announced plans to co-produce a new weekly program. The move came weeks following Daystar's announcement of a similar program supply deal with Grace TV, which would soon be rebranded

Daystar Canada Daystar Television Canada is a Canadian specialty channel that broadcasts Religious programming dedicated to the Christian faith. It is owned by World Media Ministries. Originally known as The Christian Channel from 2005 to 2009, it was re-bra ...

. On September 19, 2017, the channel premiered a daily newscast, ''Bridge City News'', hosted by Hal Roberts.

Over-the-air in Alberta

In 2007, The Miracle Channel Association filed an application with the CRTC for a licence to operate English-language transitional digital television programming undertakings in Calgary (Channel 15) and Edmonton (Channel 21). If approved, these transmitters would have simply rebroadcast CJIL in its entirety. The applications were denied, however, in favour of a competing application from the

Crossroads Television System Yes TV (stylized as yes TV) is an independently owned Canadian nonprofit and CRTC-licensed religious broadcasting television system in Canada. It consists of three conventional over-the-air television stations (located in the Greater Toronto Area ...

. As part of spectrum re-allocation, full-power over-the-air transmitters on channels 52–69 must vacate those channels, but may move to a channel below 52. CJIL's transmitter in Burmis, CJIL-TV-2 channel 55, was affected by this change. In filings to the CRTC, CJIL has stated that it plans on shutting down this transmitter.

Criticism

''The Miracle Channel Review'', a Christian-run website unaffiliated with the network, has been critical of the Dewerts and other personalities over the prosperity gospel message they have preached during CJIL's fundraising telethons. ''The Miracle Channel Review''s webmaster, Tim Thibault, issued formal complaints with the CRTC over improper statements made during CJIL's telethons; the CRTC ruled in 2006 that the fundraising cited by Thibault violated federal guidelines.

Transmitters

On March 30, 1999, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Bow Island on channel 39. On August 30, 2001, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Burmis on channel 55.Decision CRTC 2001-491
Addition of a transmitter of CJIL-TV Lethbridge at Burmis, ''CRTC'', August 13, 2001

References

External links

* *
The Miracle Channel Review
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cjil-Tv JIL-DT Mass media in Lethbridge Christian television stations in Canada JIL-DT Television channels and stations established in 1996 1996 establishments in Alberta