In-house production of original programming gradually increased. At this point, EWTN began broadcasting the praying of the rosary on a daily basis and added a number of educational shows. Secular content was gradually reduced from 1986 to 1988, and satellite distribution was expanded late in 1987, after which EWTN acquired a far more desirable satellite channel and began broadcasting around the clock. EWTN eventually increased its broadcast schedule to six hours per day and then to eight hours per day by 1986. About one-third of programming time consisted of secular content, such as re-runs of The Bill Cosby Show, public domain films, and cooking and western-themed shows. The remainder of the time was filled with shows produced by dioceses across the country, shows from Protestant sources which Mother Angelica determined were in concert with Catholic teachings, and children's shows such as Joy Junction and The Sunshine Factory. Mother Angelica purchased satellite space and EWTN began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, with four hours of daily programming, which included her own show, Mother Angelica Live (aired bi-weekly), a Sunday Mass, and reruns of older Catholic programs such as Archbishop Fulton J. I just stood there and said to the Lord, 'Lord, I've got to have one of these'". "I walked in, and it was just a little studio, and I remember standing in the doorway and thinking, 'It doesn't take much to reach the masses'. After she gave an interview on then-Christian station WCFC (Channel 38) in Chicago, she decided she wanted her own network. She had been a guest on local station WBMG (currently WIAT, Channel 42), and on shows on the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Trinity Broadcasting Network. During the 1970s, she was an in-demand lecturer and produced pamphlets and audio and video tapes. In 1962 she established Our Lady of the Angels monastery. Mother Angelica made her profession of vows in 1953. A majority of the network's funding comes from viewer donations, protecting it from advertising secular or non-Catholic programming. The network is overseen by trustees rather than shareholders or owners. On December 8, 2009, EWTN began broadcasting high-definition television. Spanish language broadcasts are available on all platforms. Christmas and Easter programming the installation Masses of bishops and cardinals coverage of World Youth Days and papal visits, deaths, funerals, conclaves, and elections are also presented. Regular network programs include a daily Holy Mass and sometimes Tridentine Mass format, the traditional Stations of the Cross, a taped daily recitation of the Rosary, and daily and weekly news, discussion, and Catechetical programs for both adults and children. Some of the schedule is the audio from EWTN television shows and some is original programming for radio listeners. as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio and shortwave radio.
EWTN also has a 24-hour radio network, offering Catholic talk and worship programming to about 350 radio stations around the U.S. The network maintains an online presence through its primary site,, and it has a dedicated commercial site,. In addition to its television network, EWTN owns the National Catholic Register newspaper, which it acquired in January 2011, and Catholic News Agency. Warsaw, who is a consultant to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications, leads EWTN. She hosted her own show, Mother Angelica Live, until health issues led to her retirement in September 2001. It was founded by Mother Angelica, PCPA, in 1980 and began broadcasting on August 15, 1981, from a garage studio at the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama, which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. Conservative in viewpoint, it is widely believed to be the target of Pope Francis's comment in late September 2021 that media attacks on his papacy are "the work of the devil." It is not only the largest Catholic television network in America, but reportedly "the world’s largest religious media network", (and according to the network itself) reaching 250 million people in 140 countries, with 11 networks. The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming.
EWTNĪvailable on nearly all cable providers This article is about the television network.