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Media News at a GlanceNote: Please see the graphs mentioned in this section in the print or PDF versions.
Beyond Today Now on Satellite Television in Africa/Europe for FreeOn April 1, 2007, the United Church of God began free, experimental satellite telecasting of Beyond Today video programs on the Omega Channel from Johannesburg, South Africa. The airtime is being provided free of charge to UCG. The Omega Channel is a premium quality direct-to-home Christian satellite television service that can be received virtually anywhere in Africa and major parts of Europe with a small satellite dish. The Omega Channel is available on View Africa Network, which has a potential audience of 200 million people in Africa and Europe. Telecasting via INSAT 10 satellite, orbital position 68.5 degrees east, frequency 12682 MHz, Beyond Today has been telecasting daily at 11 p.m. Central Africa Time (CAT) throughout April 2007. In May, our programs begin airing at 11 p.m. CAT on Mondays and Wednesdays. [ back to top ] Record January for Incoming MailIn January the home office received an all-time record of 74,290 incoming pieces of mail processed and logged! The accompanying chart shows the incoming mail for the month of January for the past nine years—ever since we moved to Cincinnati. In April we had an excellent 63,488 pieces of incoming mail, and March was even better with 68,616. These were bumper months because of Reader's Digest ad responses, American Baby ad responses, other literature requests, letters, donations and special requests. Our mail processing staff has been very busy! [ back to top ] Resulting Outgoing MailAs a result of the record incoming mail, guess what? Our outgoing mail also then peaked at 61,500 pieces in March. It was the second busiest month on record, beaten only by May of 2004 when we had 70,905 pieces. In addition, April of this year was only a few thousand pieces behind March. Please note that these are individual literature and other requests, and do not include the fulfillment houses that mail The Good News, World News and Prophecy, United News and new booklets automatically for us—millions of more pieces a year. [ back to top ] Online Ad Impressions Break 10 Million in MarchThe United Church of God online advertising impressions in March broke the 10 million mark for the first time. The chart below shows March for the past four years. Some significant increases for sure, as you can see! We had 10.4 million views of our ads at Google and Yahoo. [ back to top ] Over 40,000 Respond to Card-Pack AdsOver 8,700,000 households in the United States are being contacted this fiscal year through card-pack mailers. So far, over 40,351 new subscribers have responded to an offer of a Good News subscription and a booklet. Many additional responses are expected. Cost per response for this subscription program currently stands at a very good $2.97. [ back to top ] Beyond Today Sets New RecordsApril was our best month to date for Beyond Today, with more than 1,400 responses. These results are mainly from local community cable-access TV stations and radio, with almost equal numbers also coming from the Internet. One reason for the good response was an excellent return on the two programs about Christians who don't keep Easter. April was also our best response for Beyond Today on radio for the past year, with a very good response of over 200 calls. Even before the record month, Beyond Today was growing. As of April 1, 52 Beyond Today programs had aired on cable-access TV since telecasting began in late 2005. Of the seven most recent programs aired by that date, three leaped into the top 10 in viewer response. Rank Program #1 "The Myth of the Immortal Soul" #3 "Stopping the Addiction With Porn" #10 "When Terrorism Ends" Telephone and Internet response for Beyond Today programs continues on a steady and healthy increase. Below are average weekly response rankings for the past year. Report Date Average Weekly Response April 2006 -> 73 [ back to top ] How Can You Help Beyond Today?As a member of the United Church of God in the United States, are you interested in placing Beyond Today programs on cable-access television in your community? It may be simpler and easier than you think. For more information, please contact John LaBissoniere at john_labissoniere@ucg.org or call him toll free at (888) 369-9940. Why not do it today? [ back to top ] BT Airing Schedules Offer New FeatureA new feature has been added to Beyond Today airing schedules. Short, descriptive synopses now accompany each program title. Beyond Today member-sponsors have been encouraged to use this information in various ways such as placing it in local church bulletins to encourage brethren to tune in to the programs. The synopsis could also be placed on the cable-access television station's online menu and in free "events/information" sections of community newspapers. Below are samples of some Beyond Today programs with the title and synopsis: "Europe's Long Dream." Coming events in Europe will catch the world unaware. Discover how those major events could dramatically affect your life. "Groping for God." Why does God seem unreal or remote to many people? Why does spiritual satisfaction often seem elusive? Learn surprising answers. "The Rapture: Who's Left Behind?" Why do many people believe a doctrine that has no biblical validity? Isn't it time you learned the real truth? "Death of Darwinism." Did you realize that virtually every idea of evolution has been proved wrong by true, scientific discoveries? Learn more! "Is God Angry?" Is God waiting to punish when you do something wrong? Are all bad things in life a chastisement from God? What is the real truth? [ back to top ] South African Printing Location Added for Good NewsGrowing Good News circulation, lower shipping costs and faster delivery times were factors involved in a recent decision to begin printing Good News magazines for Southern Africa in that region. Beginning with the May/June 2007 issue, Good News magazines for locations in South Africa, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe will be printed at CTP Book Printers in Cape Town, South Africa. Considering various factors, we may later consider adding other destinations on the continent of Africa to the current list of those handled from this location. The print order quantities for the May/June 2007 Good News magazine are as follows: R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Glasgow, Kentucky, 395,594; Offset Alpine Printers in Eagle Farm, Queensland, Australia, 52,000 copies; and CTP Book Printers in Cape Town, South Africa, 16,980 copies. This equals a total print quantity of 464,574. The total print quantity for the previous issue (March/April 2007) was 433,207. [ back to top ] VT Back Issues Put on NewsstandsMore than 7,500 back issues of Vertical Thought magazine were made available to U.S. members who are current or former brochure and newsstand distributors. In just two weeks 3,300 copies were requested by distributors. One member called from Panama City Beach, Florida, requesting 200 copies to distribute in motel lobbies and other locations to reach young adults during the busy spring break season. Contributors: Peter Eddington, John LaBissoniere [ back to top ] If you have questions or comments, please contact: webmaster@ucg.org |
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