TBN Salsa is an American Christian-based digital broadcast television network that is owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The network offers a mix of religious and family-oriented programming aimed at Hispanic Americans primarily or exclusively fluent in the English language. The network is available as a 24-hour-a-day service distributed primarily on cable and satellite providers in select markets. It is the only U.S.-based TBN network that is not available for livestreaming on TBN's website and mobile app.
History
On April 24, 2015, the TrinityBroadcasting Network announced that it would launch TBN Salsa, described as a "faith-and-family network" geared toward second- and third-generation Hispanics that do not speak Spanish, as well as non-Hispanic viewers interested in the Latin American culture and faith community. The network was co-founded by TBN presidentMatthew Crouch and Laurie Crouch, with Samuel Rodriguez serving as a key advisor in the network's development. The network initially debuted on the 38 stations owned directly by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and through its subsidiary Community Educational Television. Due to technical limitations with its stations' existing digital compression equipment, TBN opted to launch TBN Salsa on the subchannel previously occupied by Smile of a Child TV, collapsing that network into a single subchannel with sister networkJUCE TV under a timeshare arrangement, with a reduced schedule of Smile programming airing daily from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the third subchannel occupied by JUCE. TBN Salsa formally launched at 7:08 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 2015, with a 60-second promo reel previewing the network. This was followed by the network's inaugural program: a special live broadcast of TBN flagship programPraise the Lord from the network's Dream Center studio in Los Angeles' Echo Park neighborhood, with additional location segments conducted from Miami, Seattle and New York City. On May 1, 2019, TBN removed Salsa from the DT5 feed of its O&O broadcast stations, replacing it with a placeholder standard definition feed of the main TBN signal, later replacing it with JUCE TV.
Programming
TBN Salsa carries a broad mix of ministry, Christian teaching and contemporary worship programs featuring Hispanic pastors and Christian leaders from the United States and Latin America; Contemporary Christian and gospel music programs featuring Latino musicians and recording artists; topical talk shows highlighting issues relating to the Hispanic Americans; documentaries; sports programs; faith-based and family-oriented feature films; specials; and children's programs. The network also broadcasts Praise the Lord: Salsa Style, a dedicated edition of TBN's flagship program Praise the Lord that airs each weeknight.
