EWTN facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
EWTN

EWTN's main studio in Irondale, Alabama
Country	United States
Broadcast area	Worldwide Canada
Headquarters	Irondale, Alabama
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i HDTV (downscaled to 480i for the SD feed)
Ownership
Owner	Eternal Word Television Network Inc. (a non-profit corporation)
History
Launched	August 15, 1981; 43 years ago (1981-08-15)
Availability
Terrestrial
WEWN (Eternal Word Radio Network)	Shortwave radio frequencies AM/FM affiliates
Streaming media
LIVE Stream	Live TV Stream

The Eternal Word Television Network, known as EWTN, is a TV channel from America. It shows Catholic programs all day, every day. It's the biggest Catholic TV network in America. It's also called "the world's largest religious media network." EWTN says it reaches 425 million people in 160 countries.

A special nun named Mother Angelica PCPA started EWTN in 1980. The channel began broadcasting on August 15, 1981. It started in a small studio in a garage. This garage was at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama. Mother Angelica had founded this monastery in 1962. She had her own show called Mother Angelica Live. She stopped hosting in 2001 because of health problems. Today, Michael P. Warsaw leads EWTN. He also advises the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications.

Besides its TV channel, EWTN owns other media. It bought the National Catholic Register newspaper in 2011. It also owns Catholic News Agency. EWTN has a website, EWTN.com, and a shopping site, EWTNReligiousCatalogue.com. There's also a 24-hour radio network. This radio network shares Catholic talks and worship programs. It reaches about 350 radio stations in the U.S. You can also find it on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and shortwave radio. Some radio shows are audio from EWTN TV shows. Others are made just for radio listeners.

EWTN's regular shows include a daily Holy Mass. Sometimes it's in the traditional Tridentine Mass style. They also show the traditional Stations of the Cross. A daily recorded Rosary prayer is also broadcast. There are daily and weekly news shows. You can also find discussion and teaching programs for all ages. Special programs are shown for Christmas and Easter. They cover events like new bishops or cardinals being installed. EWTN also covers World Youth Days. They show papal visits, funerals, and elections. Programs are also available in Spanish. EWTN started broadcasting in high-definition television on December 8, 2009.

The network is run by a group of trustees. This means it doesn't have owners or shareholders. All of EWTN's money comes from donations from viewers. This helps them avoid showing ads for non-Catholic or secular programs.

How EWTN Started

Mother Angelica became a nun in 1953. In 1962, she started the Our Lady of the Angels monastery. In the 1970s, she was a popular speaker. She also made pamphlets, audio, and video tapes. She appeared on other TV shows. After an interview in Chicago, she wanted her own TV channel. She thought, "It doesn't take much to reach many people." She decided she needed her own station.

Mother Angelica bought satellite time. EWTN began broadcasting on August 15, 1981. It started with four hours of programs each day. This included her show, Mother Angelica Live. It also had a Sunday Mass. Older Catholic shows like Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's Life Is Worth Living were also shown. Other programs came from different Catholic groups. Some shows were from Protestant sources. Mother Angelica made sure these shows fit Catholic teachings. There were also children's shows like Joy Junction.

About one-third of the early programs were not religious. These included reruns of The Bill Cosby Show. They also showed old movies, cooking shows, and westerns. EWTN slowly increased its broadcast time. By 1986, it was broadcasting eight hours a day. Non-religious content was slowly removed between 1986 and 1988. EWTN started broadcasting 24 hours a day in late 1987. At this time, EWTN began showing the Rosary prayer daily. They also added more educational shows. The network started making more of its own programs. Daily Mass began to be televised in 1991. Most shows from non-Catholic sources were removed. The channel became more focused on Catholic teachings.

In 2000, Mother Angelica gave control of EWTN to a group of lay people. This means people who are not priests or nuns. This happened during a review of her authority. Michael P. Warsaw became the network's leader in 2011. As of 2019, EWTN programs are available in many ways. You can watch on over 6,000 TV channels. You can also watch on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and YouTube. EWTN has offices in Washington, D.C. for its news team. It also has a broadcast center in Garden Grove, California.

Other Media from EWTN

Radio Programs

In 1992, EWTN started WEWN. This was the largest privately owned shortwave radio station. It broadcasts from Vandiver, Alabama. In 1996, Mother Angelica announced that EWTN would share its radio signal for free. This allowed AM and FM stations across the U.S. to carry EWTN programs.

In 1999, radio programs included Mother Angelica Live. They also had "Life Is Worth Living" with Fulton J. Sheen. Today, radio programs include Open Line. On this show, callers can ask questions about the Catholic Faith. In 2004, EWTN made a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. EWTN broadcasts on Channel 130 on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. As of August 2020, EWTN Radio works with 384 stations in the U.S. It works with over 500 stations worldwide.

Newspapers and News

In January 2011, EWTN bought the National Catholic Register. This newspaper started in 1924. EWTN took full control on February 1, 2011. EWTN also owns Catholic News Agency. This is a Catholic news service. It has offices in America, Latin America, and Europe.

The EWTN news team creates daily news for TV and radio. They use news from sources like Vatican Radio. EWTN has 30 staff members just covering the Vatican. This is more than many other English news groups. Tracy Sabol is the main anchor for EWTN News Nightly. This is the network's most popular news show.

EWTN also produces The World Over Live. This show reports on important current events. Raymond Arroyo, EWTN's news director, hosts the program. The show often shares conservative views.

How EWTN is Funded

EWTN is run by trustees, not by owners or shareholders. Most of the network's money comes from viewer donations. They say they are "100% viewer supported." This helps them avoid showing ads for non-Catholic programs. Their famous request for donations is: "Keep us between your gas and electric bill!"

History of Programs

EWTN was founded by Mother Angelica in 1980. It started broadcasting on August 15, 1981. The first studio was in a garage. This garage was at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama. Mother Angelica founded this monastery in 1962.

Capitol Hill reporter Erik Rosales interviewing Congresswoman Debbie Lesko in 2020

Mother Angelica hosted Mother Angelica Live. She stopped after having a major stroke in 2001. Now, reruns of her show are aired. They are called Best of Mother Angelica Live or Mother Angelica Live Classics. From 2001 until her death in 2016, she lived a quiet life. She was at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.

In its early years, EWTN showed many types of Catholic programs. These included charismatic programs. They also had shows about social justice. There were also teaching programs hosted by clergy. The network started daily Rosary broadcasts in 1987. Daily Mass began in 1991.

In the early 1990s, EWTN started making more of its own shows. This led to a more traditional focus. Programs about social reform were slowly removed. They were replaced with shows about Catholic teachings and discussions. The daily televised Masses also changed. In 1992, they started using Latin in the Mass. They also slowly removed modern music. On Christmas Eve in 1993, Mother Angelica and her nuns returned to wearing traditional habits.

Two well-known weekly programs are The Journey Home and Life on the Rock. The Journey Home is hosted by Marcus Grodi. It features people who have become Catholic. Most guests were once Protestant. But sometimes, people from other faiths or former atheists appear. Life on the Rock is hosted by Rev. Mark Mary, MFVA.

EWTN's HD (high-definition) channel became available in 2010. In October 2011, EWTN became available on the Roku streaming player. Roku offers six live EWTN channels for free. These include English, Spanish, and German languages. Users can watch the channel on their TVs. Also, some EWTN programs can be watched anytime. A live feed of EWTN Radio is also available.

EWTN often airs special programs. These include holiday shows. They cover the deaths of Popes. They also show Papal conclaves, elections, and visits. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Easter Masses are broadcast. They also cover the installation of bishops and cardinals. And they show World Youth Days.

EWTN's main news program is EWTN News Nightly. Tracy Sabol hosts it. It features reporters like Erik Rosales, Owen T. Jensen, Mark Irons, and Colm Flynn.

How Many People Watch EWTN

EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world. It says it reaches a quarter-billion people in 140 countries. In the United States, EWTN is not officially rated. But many articles say millions of viewers watch each month. On YouTube and other social media, EWTN has over 1,000,000 followers. EWTN is also available on streaming services like Roku, Kindle, and Apple TV. EWTN's website gets three to four million visits each month. In the United States, EWTN is available through most cable and satellite TV companies. It reaches about 70 million homes. In 2019, EWTN had an income of over $64 million. It received a good rating from Charity Navigator.

List of Programs

EWTN's Look and Feel

EWTN's logo has always included a globe shape. This shows the network's goal to reach the whole world. The logo often has an outline of St. Peter's Basilica's dome. This is inside a picture of a satellite dish. When EWTN started, it was called the "Catholic Cable Network." In 1995, it changed to "International Catholic Network." Then in 1996, it became the "Global Catholic Network." This happened as it started broadcasting worldwide.

TV Stations that Show EWTN

• K14RB-D channel 14.2, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
• WORO-DT channel 13.2, Fajardo/San Juan, Puerto Rico
• KDEO-LD channel 23.1, Denver, Colorado
• W09DJ-D channel 8.1, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania
• K17KW-D channel 17.1, Gettysburg/Pierre, South Dakota

See Also

In Spanish: EWTN para niños