UCG—Australia Renews “Beyond Today” Airtime
June 13, 2013
United Church of God–Australia has just signed a twelve-month contract with channel 4ME for the Beyond Today program to air on Saturday and Sunday mornings for the next twelve months.
The Beyond Today television program is a very effective means of preaching the Gospel in Australia. Not only does it reinforce our other advertising, but a first time viewer also receives solid biblical teaching. Many of our long-time Good News subscribers have also showed new interest after viewing the program.
Comments received:
- Thank you so much for your television program every Saturday and Sunday. I’m so privileged to watch it. (Oakhurst, NSW)
- Please find enclosed a donation and thank you for making it possible to watch Beyond Today on TV. (Bairnsdale, VIC)
- I am an inmate at the South East Correctional Centre in NSW. This morning I saw a broadcast of the Beyond Today program which spoke about the ten tribes of Israel. I am interested in learning more, so if it’s not too much trouble, could you please send me some of your booklets? I appreciate it greatly. (Nowra, NSW)
- I’m a committed Christian and love studying the bible. I enjoy watching your TV broadcasts and would appreciate as much Bible study material as you are able to send me. With sincere thanks, (Sumner Park, QLD)
- Could someone please call me back. I would like to give a donation and I was wondering if there is a church in my area. (Location unknown)
Regards,
Ruth Root
United Church of God–Australia
“WGN America” Contract Renewed
June 4, 2013
Beyond Today to begin fourth year telecasting on WGN America
We are pleased report that negotiations with WGN America for renewal of our Beyond Today airtime contract are now complete. Beginning July 7, 2013, the United Church of God will begin its fourth year of telecasting every Sunday on WGN America at 8:30 a.m. EST.
Our new contract runs for two years—until June 28, 2015. It includes a standard 4-week cancellation clause and a very modest price increase of about 1 percent per week for the term. This year WGN America gained about 1-1.5% in household subscribers, up from 75 million to 76.5 million.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
Online Channel Picks Up “Beyond Today” TV
May 7, 2013
We’ve been working with David Munoz over at Lifee.tv for a few months to add Beyond Today to their streaming channel lineup. I’m pleased to report that they now have a Beyond Today channel and separate sections for each of our three presenters. Our program, “666 and You” is among their “most watched” (6th highest) programs.
Lifee’s service is provided at no charge to the United Church of God. Check it out at www.lifee.tv and www.lifee.tv/beyond-today.
Your continued prayers for the success of our proclamation efforts to preach the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God would be much appreciated.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
“Beyond Today” Program About the Sabbath Produces Excellent Response
April 16, 2013
Beyond Today program, “The Sabbath in History and Prophecy,” produced by the United Church of God, aired the week of April 7-13, 2013. Hosted by Darris McNeely, this episode recorded an excellent 1,115 total viewer responses on WGN America and the WORD Networks. It placed 7th in overall response and 5th in cost per response out of the 40 programs aired so far this fiscal year.
These results come shortly after Beyond Today program “How Christian is Easter?” hosted by Steve Myers, produced an excellent 1,087 responses during the week of March 17-23, 2013.
The top twelve response-generating programs so far this fiscal year are as follows:
| Beyond Today Program | Week Aired | Host | Response |
| The Rapture: Hope or Hoax? | Jan. 13-19, 2013 | Steve Myers | 1345 |
| Change Your Life Story | Jan. 20-26, 2013 | Gary Petty | 1267 |
| Mideast Family Feud | Nov. 11-17, 2012 | Darris McNeely | 1249 |
| You Are What Your Eat | Sep. 16-22, 2012 | Steve Myers | 1217 |
| Regifting Jesus | Dec. 23-29, 2012 | Gary Petty | 1154 |
| 666 and You! | Feb. 10-16, 2013 | Steve Myers | 1144 |
| The Sabbath in History & Prophecy | Apr. 7-13, 2013 | Darris McNeely | 1115 |
| The Lost Tribes of Israel | Aug. 5-11, 2012 | Darris McNeely | 1107 |
| Will I Go to Heaven? | Nov. 18-24, 2012 | Steve Myers | 1099 |
| How Christian is Easter? | Mar. 17-23, 2013 | Steve Myers | 1087 |
| Bracing For the Beast | Aug. 12-18, 2012 | Steve Myers | 1060 |
| Are You in Sync With God? | Jul. 8-14, 2012 | Gary Petty | 1048 |
We are always deeply grateful for your support and prayers in our unwavering efforts to preach and publish the good news of the Kingdom of God in all the world.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
WORD TV Network Expansion
March 27, 2013
WORD Network Expansion to Increase Global Reach of Beyond Today
The United Church of God has aired the Beyond Today television program on the Word Network since December 2011. This network reaches millions of households in the United States on cable and satellite (please check local listings for channels in your area). The Word Network has also been accessible via satellite to viewers in 200 countries throughout the world on DirecTV, channel 373.
We are pleased to announce that the Word Network is now available on two additional satellites which will help increase the global reach of Beyond Today. These include EB2 (Arabsat) which reaches over 50 million viewers in the Middle East and North Africa and the Optus D2 satellite which can be accessed by over 4 million viewers in Australia and New Zealand.
Channel and transponder information for these satellites will be available in the near future. However, if you are technically inclined and would like data to manually tune your satellite dish to receive the new feeds, please contact Peter Eddington at the United Church of God home office.
Between the Word Network and WGN America, Internet response to Beyond Today has reached 10,415 from 84 countries and territories so far this fiscal year. Additionally, overall response (telephone and Internet) continues on a positive trend. For example, Beyond Today program “How Christian is Easter?” which aired March 17-23, 2013, generated 1,087 responses. This episode placed 9th in overall response out of 37 programs aired this fiscal year. On the Word Network alone this episode placed 4th in terms of response.
We wish to thank you for your unceasing support and prayers for the Church and its vital work around the globe to preach the Gospel of God’s Kingdom. We will certainly keep you updated on further media developments.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
Global Internet Responses to “Beyond Today”
February 20, 2013
On January 2, 2013, the United Church of God posted a long list of countries and territories from which people had responded via the Internet after viewing the first 25 Beyond Today programs this fiscal year.
In that report we stated that since July 2012 a total of 6,737 Internet responses to Beyond Today had been received from 68 countries and territories. As of today (seven weeks later) we are pleased to mention that after having now aired 32 Beyond Today programs, the number of Internet responses has grown to a total of 9,017 from 78 countries and territories.
As an example of weekly Internet response, Beyond Today program “666 and You!,” which aired the week of February 10-16, 2013, generated 366 responses. These came from the following 18 countries and territories—which is the highest weekly country/territory count so far this fiscal year:
- Australia
- Benin
- Canada
- Dominican Republic
- England
- Hong Kong
- India
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Netherlands
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
- United States
Finally, we greatly appreciate your heartfelt and vigorous prayers for God’s generous blessings and guidance. It means a great deal to everyone on our media team.
Sincerely,
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
“WORD Network” Proving to be Valuable BT Vehicle
February 5, 2013
Beyond Today Television
WORD Network Update
We are pleased to report that Beyond Today television program, “Jesus Fasted: Should You?” hosted by Gary Petty, which aired January 27-February 2, 2013, on the WORD Network edged out last week’s highest responding program while generating new record-high numbers.
“Jesus Fasted: Should You?” obtained the highest number of responses and the lowest cost per response (CPR) of all programs aired this fiscal year on the WORD Network. Furthermore, our records indicate this CPR was the lowest ever recorded on any network on which Beyond Today has aired since the United Church of God began airing on commercial television in April 2010.
As you may know, Beyond Today airs on the WORD Network on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. MST/10:30 p.m. PST and on Sunday at 1:30 a.m. EST/12:30 a.m. CST. It also airs on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. CST/10:30 p.m. MST/9:30 p.m. PST and on Thursday at 12:30 a.m. EST.
The WORD Network reaches millions of households in the United States on cable and satellite television (please check your listings for channels in your area). It can also be seen in 200 countries around the world via satellite on DirecTV, channel 373.
In addition, Beyond Today airs throughout the United States on superstation WGN America every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. EST/7:30 a.m. CST/6:30 a.m. MST/5:30 a.m. PST. Please visit the WGN America website
www.wgnamerica.com/schedule to find a station in your area. Insert your zip code into the “Channel Finder” box at the top of the website. Click on the triangle next to the zip code box to view a list of WGN America stations in that area.
Beyond Today airs nationwide across Australia and Canada. For a complete listing of stations please visit our channel guide. Plus, programs can be viewed on-demand on a dedicated Beyond Today television channel on Roku, and can be streamed from Vimeo, Wii, Xbox, PlayStation 3 and Apple TV.
As always, we are very grateful for your enthusiastic support and prayers for all of our continuing media efforts to preach the Gospel of God’s Kingdom throughout the world.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
“Beyond Today” Continues High Responses
February 1, 2013
Beyond Today Program Achieves Second-Highest Response for the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year
Last week we reported that Beyond Today program “The Rapture: Hope or Hoax?”, which aired the week of January 13-19, 2013, generated a record-high response. We are now pleased to inform you that the subsequent Beyond Today program, “Change Your Life Story” hosted by Gary Petty, which aired the week of January 20-26, 2013, produced the second-highest overall response (1,267) this fiscal year.
Response to Beyond Today programs from around the world continues at a solid pace. For example, Internet responses to “Change Your Life Story” came from the following sixteen countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Scotland, South Africa, Sudan and the United States.
We welcome you to watch the upcoming Beyond Today programs for the month of February. These include:
- “Is This the End Time?” to air February 3-9, 2013.
- “666 and You!” to air February 10-16, 2013.
- “72 Hours to Chaos” to air February 17-23, 2013.
- “Christ’s Second Coming: When Predictions Fail” to air February 24 – March 2, 2013.
These will air nationwide on television stations across the United States, Canada and Australia—and can be viewed on-demand on dedicated BeyondTodayTV channels on YouTube, Vimeo, Wii, Xbox and Roku.
As always, we appreciate your diligent prayers for God’s continued blessings on the United Church of God as we strive to preach and publish the good news of the Kingdom. Thank you too for your support of our hard-working media team members.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
NEWS: “Beyond Today” TV Now on Roku
January 30, 2013
We are very pleased to report that Beyond Today television now has a dedicated Roku channel.
Appearing in the “Religion and Spirituality” category, Roku users can now watch Beyond Today any time of the day or night, and on demand and in hi-definition. In addition to our full 30-minute program, BT Dailies are also available. A new 3-minute video is posted every weekday. These include discussion of breaking news items, plus commentary on Christian-living topics and the moral issues of our day.
There are currently 730 channels in 16 categories listed on the Roku channel guide. Roku, founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood, has sold about five million units so far.
Here is a description about Roku from the company’s “about” page:
Roku…is…the market leader in streaming entertainment devices for the TV with millions of units sold. Roku has always believed that anything you want to watch, listen to, and enjoy should simply be there on your TV, whenever you want it. Roku streaming players are renowned for their simplicity, variety of entertainment choices, and exceptional value.
If you have a Roku unit, add Beyond Today to your channel listing now. You can watch each week’s new TV program as soon as it’s posted—n the comfort of your living room at a time that is most convenient for you.
We pray that this additional electronic outlet for Beyond Today and the good news of God’s Kingdom will bear fruit and further the work of the Gospel.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
Record “Beyond Today” TV Response
Beyond Today Generates Record-High Response for the 2012-13 Fiscal Year
January 22, 2013
Beyond Today program “The Rapture: Hope or Hoax?” hosted by Steve Myers, aired the week of January 13-19, 2013. This United Church of God television program generated the highest number of responses (1,345) and the lowest cost per response of all programs aired so far this fiscal year.
Internet responses came from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Granada, Honduras, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad/Tobago and the United States.
Additionally, preliminary telephone-only response of 719 was logged for Beyond Today program “Change Your Life Story” hosted by Gary Petty, which airs this week, January 20-26, 2013. This is the third-highest preliminary response of all programs aired this fiscal year. We believe this program will place in in the top three or four when all Internet, telephone and snail-mail responses are tallied early next week.
We are very pleased with these excellent results and sincerely want to express our thanks to you for your prayers for the Church’s vital Work to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God around the globe.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
