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USA/Nigeria: Christian Church Launches Media Network

Posted on: Tuesday, 23 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Text of report by Nigerian newspaper Vanguard website on 23 August

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has launched its own comprehensive media network, the Dove Media Group Inc., which will allow and enable the church play a more active role in the propagation of the gospel of Christ worldwide. The network has its corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas, USA, with active subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. The company is registered in Nigeria as Redeemed Global Media Plc, while in the UK, it is known as Dove Media Group (UK) Ltd.

Chief Executive Officer of the Media Group, Pastor Ajibike Akinkoye, while unfolding the structure of the group, said it operates in four major areas: television; shortwave radio and internet radio; webcasting and internet shopping and; Global Vision, an international Christian magazine which is the print arm of the group.

According to a statement signed by the national coordinator, Media and Public Relations Office, RCCG, Pastor Segun Adegbiji, the company has acquired a television network known as UATV (Urban America TV Network), the only minority certified television network in America with over 75 affiliate stations. It started transmission into Nigeria and the rest of West Africa in December 2004. The company is also building an intercontinental platform on which to transmit our Christian programmes: DoveVision, DoveMovies, DoveMusic, etc. The statement also added that Dove Media Group (UK) Ltd. has acquired a popular channel on an existing platform in the UK i.e. B-SKY-B (British Sky Broadcasting) and now transmits on channel 247, which RCCG has rechristened Channel Twenty-four-seven. The TV arm of the group has started transmission on the platform of TITV (Trumpet Internet Television).

The company has also acquired two shortwave radio frequencies broadcasting to the northern and southern hemispheres on 15.250 MHz (megahertz) and 5.5 MHz respectively, the same frequencies already made famous by the well-known Voice of America. We also operate a 24/ 7 internet network, in addition to RCCG Radio, which is streamed on the RCCG website that has now become a part of the Dove Media Group. The site has been rated number 18 in the world, by AudioRem, a Denver, Colorado-based rating agency. The vision of the directorate of Dove Media Group is to make the websites number one in the world, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the church has tendered unreserved apologies for the non-live transmission of the North American 9th Annual Convention held in June 2005, contrary to the promise of the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Explaining the rationale behind the non-telecast, Adeboye said that a sum of 105,000 US dollars as demanded by the management of Madison Square Garden, was paid to secure the place for the three-day event. But he said the television equipment of Dove Media which was transported with [a cost of] over 20,000 US dollars was not allowed into the venue.

Source: BBC Monitoring Media

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