Faith & Values Media
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Faith & Values Media, with headquarters in New York City, is the nation's largest coalition of Abrahamic faith groups dedicated to media production, distribution and promotion. Its member association is made up of denominations, organizations and individuals who encompass Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions in the United States. A list of members is available on faithandvaluesmedia.org. Faith & Values Media is a service of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc., established in 1987.
In the late 1980s, the American religious community was shaken by widespread reports of financial mismanagement and personal misconduct on the part of several well-known television ministry personalities. In the wake of this news, leaders from the cable industry began to encourage a group of communications executives from Christian and Jewish faith groups to explore the possibility of starting a new religious channel for cable distribution.
This group formally incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation on December 23, 1987. The new company was called the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc. (NICC), with its principal offices at 74 Trinity Place in New York City.
On September 19, 1988, NICC launched the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network (VISN). The group adopted as basic tenets that the channel would represent faith groups fairly and equitably. Also, in an effort to restore respectability to religious television programs, the channel would prohibit all forms of on-air fund-raising, proselytizing and maligning of other faith groups.
Since 2000, NICC has been doing business as Faith & Values Media. Its membership now encompasses Christian, Jewish and Islamic faith groups, organizations and individuals
In the years from 1988 to 2001, the channel operated under the names of VISN-ACTS, the Faith and Values Channel, and the Odyssey Network. A 1998 partnership with Hallmark Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company eventually led to the re-launching of the network under a new name – Hallmark Channel – in August 2001.
Currently, Faith & Values Media airs 11 hours of programming each week on Hallmark Channel, including “Naomi’s New Morning,” hosted by Naomi Judd, and “New Morning,” hosted by Timberly Whitfield. Occasional primetime specials are also produced by Faith & Values Media for Hallmark Channel.
