BYUTV Experiencing Major Growth By Chad Phares, Church Magazines Although many say there is nothing good on television and that programming with high moral standards is lacking, BYU Television is showing that there truly is something good on TV and that uplifting programming can not only exist but thrive as well. In 2000, Brigham Young University was granted a community access channel. Without ample time to put together a solid lineup of shows, the station began by running a four-hour loop of programs that were already offered on KBYU, the campus's local broadcast television station. Gradually the kinks were worked out, and a more solid schedule of shows was created. Now, despite its humble beginnings, BYUTV is included on more than 100 cable and satellite systems in various parts of the world and is available in more than 32 million homes. The station can also be viewed all over the world on www.byutv.org. While the station experienced little success during its first few years on the air, there has been a recent explosion of demand for the channel throughout the world that is fueling the station's rapid growth. "In the last 12 to 14 months it's like a dam has broken," said Jim Bell, manager of marketing and communications for BYUTV. As Church members and even those of other faiths have learned of the programming offered by BYUTV, they have petitioned their cable companies to include the station on their channel lineup. In Phoenix, Arizona, a cable company noted an increasing number of cancellations while subscriptions to a local satellite provider in the area increased. Perplexed, the cable company asked its representatives to find out why people were canceling. Representatives found that people were moving to the satellite dish because it carried BYUTV, while the cable company did not. Since that time, the Phoenix cable system has added BYUTV, as have cable companies from many other parts of the world. Recently, a cable company in Lima, Peru, added BYUTV to its lineup. A cable company in American Samoa will soon be adding the channel, and many new inquiries are coming from Latin America. While most of the programming is in English, Brother Bell said there have been discussions about doing more translation work. Regardless, many international viewers aren't bothered by the fact that the broadcast is not in their native language, he said. Brother Bell told of a letter the station received from a woman who wrote that her family doesn't speak English, but they keep their television on BYUTV all the time because it brings the Spirit into their home. She said that when President Gordon B. Hinckley is on TV, the parents are able to show their children the prophet and explain that he is the man they speak of all the time. Depending on when a person tunes in, he or she could see anything from an opera about Abinadi to broadcasts of BYU basketball games. With the diverse programming that is available, the station hopes that it will continue to appeal to members and those of other faiths. Based on the demand and growth the station has seen recently, the current trends seem as if they will continue, Brother Bell said. "We used to be almost begging people to show us, but now we can almost just sit back and take the calls," he said.