CJIL-DT

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CJIL-DT, branded on-air as Miracle Channel, is a Canadian English-language Christian-based television station licensed to and based in Lethbridge, Alberta. It was the first over-the-air religious TV station in Canada.

History

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granted a broadcasting licence 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 sixty-year ban on religious broadcasting 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 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.

On May 20, 2007, Dick Dewert admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned from the station. Joan Dewert resigned as well. extra-marital relationship. Mervyn Mediwake was installed as the interim CEO. 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-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. 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.

Over-the-air in Alberta

In 2007, 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.

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. CJIL has since claimed to have revised its fundraising policies. Thibault's criticism of CJIL became the subject of an investigative report about the station's financial practices on CBC News at Six.

Transmitters

Station	City of licence	Channel	ERP	HAAT	Transmitter Coordinates
CJIL-TV-1	Bow Island	39 (UHF)	13.86 kW	112 m	49°47′8″N 111°19′29″W

External links

• The Miracle Channel
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• The Miracle Channel Review
• CJIL-TV in the REC Canadian station database
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