ITV will broadcast just one hour of religious programming this year while Five will not show any, the channels have admitted to the Church of England. Adding to fears that Britain’s commercial television stations no longer see the value of traditional shows about faith, Channel 4 has scrapped the post of Commissioning Editor for Religion. The channels say audiences are no longer interested in programmes solely about religion, so they cannot afford to continue making them. It leaves the BBC as the main provider of religious documentaries and acts of worship on television whose public service licence requires BBC1 and BBC2 to broadcast 110 hours a year. However, BBC’s coverage of spiritual matters has been criticised by senior clergy who says it risks treating Christianity like a ‘rare species’. ITV and Channel 5 both cite economic pressures to target larger audiences as the reason to cut religious broadcasting that attracts smaller audiences.

Pray: for ITV management to rethink their schedules and retain some religious broadcasting. (Gen.4:7)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7846218/ITV-will-broadcast-just-one-hour-of-religious-programming-this-year.html