UCB TV is the television arm of United Christian Broadcasters (UCB), the United Kingdom's largest Christian media charity, based in Stoke-on-Trent. The channel broadcasts Christian programming online through the UCB Player app and the UCB website, having previously carried on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms until July 2015. It forms part of a wider ministry that includes national Christian radio stations, a daily devotional read by millions, and a prayer support helpline.
United Christian Broadcasters: the parent organisation
UCB United Kingdom is a registered charity, charity number 299128, and describes itself as the country's largest Christian media company. Its stated aims are to broadcast quality Christian radio programming, provide practical and insightful Christian television, and act as a support ministry for Christians. In pursuit of this it operates broadcast networks, publishes The Word For Today and word4u2day devotionals, runs the UCB Prayerline call centre and provides accredited industry training.
The organisation is based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Its broadcast centre is at Hanchurch Lane, Hanchurch, Stoke-on-Trent, and its operations centre is at Westport Road, Burslem. The charity's senior leadership has included chief executive David L'Herroux and founder Ian Mackie, while Thom Price serves as head of TV programming.
Origins and early broadcasts
UCB's broadcasting story began modestly. The company made its initial broadcasts via Manx Radio in the Isle of Man. Although this gave limited geographical reach and only from 10pm until 2am, it allowed the station to bypass some of the United Kingdom's broadcasting laws and to begin transmission earlier in the company's lifetime than would otherwise have been possible.
The founding organisation behind the wider United Christian Broadcasting movement is Rhema Media of New Zealand, that country's largest Christian media organisation. Rhema's flagship network, the evangelical contemporary Christian radio network Rhema, began in 1978, and the group also operates the Southern Star, Life FM and The Word radio networks, the Shine TV Christian television channel, and the quarterly The Word for You Today devotional.
The move into television
As UCB's radio ministry grew in the UK, television became a natural extension. UCB TV was established as a Christian television station carrying a mix of teaching programmes, music, interviews and features aimed at a Christian audience. It was made available via the Eutelsat 28A satellite on Sky Digital channel 584 and online through the TVPlayer service, giving it national reach across the UK.
The channel's programming drew on both UK productions and international Christian broadcasters. Programmes included Bayside TV, Hillsong TV, Edges with Mal Fletcher, Turning Point with David Jeremiah, Living Truth, Hope City TV, Way of the Master and Dreams for Living. Music programming included the Gaither Gospel Series, UKCMC, and output from Hillsong and Planetshakers, reflecting the contemporary worship music culture at the heart of UCB's audience.
A world first in mobile television
UCB TV made broadcasting history on 6 July 2010 when it launched on the Yamgo mobile TV network, becoming the world's first ever live Christian mobile television channel. The launch put UCB at the forefront of the then-emerging mobile video market and underlined the charity's willingness to experiment with new platforms to reach its audience.
The mobile launch came at a time when smartphones were beginning to reshape media consumption, and UCB's early move into mobile streaming anticipated the app-based distribution model the organisation would later adopt wholesale.
The Sky and Virgin Media years
For several years UCB TV was available as a conventional pay-television channel, broadcasting on Sky and on Virgin Media alongside its online streams. The satellite and cable carriage gave the channel a prominent position in electronic programme guides and introduced it to viewers browsing beyond the mainstream channels.
However, the economics of satellite and cable carriage are demanding for niche broadcasters, and on 1 July 2015 UCB TV ceased broadcasting on Sky and Virgin Media. The withdrawal from the two platforms marked the end of the channel's life as a traditional television service and the beginning of its reinvention as an online-only broadcaster.
The online-only era
Today UCB TV is available online and through the UCB Player, the charity's free smartphone app, as well as via its website. The shift to online-only distribution reflects broader changes in viewing habits and allows the charity to reach its audience without the costs of satellite transponder space and cable carriage fees.
The UCB Player also carries the organisation's radio stations and on-demand content, making it a single destination for UCB's broadcast output. The app is available on iOS and Android, and the charity also streams through its website and the TuneIn platform.
Sister radio stations
UCB TV sits alongside two national Christian radio stations, UCB 1 and UCB 2, broadcast via National DAB digital radio as well as online and through the UCB Player. UCB 1 carries a format of entertainment, contemporary Christian music, news and current affairs, with thought-provoking interviews and discussions, while UCB 2 offers a complementary schedule.
The stations have featured presenters including Steve Best and Jez Chalmers on breakfast, Paul Hammond on mornings, Gareth Cottrell on afternoons, Deanna Fletcher on drive and Mike Rimmer on evenings. Teaching content woven through the schedules has included Different Perspective with Bernie Dymet, Days of Wonder with Jarrod Cooper, Church Awake with Steve Uppal and Word For Today with Bob Gass.
The Word For Today and publishing
One of UCB's best-known ministries is The Word For Today, a free daily devotional written by Bob Gass. Gass began writing the devotional readings in 1992, drawing on forty years of Christian leadership, and after a positive response in the United States offered the international rights to UCB. The first UK print run of 3,500 copies was distributed to supporters in 1994, and the publication has since grown enormously: one million copies of the UK and Ireland print edition are now distributed each quarter to hospitals, rest homes, care facilities and supporters.
A contemporary youth version, The Word 4U 2Day, was introduced in August 2003 in conjunction with the Manchester Christian youth ministry The Message Trust, with around 250,000 copies of the UK and Ireland print edition distributed quarterly. The devotionals are also distributed as daily radio programmes, website content and email newsletters.
UCB Prayerline
UCB operates a confidential telephone service called UCB Prayerline, staffed by trained Christian volunteers who pray with callers about their concerns. The service is supported by churches from across the United Kingdom, is manned seven days a week and receives around 100,000 calls per year.
A parallel service, the Forces Prayerline, was started in Germany in 2005 and extended to the UK on 6 November 2008 at St Clement Danes church in London, on the occasion of the annual Armed Forces Day of Prayer. It supports servicemen, servicewomen and their families at home and abroad.
An international family
UCB's work extends well beyond the UK. Vision Christian Media, formerly UCB Australia, operates the nationwide Vision Christian Radio network, which had expanded to more than 600 relay stations by the middle of 2015, alongside the Vision Christian Prayer ministry and the Vision Christian Store. In Makati in the Philippines, United Christian Broadcasters operates the internet radio station The Edge Media in partnership with the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries and the Century Broadcasting Network, which also serves as a training ground for students from across Asia. In Canada, UCB's affiliate operates six stations in Ontario, including CJAH-FM on 90.5 FM in Windsor, approved by the CRTC in December 2014.
UCB TV today
As an online-only service, UCB TV continues to offer Christian television to a UK audience through the UCB Player and the web. Its journey from a satellite channel to a streaming service mirrors the wider transformation of niche broadcasting, while its parent charity's combination of radio, television, publishing and prayer ministry makes UCB one of the most wide-ranging Christian media operations in the country.
