May 20, 2013

TBN's Enlace TV Affiliates Exploding in Popularity Among Latino Viewers

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LOS ANGELES (May 20, 2013) — Nearly 25 years ago in the bustling Central American city of San Jose, Costa Rica, Dr. Paul Crouch, founder of Christian television giant Trinity Broadcasting Network, stepped alongside a Latin American businessman and minister who was struggling to get his own Christian television station on the air. The miracle that grew out of that divinely inspired partnership has become part of TBN's 40-year legacy, as the tiny, fledgling Spanish-language TV station has grown into the world's largest Latino Christian broadcasting network Enlace, which reaches all of North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and parts of western Europe and Northern Africa with 24-hour Christian television for the entire family.


 


It was 1988 and the late Jonas Gonzalez Sr., Latin America's Christian television trailblazer, was setting up his first small station in the corner of a spaghetti factory in San Jose, Costa Rica. But he had hit some major obstacles. “The truth is that we were about to lose our frequency before we even got on the air,” recalled Jonas Gonzalez Jr., who now directs Enlace's global broadcast ministry. “My father had plenty of vision and direction from God, but we lacked the finances and much of the know-how to get the station on the air. That is when my father called Paul Crouch.”


 


Dr. Crouch, who also had a burden to reach Spanish-speaking people with Christian programming, responded by shipping a small ten-watt transmitter to Mr. Gonzalez that enabled the station to get on the air, following up later with a larger transmitter that provided a more powerful signal. “That first transmitter was so small I could hold it in one hand,” recalled Dr. Crouch, “and it only covered about four city blocks. But sowing that tiny seed helped Jonas save the station and get on the air. The rest, as they say, is history.”


 


Today Enlace and its EJTV youth network are the most viewed Latino inspirational networks, reaching across the earth on a total of fifteen satellites. Cesar Español, Enlace's director of U.S. operations, said that since launching in the U.S. around ten years ago, Enlace has exploded in popularity throughout the nation's Hispanic community. “Our research shows that many of America's 52 million Latinos are actively reaching out for greater spiritual reality in their lives and families,” said Español. “And each day more of them are tuning in to the life-changing message they find on Enlace and EJTV.”


 


Español noted that over the past two years Enlace has logged an amazing 1.1 million fans on its Enlace Facebook page, and EJTV is close behind with over 825,000 likes on the EJTV Facebook page.


 


Earlier this year Enlace launched a free mobile app that gives users of iPhones, iPads, Androids, and other mobile devices real-time access to both networks 24 hours a day. “We realized that fewer people are sitting down to watch traditional television, and more are logging on to the Internet to watch their favorite programs in real time and through video on demand,” said Español. “It has been exciting to see thousands of viewers access this totally free resource, and we anticipate that many millions more viewers across the Americas and around the world will use the Enlace app to access our programming.”


 


Enlace features church and ministry programs from a wide variety of Christian denominations, the best in inspirational music, lots of shows for kids, movies the whole family will enjoy, and much more. And EJTV has become the channel of choice for millions of Latino youth, with relevant music, talk and reality shows, extreme sports, movies, and other programs designed to encourage teens and young adults in their relationship with God.


 


“For nearly 25 years TBN has had the privilege of partnering with Enlace to broadcast the best in Spanish-language faith and family programming,” said TBN Vice President Matthew Crouch. “We're thrilled to see the explosive growth of these two key members of our Trinity Broadcasting Family of Networks, and we're looking forward to their increasing influence around the world.”


 


For more information of TBN's Latino television affiliates, log on to Enlace.org and EnlaceJuvenil.tv.


 


Media Contact


Colby May, E-Mail: cmay@tbn.org; Tel: 972-313-9500

About the Trinity Broadcasting Network

Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world’s largest and most watched faith-and-family broadcaster, reaching over 175 nations across the earth with inspirational and entertaining programming 24 hours a day in 14 languages and on 32 global networks. As the world’s most influential non-profit religious broadcaster, TBN has led the way in expanding the impact of faith-based television across the earth through the creation of innovative content designed to reach every viewer demographic with the life-changing message of hope and grace. To find out more about the TBN Networks, visit us at www.tbn.org.
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