The variety of specifically religious programmes on the channels

Over the years religious broadcasting has changed.

When it first started it was made for a Christian audience. Over time this has changed introducing shows for the increased multi-cultural and multi-faith population that now lives in Britain. Religious shows have become more modern and up to date to attract viewers. As the number of church goers has gone down over the years, broadcasters have worked harder to improve their programmes so they can reach different audiences.

They have started trying to attract 'vaguely religious' people, who only go to church on special occasions such as wedding's, christening's and funeral's.Broadcasters want to reflect the needs of these minority faiths but also want good ratings, this means they have to adapt to the modern world and make the programmes worth while for the audience. At the moment there are three types of religious broadcasting on the four channels. These are worship programmes, magazine type programmes, and religious documentaries. The most traditional religious broadcasts shown on television are worship programmes.

This type of programme is available on all four television channels. The target audience for this type of programme is mostly Christian, they are usually shown on a Sunday.An example of a worship type programme is 'Songs of Praise'. This is shown on Sunday at 5:30pm. This programme talks about Christian thoughts and contains a range of hymns.

This week's show featured the Cathedral in Exeter and hymns including, 'We plough the fields and scatter' and 'Lord of beauty'. I think this programme would appeal to a regular church goer or the older viewer as it displays traditional beliefs. And is very similar to a church service itself. Another type of broadcast is a magazine style programme.

This is like a chat show in the day time. They contain questions on ethical and moral issues.It also contains short documentaries, phone-ins and discussions. This type of programme might appeal to a wider, younger audience as it doesn't stay with-in the conventions of a normal religious broadcast, as it questions religious ideas, and has a modern approach. In the latest broadcast of 'Heaven and Earth' a magazine type show, it discusses if it is right to discriminate against another group of people to encourage the equality of others.

Also featured is Alistair Appleton visiting a retreat, aiming to manifest love joy and empowerment. The show is screened on a Sunday at 10am. The last type of broadcast shown is religious documentaries.They deal with religious issues in a critical way, analysing the issue and finding a conclusion at the end. They are usually based on issues that interest a wide audience.

An example of a religious documentary is 'Soul Searching' broadcast on Sunday 7th and 14th September at 8pm. This programme brought up the question of whether someone has a soul, and whether God takes that soul at the end of our lives. These programmes show how people have acknowledged issues like this, and started to question religious beliefs. This type of programme will interest many different types of people as it deals with many issues.It puts a modern approach to ideas and questions them. In conclusion I think the variety of religious programmes on television is very good.

There is a wide range that can appeal to all different types of audiences. A lot of these shows deal with moral issues. Many people will find this interesting, and I would think that these programmes that have a format like that would get the best ratings. Although a lot of the programmes I researched were to do with Christianity. This might have been because the main television are aware that they have to attract a majority.