Gospel Music Network
Encyclopedia
The Gospel Music Network was a commercial Christian
cable television
station which launched in 1986 by Bill and Linda Airy. At the time, the Airy's owned a full-service advertising agency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the agency's clients was Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group. In 1986, Pepsi-Cola was interested in reaching an African-American audience for its Mountain Dew product. Research indicated that gospel music was a possible area for Mountain Dew sponsorship. With no gospel music programming available nationwide on any existing network, the Airy's decided to launch a channel and Gospel Music Network (GMN) was born. A guiding tenet was that GMN would never ask for donations on-air but would rely on advertising sponsorships and license fees from distributors.
Initially funded directly by the Airy's, GMN's format was similar to that of MTV
, mostly featuring music video
s. The network did not limit itself to particular styles of music, playing everything from southern
and black gospel to the full spectrum of Contemporary Christian music
. According to CCM Magazine
it was the first network of its type. Later networks with similar programming include Z Music Television
and the Gospel Music Channel
.
After one year the channel had a viewership potential of two million people. In 1988, GMN was in negotiations for carriage with Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI), a large cable MSO based in Englewood, CO. During those negotiations, TCI broached the issue of broadening GMN's line up to include programming from a wide variety of faith traditions - Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish. TCI was interested in having one faith-based channel that would eschew on-air fundraising and that would serve the entire faith community as opposed to a channel for each individual denomination. In 1989, the Airy's sold their advertising agency, moved their family to Denver, and Bill Airy began working for TCI as president of VISN Group, Inc., a new TCI subsidiary formed to merge GMN with the television programming efforts of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition (NICC), a coalition of various leaders from the mainline faith community loosely affiliated with the National Council of Churches. TCI agreed to underwrite the development of the new network (initially known as Vision Interfaith Satellite Network or VISN) which combined GMN with the programming available from NICC.
Ultimately VISN became the Faith & Values Channel in the mid 1990s and was eventually acquired by the Hallmark Channel
. By the time Z Music Television was founded in 1991 there was no dedicated outlet for Christian music videos.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
station which launched in 1986 by Bill and Linda Airy. At the time, the Airy's owned a full-service advertising agency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the agency's clients was Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group. In 1986, Pepsi-Cola was interested in reaching an African-American audience for its Mountain Dew product. Research indicated that gospel music was a possible area for Mountain Dew sponsorship. With no gospel music programming available nationwide on any existing network, the Airy's decided to launch a channel and Gospel Music Network (GMN) was born. A guiding tenet was that GMN would never ask for donations on-air but would rely on advertising sponsorships and license fees from distributors.
Initially funded directly by the Airy's, GMN's format was similar to that of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, mostly featuring music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. The network did not limit itself to particular styles of music, playing everything from southern
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
and black gospel to the full spectrum of Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
. According to CCM Magazine
CCM Magazine
CCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the...
it was the first network of its type. Later networks with similar programming include Z Music Television
Z Music Television
Z Music sought to place itself in a market segment that would be visible, even inviting, to non Christians while maintaining a direct appeal to Christians. For instance in advertising the network would downplay the word "Christianity;" sometimes the word would not appear...
and the Gospel Music Channel
Gospel Music Channel
gmc is an American satellite and cable television channel, known from its 2004 launch until February 1, 2010 as Gospel Music Channel. It is also available in high-definition as a separate channel called gmcHD ....
.
After one year the channel had a viewership potential of two million people. In 1988, GMN was in negotiations for carriage with Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI), a large cable MSO based in Englewood, CO. During those negotiations, TCI broached the issue of broadening GMN's line up to include programming from a wide variety of faith traditions - Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish. TCI was interested in having one faith-based channel that would eschew on-air fundraising and that would serve the entire faith community as opposed to a channel for each individual denomination. In 1989, the Airy's sold their advertising agency, moved their family to Denver, and Bill Airy began working for TCI as president of VISN Group, Inc., a new TCI subsidiary formed to merge GMN with the television programming efforts of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition (NICC), a coalition of various leaders from the mainline faith community loosely affiliated with the National Council of Churches. TCI agreed to underwrite the development of the new network (initially known as Vision Interfaith Satellite Network or VISN) which combined GMN with the programming available from NICC.
Ultimately VISN became the Faith & Values Channel in the mid 1990s and was eventually acquired by the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
. By the time Z Music Television was founded in 1991 there was no dedicated outlet for Christian music videos.