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Religious channel coming to Southern Cross network

US televangelist Jimmy Swaggart says it was "an absolute miracle from the Lord" to acquire channels in regional Australia.

Southern Cross Austereo network in Regional Australia is about to add a new 24/7 religious channel, SonLife Broadcasting.

Set to replace the former YesShop datacasting channel from Monday, SBN is a product of American televangelist Jimmy Swaggart.

NZ-owned shopping channel YesShop collapsed earlier this year but Southern Cross Austereo appears to have found a new buyer for the ‘airwaves.’

On his Facebook page, 82 year old Swaggart told his followers his Ministries had recently signed deals in ‘Sao Paulo and Rio de Jainero (sic).’

“As well, Monday we will launch all over the great country of Australia on free-to-air Television, which was an absolute miracle from the Lord to be able to acquire these channels,” he wrote.

“I said all of that to say this, we need your help to raise the $4.5 million airtime budget this month. Our mission is to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Message of the Cross, but how can we do that ‘lest we be sent’ (Romans 10:15). I am asking each and every one of our Facebook followers to do your very best this month and help us to continue to touch the world for Christ.”

But Swaggart’s rise to glory is not without controversy. In 1988, he was implicated in a sex scandal involving a prostitute that resulted initially in his defrocking by the Assemblies of God. In 1991, he was found in the company of a prostitute for a second time. Rather than confessing to his congregation, Swaggart told those at Family Worship Center that “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business.” He later stood down for “a time of healing and counseling.”

Monday July 17

Victoria Channel 55:
Albury, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, Shepparton, Excludes Melbourne

New South Wales Channel 55:
Canberra, Wollongong, Orange/Dubbo/Wagga, Excludes Sydney

Queensland Channel 55:
Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Toowoomba, Excludes Brisbane

Darwin Channel 74:
Darwin, Central

Spencer Gulf Channel 54:
Port Pirie, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln and Broken Hill, Excludes Adelaide

Tasmania Channel 64:
Launceston, Hobart

Southern Cross Austereo was recently granted relief as part of the government’s $127 million offer to suspend licence fees for 2016 / 17.

Updated.

31 Responses

  1. Do I understand correctly that we will not see this in Melbourne? Regional Australia this is a blessing from the Lord for you all, embrace it as these miracles are so rare….peace and love

  2. We miss out on new episodes of shows since we lack 7flix but we have crappy shopping channels and now this to make other channels look blurry/unwatchable.

  3. Disgusting mis-use of limited broadcast spectrum. Shame Southern Cross. Who is to say Seven might resume channel 74 which was vacated by TV4ME last year with this money peddling dross? All despite given a recent multi-million dollar handout in licence fee reductions from the Fed Govt?

  4. I hope you regional Australians are looking forward to high quality programming such as: July Shareathon, August Shareathon, September Shareathon etc. No seriously… That’s all they broadcast. Plus some other cr*p where they ask for more money ontop of whatever they make from Shareathons…

  5. This is by far the worst of all the religious channels on Foxtel. Would’ve been better as the Hillsong Channel – at least some of their music is good.

  6. “Spencer Gulf Channel 54:
    Loxton/Mt Gambier, Griffith, Mildura, Excludes Adelaide”

    Spencer Gulf broadcast area is
    Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Broken Hill (NSW)

  7. It all makes sense when you replace “The Lord” and “God” with the word “money” for everything Swaggart ever says or writes.

    He’s a charlatan and a hypocrite but his worst sin is preying on the those who are both economically and educationally poor.

    1. For years I thought “Benny Hinn” was a typo in Ten’s early-morning EPG. It wasn’t until my job took me into one of their distribution centres and I saw the scale of their Pacific & south Asian operations that I learned it wasn’t.

      I also thought “Creflo A. Dollar, Jr” was an obvious parody along the lines of Landover Baptist…

  8. “Spencer Gulf Channel 54:
    Loxton/Mt Gambier, Griffith, Mildura”

    Loxton/Mt Gambier, Griffith and Mildura are all WIN (or WIN/PRIME) territory – no SCA presence in these areas. Surely WIN haven’t taken up this channel?

  9. ‘We can accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JTB, Western Union,…etc…etc…etc’.
    Who’s next? Daystar, TBN?. In places like Samoa these channels are preying (or is that ‘praying’? LOL) on locals for $$$ and is a real concern to local NGOs.
    “$4.5 million airtime budget this month”. Shame on you Southern Cross.
    “What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?” And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15) Or in this case $4,500,000 per month.

  10. Geez what a waste of bandwidth. They put this up but community TV has to resort to on-line streaming only. Another channel to put on skip.

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