August 26, 2002
SBC's FamilyNet to become for-profit entity
___FORT WORTH (BP)--The North American Mission Board's broadcast communications unit based in Fort Worth will spin off a for-profit subsidiary, if given approval by the Southern Baptist Convention.
___Under a proposal adopted by NAMB trustees in a called meeting Aug. 13, the FamilyNet television network would become a separate for-profit entity.
___FamilyNet currently provides a variety of religious and family programming to 165 cable-TV and lower-power broadcast stations nationwide. Most of the network's affiliates are low-power stations, resulting in spotty coverage not accessible by the majority of the nation.
"We can't keep on spinning this wheel. If we're not going to do it, then let's go ahead and ask the question, 'When are we going to get out of it?' Those are the options that we're facing." --NAMB President Bob Reccord
___NAMB officials said the new structure would allow FamilyNet to expand its financial base, increase its programming and increase its viewership.
___Southern Baptists have engaged in broadcast ministries for several decades but attempted to gain a major presence in the television market in the late 1970s and early '80s with creation of the ACTS network. That effort foundered primarily due to lack of funding.
___NAMB President Bob Reccord told trustees that at the time of ACTS' launch, SBC leaders were told by a leading Christian broadcaster that $35 million would be needed to make a "significant impact." That kind of money has not been available through the denominational pipeline.
___Even today, FamilyNet, which is a successor to ACTS, receives only a $3 million annual subsidy through the NAMB budget. The network operates on that and an additional $3 million in advertising revenue.
___"In order to be significant contributors in the area of media in America, Southern Baptists--while having all the desire and the intent--have not been able to do what a national television network ought to do," Reccord told trustees.
___NAMB officials hope creating a for-profit broadcast entity will attract investors, and they believe the timing is right.
___"There are investors who are interested in partnering with us to take this to the next level," said Randy Singer, NAMB's executive vice president. "Someone asked ..., 'Why didn't you do this before?' The answer is, we weren't ready before. Three years ago, no one was interested in this network."
___NAMB would retain majority ownership and representation on the new FamilyNet's board of directors. The SBC also would retain controlling influence over placement of any "religious" programming. Partners would be required to acknowledge agreement with the SBC's doctrinal guidelines.
___Reccord told trustees he hopes FamilyNet can become "the voice of mainline evangelical Christianity in America via television."
___"This is a wonderful, fabulous opportunity to get evangelical doctrine out across America and around the world," echoed Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston and a member of FamilyNet's board of directors.
___Reccord explained that viability in the television industry hinges on distribution. A potential audience of 30 million homes is generally considered the break-even point for a national network, he said.
___It's time for Southern Baptists to either get serious about television broadcasting or get out, Reccord told trustees. "We can't keep on spinning this wheel. If we're not going to do it, then let's go ahead and ask the question, 'When are we going to get out of it?' Those are the options that we're facing."
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