 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | Miracle Channel |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | The Miracle Channel Association |
| History | |
First air date | January 14, 1996 (1996-01-14) |
Former call signs | CJIL-TV (1996–2011) |
Former channel numbers | Analog: 17 (UHF, 1996–2011) |
Call sign meaning | "Christ Jesus is Lord" |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 8.6kW |
| HAAT | 133.5 m (438 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 49°46′47″N112°52′18″W / 49.77972°N 112.87167°W /49.77972; -112.87167 |
| Translator(s) | see§ Transmitters |
| Links | |
| Website | miraclechannel |
CJIL-DT (channel 17) brandedMiracle Channel, is aChristianreligious television station inLethbridge, Alberta, Canada, owned by The Miracle Channel Association. The station's studios are located on 31 Street North in Lethbridge, and its transmitter is located onHighway 25 north of the city.
Launched in 1996, CJIL was the firstover-the-air religious TV station in Canada. It has been carried oncable andsatellite providers in other parts of Canada since 2000.
TheCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granted abroadcasting licence to Dick and Joan Dewert (also known as Dick and Joan Deweert) on April 4, 1995.[1] It debuted on January 14, 1996, broadcasting in southern Alberta, after Canada's 60-year ban onreligious broadcasting was lifted. It expanded nationally on September 11, 2000. CJIL was the Canadian partner of the U.S. religious broadcasterTrinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). (The Dewerts had set up an unlicensedrelay 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.
In 1999 and 2001, two additional transmitters were approved by the CRTC to be added inBow Island andBurmis.
On May 20, 2007, Dick Dewert admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned from the station. Joan Dewert resigned as well.[2][3] Mervyn Mediwake was installed as theinterimCEO.[4] 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 theWinnipeg-based Springs Church, as permanent CEO.[5]
On July 8, 2013, TBN announced a partnership with Miracle Channel. As a result, Miracle Channel began airing some of TBN's flagship programs, includingPraise the Lord andBehind The Scenes, while TBN's networks picked up some of Miracle Channel's programs, including Springs Church services, andThe Leon Show onThe Church Channel. Plans were also announced for Fontaine to be a regular host onPraise 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.[6] The move came weeks followingDaystar's announcement of a similar program supply deal with Grace TV, which would soon be rebrandedDaystar Canada.[7]
On September 19, 2017, the channel premiered a daily newscast,Bridge City News, hosted by Hal Roberts.
In 2024, MCA received approval for a newdiscretionary specialty channel known as Corco, dedicated primarily to family-oriented programming and a limited amount of religious content.[8] In February 2025, it relaunched as a Canadian version ofMerit TV as part of an agreement withPhil McGraw's Merit Street Media.[9]
In 2007, The 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 theCrossroads 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.[citation needed]
The Miracle Channel Review, a Christian-run website unaffiliated with the network, has been critical of the Dewerts and other personalities over theprosperity gospel message they have preached during CJIL's fundraisingtelethons.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.[10]
| Station | City of licence | Channel | ERP | HAAT | Transmitter Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJIL-TV-1 | Bow Island | 39 (UHF) | 13.86 kW | 112 m | 49°47′8″N111°19′29″W / 49.78556°N 111.32472°W /49.78556; -111.32472 (CJIL-TV-1) |
On March 30, 1999, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Bow Island on channel 39.[11]
On August 30, 2001, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Burmis on channel 55.[12]