145,000 Responses To “Beyond Today” TV
December 12, 2012
Beyond Today Television Results
Since the inception of the United Church of God’s Beyond Today television program, we have received more than 145,00 direct responses asking for the literature offered. This figure does not include the many website visitors that go online immediately upon viewing the program to read more about the topic.
The chart below shows results for each year since 2006. We are experiencing a very encouraging increase year-to-year. In addition, we are pleased to report that dozens of baptisms and new attendees have resulted from those who first found out about the gospel of the Kingdom of God from our television effort.
Please see the rise in responses year-to-year from 2006 through 2012 in the following chart:
Beyond Today TV Results
2006-2012
- Beyond Today television airs nationwide on WGN America and the WORD Network. (We end our contract with World Harvest Network, METV and FETV on December 31 due to budget cuts.) We are on an additional two dozen cable-access stations sponsored by members. Please visit our station listing page for times and channels that include the United States, Canada and Australia.
- In addition, Beyond Today has it’s own YouTube channel and we have had 2.4 million views of our programs and video blogs.
- We are now in the process of creating a public Roku channel for Beyond Today.
The top response program so far this fiscal year is “Middle East Family Feud” by Darris McNeely that aired the week of November 11-17; followed by “You Are What You Eat” by Steve Myers that aired the week of September 16-12.
In years past, the Church of God always capitalized on the emerging media of the time—whether it was the printed word, radio or television. Today it is no different, and so areas that we are tapping into more effectively include television and streaming and on-demand video.
Television is an important part of our three-fold media mix that includes our printed literature and our website. Please continue to remember the work of preaching the gospel of God’s Kingdom in your daily prayers.
Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services
Australia Adds New “Beyond Today” Airtime
September 11, 2012
Recent negotiations with the Australian broadcast TV station 4ME resulted in a contract being signed whereby, beginning September 22, 2012, the Beyond Today program will be aired every Saturday and Sunday morning throughout mainland Australia. This additional broadcasting time will be supported by a 30 second ad, to be aired at least five times a week on 4ME, promoting the program.
Since the Beyond Today program began airing in Australia on 4ME in February, 2012, over 5,300 people in Australia have visited the beyondtoday.tv website and over 430 people have contacted the Australian National Office and there are already two or three of these people attending the United Church of God as a result of their contact with the program
Airing times nationwide Saturday and Sunday are now as follows:
During Daylight Saving (begins October 7 2012; ends April 7, 2013:
- 6:30 a.m. (NSW, VIC, ACT)
- 6:00 a.m. (SA)
- 5:30 a.m. (QLD)
- 3:30 a.m. (WA)
After Daylight Saving:
- 6:30am (NSW, VIC, ACT)
- 6:00am (SA)
- 6:30am (QLD)
- 4:30am (WA)
Ruth Root—Media Coordinator, United Church of God–Australia
Airtime Change: WORD Network for Wednesdays
July 9, 2012
Airtime Change Announced
Airtime changes for the Beyond Today television program, sponsored by the United Church of God, occurred July 4, 2012 on the WORD Network. Beyond Today no longer airs on Wednesday afternoons—having now moved to Wednesday evenings. Beyond Today now airs on Wednesdays at 11:30 p.m. CST, 10:30 p.m. MST, 9:30 p.m. PST and Thursday, 12:30 a.m. EST.
Beyond Today continues to air on the WORD Network on Saturday, 11:30 p.m., MST, 10:30 p.m. PST and on Sunday, 1:30 a.m. EST and 12:30 a.m. CST.
The WORD Network reaches 75 million 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.
Thank you for your vital support and prayers for the Beyond Today television.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
BT Daily: Seven Years of “Beyond Today” TV
June 9, 2012
We’re approaching seven years of Beyond Today television production and have almost 200 programs recorded.
The program airs nationwide weekly on WGN America and on the WORD Network. The WORD Network also offers us global satellite coverage in almost 200 countries. Plus, Beyond Today can be seen on Velugu TV on I.P. platforms around the world.
Our presenters—Darris McNeely, Steve Myers and Gary Petty— look back on this time period and give their perspective and offer lessons learned in the Friday, June 8, edition of BT Daily. It’s been a very profitable seven years for this important United Church of God proclamation effort.
BT Dailies are posted five days a week and offer analysis of breaking news and prophetic events, and also answer viewers biblical questions. You can subscribe to receive a notice from YouTube whenever a new video is posted on our Beyond Today YouTube channel.
Please continue to ask our Father in Heaven to bless this and other efforts of UCG to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God in print, on the air and on the Internet.
Peter Eddington—Producer, Beyond Today
Beyond Today TV: Seven Years in Canada
May 30, 2012
Beyond Today Canadian Update
On May 21, 2006, the first Beyond Today television program aired in Canada from coast to coast. A total of 20 responses were recorded from that program. From that modest beginning, our responses now average about 75 per week.
Three-hundred and thirteen weeks later, we entered our seventh year of airing the program in Canada.
Watch this week’s “Beyond Today” program: “Calling Evil Good.”
During that time a total of 23,388 responses have been recorded. Nearly 80% of those responses have been phone calls from viewers of the program on Vision TV and the Grace Television Network (formerly The Christian Channel). Just over 20% of all the responses have been from the beyondtoday.tv website with the balance coming via mail.
Vision TV is available with most basic cable television packages in Canada while the Grace Television Network is available to digital and satellite television subscribers. Vision Television typically brings in about 80-85% of the phone responses due to its more widespread availability.
New people account for well over 50% of all the responses received. Nearly 13,000 new people have been added to our database as a result of Beyond Today in Canada.
The table below shows the number of responses we’ve received in each year of airing the program in Canada:
|
Year |
Responses |
Weekly Average |
|
Year 1 |
1,761 |
33.9 |
|
Year 2 |
2,037 |
39.2 |
|
Year 3 |
3,496 |
67.2 |
|
Year 4 |
3,457 |
66.5 |
|
Year 5 |
5,993 |
113.1 |
|
Year 6 |
6,643 |
127.8 |
Our cost per response has dropped by over 50% over the past two years primarily as a result of the increase in responses.
In September 2010, the Canadian office mailing address was added in the program. Since that time, we’ve received about 200 letters from viewers. These letters account for 0.8% of all the responses received to date. Here is a small sample of comments received:
- “I watch Beyond Today at 10:30 p.m. Sunday on Vision TV. I find it very interesting and it helps me to go to my Bible and search.”
- “I am a regular listener of your television programming. It’s inspiring and educational. I would like to continue to be a regular subscriber to your magazine. I do enjoy reading them.”
- “On the Beyond Today TV program you told us the importance of listening and abiding by God’s instructions regarding clean and unclean meats. Would you send a copy of this booklet?”
While a large number of viewers only respond to one program, there are many others who respond to multiple programs.
Several pastors across Canada report new attendees at Sabbath services as a result of Beyond Today.
As we enter our seventh year of airing Beyond Today in Canada we look forward to many more positive results endeavouring to fulfill the words in Matthew 28:19-20.
UCG Canada Media Team
“Beyond Today” program “Easter Exposed” Generates Excellent Response
April 4, 2012
Beyond Today program “Easter Exposed” aired the week of March 25-31, 2012. Hosted by Steve Myers, this third-time repeat episode on WGN America generated an impressive 1,178 total viewer responses. It claimed third place ranking out of the 38 episodes aired so far this fiscal year and it also obtained the lowest cost per response over that same period. Once again, the high-level of viewer response to repeat programs such as this one on WGN America, tells us that new audience members are regularly being attracted to United Church of God produced television programs.
Additionally, we are pleased to mention that our recently acquired airtime on the WORD Network continues to attract a growing Beyond Today viewership. The “Easter Exposed” program drew a record 216 responses from our Sunday and Thursday airtime positions. It also produced the lowest cost per response to date on this network.
These results come on the heels of the previous week’s program, “The Millennium: Christ’s Rule on Earth,” hosted by Darris McNeely. It too had attracted the highest response to that point on the WORD Network and yet “Easter Exposed” edged it out slightly to gain the top response position.
Furthermore, these two programs attracted Internet responses from 16 countries! As you may know that the WORD Network airs on U.S cable stations but it also broadcasts on DirecTV satellite television on channel 373 in the U.S. and in many other nations. Internet responses came from the following countries during the past two weeks alone: Austria, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Malaysia, Netherlands Antilles, Pakistan, Philippines, St. Kitts and Nevis, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago and United States. It is very gratifying and rewarding to see the Church’s efforts to proclaim the Kingdom of God continuing to produce such excellent fruit.
As always, please keep praying for our fine Beyond Today hosts, Gary Petty, Steve Myers and Darris McNeely as well as our hard-working production staff. We deeply depend on God’s guidance and inspiration every minute of every day and we appreciate your vital help in asking God to always lead, motivate and strengthen us. We also need your prayers “that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1) and that it is not hindered or obstructed in any way. This too is vitally important.
Finally, we wish to thank you so much for your outstanding support and encouragement for all of the Church’s ongoing efforts to preach the Gospel throughout the world. It is sincerely and gratefully appreciated.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
“Beyond Today” Airing Nationwide in Australia
January 31, 2012
The United Church of God is pleased to announce that starting February 12 the Beyond Today television program will be airing nationwide across Australia every Sunday morning on channel 4ME TV. Please see the above graphic for times in each state.
We would like to ask for prayers for this growing television media initiative in Australia. There is certainly some fine material available and the Beyond Today presenters and the media team do a wonderful job.
Ruth Root—Media Coordinator, Australia
“Beyond Today” Record Response and “Word Network” Update
December 28, 2011
Beyond Today Posts Another Record High Response
Beyond Today program ”What is the Real Meaning of Christ’s Birth?” hosted by Darris McNeely, aired on Sunday, December 18, 2011. This episode generated record-setting response out of the 24 programs aired since July 10, 2011. It attracted 1,198 responses.
Please see below for the top ten programs aired since July 2011. It’s interesting to note that even many of our repeat programs are doing better the second time around, showing that our television audience is growing:
Word Network Update
Also, as a reminder, beginning December 29, 2011, our programs will air twice a week on the Word Network at the following airtimes. Please note that we switched from Tuesdays to Thursdays, so you may have to update your congregation announcement bulletins:
- Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. EST; 4:30 p.m. CST; 3:30 p.m. MST; 2:30 p.m. PST.
- Sundays at 1:30 a.m. EST; 12:30 a.m. CST; 11:30 p.m. MST (Saturday); 10:30 p.m. PST (Saturday).
While the Thursday airtimes on the Word Network were selected to test weekday viewership and response in the United States, the Sunday/Saturday airtimes were chosen especially to reach points eastward during Sunday daylight hours in many nations. While viewers should check their local listings for Word Network cable channels, all of its DIRECTV satellite programming can be seen on channel 373 around the world.
Finally, we greatly appreciate your constant prayers for the Church and its critical work around the globe.
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
If Christ is Not in Christmas, Then Where Is He?
December 14, 2011
If Christ is not in Christmas, then where is He? Each year controversy erupts over Christmas in the public square. Is this the way it should be? A national group is asking officials in the southern New Jersey town of Pitman to take down a banner that says “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
View today’s episode of the United Church of God’s video blog, BT Daily, for a discussion on this controversy. And, while you’re there, browse through archives from more than 20 episodes recorded over the past three weeks.
One of the more popular blogs, with more than 1,000 views so far, is Daniel Part 1 – Do You See the Handwriting on the Wall? More importantly, can you understand what it means?
Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services
Clarification: “Word Network” Air Times
December 11, 2011
There has been some confusion about our upcoming Beyond Today airings on the Word Network because of the Saturday night airtime being so close to midnight. It’s actually very early Sunday morning on the East Coast of the United States. So, to help clarify, below is a corrected description. Please note that in much of the rest the of the world, our program will air at very good times on Sunday each week.
Beginning December 27, 2011, our programs will air twice a week on the Word Network at the following airtimes:
- Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. EST, 1:30 p.m. CST, 12:30 p.m. MST, 11:30 a.m. PST.
- Sundays at 1:30 a.m. EST, 12:30 a.m. CST, 11:30 p.m. MST (Saturday), 10:30 p.m. PST (Saturday).
While the Tuesday airtimes have been selected to test weekday viewership and response in the United States, the Saturday/Sunday airtimes were chosen particularly to reach points eastward during daylight hours in many nations. For example, Beyond Today will air on Sundays in the United Kingdom at 6:30 a.m.; France, Italy and Poland at 7:30 a.m.; South Africa and Israel at 8:30 a.m.; Philippines at 2:30 p.m.; South Korea and Japan at 3:30 p.m.; Sydney, Australia at 5:30 p.m.; and New Zealand at 6:30 p.m.
Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services
