CJIL-DT, virtual and UHFdigital channel 17, branded on-air as Miracle Channel, is a Christianreligioustelevision stationlicensed to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The station is owned by The Miracle Channel Association. CJIL-DT's studios are located on 31 Street North in Lethbridge, and its transmitter is located on Highway 25 north of the city. Launched in 1996, it was the first over-the-air religious TV station in Canada. CJIL has been carried on cable and satellite providers in other parts of Canada since 2000.
History
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission granted a broadcasting licence to Dick and Joan Dewert on April 4, 1995. It debuted on January 14, 1996 broadcasting in southern Alberta, after Canada's 60-year ban on religious broadcasting was lifted. It expanded nationally on September 11, 2000. CJIL was the Canadian partner of the U.S. religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network. 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 in Bow Island and Burmis. On May 20, 2007, Dick Dewert admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned from the station. Joan Dewert resigned as well. Mervyn Mediwake was installed as the interimCEO. 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 the Winnipeg-based Springs Church, as permanent CEO. On July 8, 2013, TBN announced a partnership with Miracle Channel. As a result, Miracle Channel began airing some of TBN's flagship programs, including Praise the Lord and Behind The Scenes, while TBN's networks will pick up some of Miracle Channel's programs, including Springs Church services, and The Leon Show on The Church Channel. Plans were also announced for Fontaine to be a regular host on Praise 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. The move came weeks following Daystar's announcement of a similar program supply deal with Grace TV, which would soon be rebranded Daystar Canada. On September 19, 2017, the channel premiered a daily newscast, Bridge City News, hosted by Hal Roberts.
Over-the-air in Alberta
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 and Edmonton. If approved, these transmitters would have simply rebroadcast CJIL in its entirety. The applications were denied, however, in favour of a competing application from the Crossroads 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.
Criticism
The Miracle Channel Review, a Christian-run website unaffiliated with the network, has been critical of the Dewerts and other personalities over the prosperity gospel message they have preached during CJIL's fundraising telethons. The Miracle Channel Reviews 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. CJIL has since claimed to have revised its fundraising policies. Thibault's criticism of CJIL became the subject of an investigative report about the station's financial practices on CBC News at Six.
Transmitters
On March 30, 1999, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Bow Island on channel 39. On August 30, 2001, the CRTC approved to add a new TV transmitter at Burmis on channel 55.
