It has taken 11 emails from me and I don’t know how many from readers to CTS over several weeks to get a response.
It has taken readers contacting Revenue Canada and some viewers filing formal complaints with the federal government to get this response from CTS…”Television You Can Believe In”.
The questions were simple. If a non-profit Canadian religious broadcaster asks for money, any potential donor need to be able to ask:
a) By what authority does CTS broadcast advertising which solicits public funds?
b) By what authority does CTS under CITS Media Research Organization/CITS Media Resources Organization claim to issue tax receipts?
On this Friday evening in the news dead zone time I received this response:
Thank-you, ‘Bene Diction’, for your inquiry. CITS Media Resources Organization launched in the winter of 2009 and applied for charitable status with the Canada Revenue at that time. We received notice from the CRA in December that this application was refused. While we consider our next steps, all parties donating to CITS MRO have been contacted offering a refund of their donation(s).
Best regards,
Iner Smith
Development Representative
This has been such a mess and what CTS has done is wrong.
So much hassle could have been avoided if CTS (Crossroads Television System) had been upfront and open from the day readers of BDBO and viewers of CTS discovered Hope for TV and CITS Media Research or CITS Media Resources Organization (depending which page you read on the religious broadcasters webpage) was operating as a charity without federal authorization.
What is really going on with one of Canada’s largest religious broadcasters?
Why would Crossroads management and employees jeopardize their broadcast licence this way?
Even as a CTS employee publicly acknowledges what they were doing is not legal, Hope for TV and CTS Our Cause web pages remain up. In fairness to CTS, the solicitation fields at CTS Our Cause have been taken down.
Some of the information at the Hope for TV website was taken from a US religious group which has now closed it’s doors. CTS has kept the commercials online, whether or not they are still being aired is unknown.
The non profit arm of Crossroads Christian Communications Inc., (CTS) is now answering to The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council and Revenue Canada Charities.
Here is a timeline of events for CITS Media Research Organization/CITS Media Resources Organization/Hope for TV, CTS Our Cause/CTS The Cause.
- October 2, 2008: A letters patent application is made in Burlington Ontario by CTS to Industry Canada for CITS Media Resources Organization
- October 27, 2008: The CITS Media Resources Organization application is Gazetted (granted) Industry Canada file #449772-4
- September 2009: CTS (Crossroads Television System) registers a website: Hope for TV
- Time unknown: CTS puts up Our Cause explaining CITS Media Research Organization or CITS Media Resources Organization
- Time unknown: Hope for TV (CTS) puts four broadcast ads and copy on its website.
- All website links at Hope for TV go straight to CTS Our Cause (CITS Media Research Organization/CITS Media Resources Organization). The public is asked for money, and provided with two donation fields, one of which said tax receipts will be granted at the end of the year.
- Time unknown: CTS begins broadcasting Hope for TV advertisements across Canada, asking for viewer donations in violation of it’s broadcast licence
I do not feel one bit sorry for CTS management. As paid professionals overseeing broadcast operations, it was their responsibility to honour their mandate. It was only after concerned viewers raised the issue did this public grab for money stop.
I feel badly for CTS on-air personnel whose images were used in the false advertising by mail and online. Not one responded to my email. They have jobs to do, and their management betrayed them. Their trust and good will has been betrayed.
I feel badly for viewers who trusted CTS.
This is the second time in a year the house that David Mainse built has been scandalized and exposed; first when 100 Huntley Street hosts were found to be finders in the 14 million dollar Gordon Driver/Axcess ponzi scheme, and now with the non-profit arm of Crossroads admitting they did not have the authorization to run a charity and ran it anyway.
We are all harmed when Christians chose not to operate ethically.
While CTS has finally acknowledged Our Cause is not a charity, no one wins.
I don’t know how much money CTS has to give back.
I don’t know if CTS will be fined for running an illegal charity.
A broadcast licence is a privilege, not a right. Public trust is not something Christians in public spaces can toy with. CTS is not a new kid on the Canadian TV dial and it is disheartening and sad to have watched this organization so egregiously abuse the trust of the public and the trust given by the CRTC in it’s licencing of CTS.
I am deeply disturbed CTS management made the decision to ignore viewers who asked legitmate questions weeks ago, and there is no joy in the reality this has had to be drawn to the attention of federal regulators before CTS chose to move toward doing the right thing.
I commend Revenue Canada Charities and The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council for promptly fulfilling their responsibility to taxpayers.
I doubt it was easy for Mr. Smith to send that email.
I commend concerned CTS viewers for stepping forward and asking questions to CTS and for recognizing and fulfilling their responsibility as citizens and consumers.
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Good for you for pursuing this.
While WISE still existed, we accepted donations on our website. We were always upfront about our non-charitable status. In fact, we were proud of it. Incorporation, the giving and withholding of charitable status, and Revenue Canada’s restrictions on charities and on charitable foundations (e.g., they can only fund other charities) was the second of three issues we rallied around.
On WISE’s donation page and elsewhere, in clear bold print, potential donors were advised they couldn’t deduct their donation for income tax purposes and wouldn’t receive a tax-related receipt. I don’t know if it hurt our donations, but no one ever complained.
One wonders about the degree that some individuals of bad faith, working in management for an organization that is founded on the premise of good faith, count upon public apathy in order to get away with such “sloppiness”.
Thank for your devotion and commitment to seeing this initiative through and ensuring that those who should be accountable, are.
Ahhh, the fine cognac is tasting even sweeter this evening…
Great job Bene!
Well said, you are welcome. People who read BDBO never cease to amaze me. Huge hearts.
CTS knew and they didn’t stop. Whew, bad faith indeed.
What remains to be seen is how this is treated by
CTS, Crossroads et al., in the coming days.
Will they acknowledge this matter on TV? Will
the put it up on the website? Will they water it
down to nearly nothing in the same way as the
Jim Cantelon interview with Ron Mainse was so
diliuted of substance and piloted to its conclusion?
Twice in less than 12 months; that does not
bode well for the organisation.
It’s a lack of leadership and inspiration that has
brought all these problems to their doorstep.
No amount of vigorous sweeping will remove
it entirely.
Peoples’ patience are wearing thin with this
organisation and maybe they’ll migrate to
someplace else that values them.
The stonewalling by these people is alarming.
Their end is coming sooner than they expected.
I’m grieved – these are sad days we are living in. For the errant church as for the world. I’m sad that we can’t all agree, sad that not everyone will be saved, and sad that there is a hell just as surely as there are earthquakes. Come Lord Jesus.
Therese:
I’m sorry you are grieved.
CTS is also using Facebook, Twitter and host blogs in an attempt to draw in younger viewers.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CTS-TV/95327359787
http://twitter.com/CTSTV
100 Huntley Street has been doing the same as I’ve noted earlier.
The 100 Huntley Street Facebook fan page has been trying to do more than just advertise, (interact) you may find some solace there.
TV is a seductive mistress, viewers have a bond with their shows and to be told religious media is just a business has to be difficult from some. There is no relationship other than what exists in the viewers mind and that has to create cognitive dissonance.
I have a favour to ask you. As you watch CTS, if you see any mention of CITS Media Resources Organization, Hope for TV would you pop over with a comment?
Bene, truth be told I haven’t been a fan of Huntley St. for years, and only occasionally watched parts of their show if I happened upon something that interested me. It’s really funny, but I just happened to be watching it when they announced the temporary departure of Ron and Reynold, and then just happened to catch other important things about that issue as it unfolded. Lately I find I’m hardly tuning it all, but if I do happen to catch anything of note about this topic, sure I’ll pass it on here. My sadness has a lot more to do with people “missing” the gospel than with the possible loss of a Christian TV show, but even though heavy of heart, I’m comforted.
(So true what you say about people bonding with two-dimensional TV personalities!)
Excellent investigative journalism BD.
Too bad the truth doesn’t set anyone free in this case. How can people continue to give to such an organization with such questionable morals and ethics?
Great, the power of the pen !
I don’t know who the donors are Cricket.
We’ll never know.
Think about this.
That brochere – did CTS use it to tap anyone who ever wrote CTS?
Did CTS use the 100 Huntley mailing list?
Did CTS buy donor lists from the ministries which purchase time on CTS?
Did these brocheres go out to churches, service groups, etc?
Were they taken on the trips the Mainse family sponsors and handed around?
Donors are the first line of the betrayed.
How are they any different than the ‘40 or 50′ and ‘10 or 15 ‘investors Ron and Reynold Mainse were finders to in the Driver/Axcess ponzi scheme?
I’d like to see someone who gave to CTS The Cause/Our Cause/CITS Media Resources Organization speak up and let the public know if,
a) their donation was refunded
b) what they were told by CTS about giving in the future
I’d also like to see someone write CTS Our Cause, offer a donation and share what the response is.
Just watching “listen up” on CTS(Sunday 7:00PM) and saw a solictation for donations for the show specifically…I don’t understand how a private broadcaster can ask for donatioans…very confusing…
Listen Up is a program which buys time on CTS, but Crossroads is where Lorna D used to work. The head of her board is Preston Manning.
You can look up her show at Rev Can Charities.
It does seem odd for CTS to state that they applied for charitable status ”in the winter of 2009″ and then just a few months later on January 15th, 2010 for a representative of CTS to state that their application to CRA had been refused.
It’s an odd thing to say because there is often some back and forth with CRA in fine tuning an application and a refusal determination from CRA is a definitive response achieved after an exhaustive and lengthy process of communication and negotiation.
Given that it takes a year or more generally to register as a charity through the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency and that there is surely more than enough expertise on hand at CTS and Crossroads to help steer an application through the application process it just seems unusual to have a categorical answer back from CRA so quickly.
CTS would know that an application must demonstrate charitable objectives ie the alleviation of poverty, the advancement of education etc etc… the Charities Directorate are generally very helpful and available in the development of an application.
Just seems incongruous with reason.
Also incongruous with reason -
…donation(s).
I asked CTS November 30th about the charity status and I asked again January 5th. Seemed reasonable.
I believe CTS was going for the educational angle.
It’s all quite odd.
Yet oddly consistent.
Hi PJR and Bene Diction, it’s Lorna Dueck here of Listen Up TV.
Thank you for asking important questions and for giving us the opportunity to respond to those raised about Listen Up TV. I just want to clarify that CTS gives Listen Up TV airtime in exchange for our show. We appreciate our place in their scheduling. It’s a barter deal, CTS air time, our content.
PJR, we value relationships with viewers like you, and are glad you want to understand us better. Here’s who we are: Listen Up TV is not a private broadcaster, but a charity licensed to spread the Christian Gospel. We have not been able to cover our production costs with sales of commercials, or banner sponsorships that we tried to do for the past five years. So this fall, buoyed by opinions that viewers would rather be asked to support the show than lose it, we began asking for donations for our media charity, Media Voice Generation. You can see our CRA registration that we have held for six years at that link and also click over to see our Board and staff members. Mr. Manning is our vice chair, Dr. Franklin Pyles has been the founding Chairman of this charity.
Our donations are used to promote the Christian gospel through research of how Christianity is being applied in all spheres of life, to take that research and produce compelling TV news analysis with it, and then to disseminate that media content through TV, print and web outlets. We currently air on seven networks, with donations being used to produce this Christian content, and to purchase airtime on the Global TV network where we have yet to strike a barter deal as good as the one we have on CTS. We welcome your further questions about Listen Up TV.
Hi Lorna:
Thanks for correcting the status of one of your board members and for explaining how your show finances it’s production and air time.
“Thank you for asking important questions and for giving us the opportunity to respond to those raised about Listen Up TV. I just want to clarify that CTS gives Listen Up TV airtime in exchange for our show. We appreciate our place in their scheduling. It’s a barter deal, CTS air time, our content.”
Hmmm interesting. I understand that religious programs BUY time on religious networks and solict donations to pay for the air time to “spread the gospel”.
I have never heard of a “barter deal” of this nature before, and I cannot imagine a private non religious broadcaster like global going for such a deal. I find it rather strange that of all the channels you cite, only CTS gives you this “barter” arrangement…
Having watched your program it seems more like a christian version of a current affairs program. I have never witnessed any “witnessing” as it were on your show.
Interesting to that you had charitable status for six years. I guess that comes in handy now that you need it…just sayin as they say.
Yes, all the networks we are on except Global TV give us that same barter deal that CTS provides for us. When someone “barters” your show, it means they place your content but you still have to find another way to pay for creating that content. It’s a common TV term, and more common in mainstream broadcasting.
Commercials that we could sell, articles we could sell, fees from speaking engagements and the occasional product sale are all part of the revenue stream at Listen Up, but over our short history, that revenue has never reached higher than 10 per cent of our productions costs. So for all our six years of broadcasting, we’ve been privately knocking on doors requesting financial partners.
Mainstream broadcasting is funded on the advertising model, based on audience numbers watching, commercials are sold on the costs per thousands watching. (think $50 for a early Saturday morning on a specialty channel vs. the $2 million the Super Bowl ad will pull in during February) Audiences are not big enough on all these faith based networks to be sustained by commercial revenue.
Every producer works hard to find adequate revenue to produce the stories that draw an audience. We’re convinced Christianity needs to be lived out large in the Canadian media landscape, and accept that fundraising to tell that story is part of the Listen Up TV mandate.
Another odd connection:
Lorna Dueck took the Arrow Leadership Course. (Arrow is a charity with hefty fees)
http://www.arrowleadership.org/alpages/alumni/stories/story-10.shtml
Arrow is a partner with Eagles Flight and Muskoka Woods, both organizations Crossroads CEO and Board Chair Donald Simmonds is connected with. His son Craig is CEO Leadership Director at Muskoka Woods.
Donald Simmonds bio released to ChristianWeek was not vetted very well and ChristianWeek was suckered into publishing it with it’s innaccuracy.
http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/12/14/crossroads-christian-communications-has-new-ceo/
Shauna Simmonds hangs out with the neo-charismatic dominionist crowd run by Faytene Kryskow. She registered to attend The Seige in Toronto. Shauna did a kids show at Crossroads for years CTS still runs. Her current media company sells videos for teens, not unlike the Arrow and Eagles nest material.
When did Listen Up TV start bartering with CTS?
So this fall, buoyed by opinions that viewers would rather be asked to support the show than lose it, we began asking for donations for our media charity, Media Voice Generation.
That’s when Simmonds moved in at Crossroads.
It’s all quite odd.
Hi Lorna:
“Yes, all the networks we are on except Global TV give us that same barter deal that CTS provides for us.”
What I hear you saying is you are given air time by CTS, The Miracle Channel, The Christian Channel, (bought by Peter Yongren and renamed Grace TV Salt and Light TV, NRB US and Inspiration Australia.
Do you have a history with Crossroads new CEO/Chair?
Odd timing.
I’m reading Dr. Phil Cooke’s The Last TV Evangelist: Why the Next Generation couldn’t care less about Religious Media and why it matters.
You might enjoy it.
Focus on the Family told The Colorado Independent December 24th 2009 it wouldn’t be looking for a football player for it’s advocacy Superbowl ad. They shot it last Tuesday with player Tim Tebow.
2.8 mil minimum to run a 30 second spot. Production costs, unknown. Special donors supposedly gave FotF special funds and supposedly nothing came out of the general fund which couldn’t support the over 200 workers laid off.
Lousy announcement timing to say the least.
Pre-emptive shot I think as Dobson begs for 2 mil for the radio show with his adulterous son.
The link to the Christian Channel is a re-direct to Grace TV off your site and the NRB link doesn’t work.
Will Listen Up TV be doing a segment anytime soon on an unauthorized charity being run by a Canadian religious broadcaster?
While you’re willing to stop by and talk Lorna, did any Hope for TV ads air during your show on CTS?
Funny how these faith broadcasters seem to run into financial trouble though they are constantly airing the plethora of prosperity preachers who have the ultimate solution (God’s ultimate solution) to the church’s money malady matters. Good enough for joe believer, so Why don’t they take their own airy fairy elixir and prove it so they never have to ask for another cent?
Clive Pick for example, has been a regular guest on Huntley St. in the past. His ministry formulates how in just three easy steps of “seed faith”, believers can unlock god’s heavenly vault of riches and receive all the money needed and then some, to finance the gospel of Jesus world-wide. Of course the steps all involve believers giving money to another “ministry” so that they stop robbing God, which then allows him to release the wealth of the wicked that has been stored up for the righteous….
Even Ron Mainse has endorsed Pick’s “revelation of financial renewal”,
“This book is a pivotal message for the Church and has had a profound impact on my life and ministry.” “In a day where much teaching about money seems to be motivated by a self-centered seeking of prosperity, Clive Pick brings a balanced, biblical breath of fresh air. He has tremendously blessed our staff at Crossroads through a series of teaching seminars similar to those he has been sharing around the world during his many years of ministry.”- Ron Mainse, Host of 100 Huntley Street
Knowing what happened to Ron Mainse and his recent involvement with a multi-million dollar ponzi scheme, I doubt that Clive Pick will be using him for an endorsement or reference of his ministry any time soon.
Bene Diction, you are correct. The networks you noted (CTS, The Miracle Channel, Salt and Light, Grace TV (formerly the Christian Channel), NRB US, and Inspiration Australia) all provide Listen Up TV a content-for-airtime barter. The Listen Up TV program is seen to have sufficient merit and quality that faith networks have been willing to extend this kind of an arrangement. The barter can be a win for the network in that they gain the credibility of a high quality show, and it can be a win for the producer in that they gain an audience without paying cash for the airtime. Thank you for pointing out a couple of incorrect links to networks on http://www.listenuptv.com. Those have been fixed now.
To help your readers understand the confusing broadcast media world, I’ll offer this further explanation. On mainstream networks like Global or CTV you’ll have an American drama such as “House.” The network (Global in this case) pays to get this program on their network. The last time I checked, House had 2.1 million viewers in Canada, and against that audience, Global TV will sell advertising contracts. Prime time television drives the business model. Off prime time, like where Listen Up airs on a Sunday morning, you also have cooking shows, fishing shows, history shows, old movies, Coronation Street, etc. That time is usually sold to paying clients. Each of these paying clients finds a way to finance their production and airtime costs. You can imagine that a fishing show has sponsorship arrangements with various equipment companies featured in their show, as does a cooking show. In Listen Up’s case, such product sponsorships do not fit nearly as well, and so we must search elsewhere for the funding, which we do primarily in our private fundraising, as I mentioned in a previous post. I hope this helps.
Like you, we have been reading books like Phil Cooke’s. It is clear that the media business models of the past are now beginning to give way to emerging models. The path to financial sustainability in media (whether in the Christian space or not) is uncertain, and so you are seeing a number of new models being attempted.
With reference to Listen Up’s barter on CTS, our arrangement provides for a sharing of the available commercial inventory on the show. We fill three minutes with advertising content that we provide to CTS, and CTS is able to fill the remaining minutes (which is generally another three minutes) with content they choose to use. Listen Up has no control over those CTS minutes so I am not aware as to whether Hope for TV has aired in those minutes.
With reference to Mr. Don Simmonds, the Simmonds family are well known in the Christian community and you have pointed out a number of the places where they have been active. I have personally known Mr. Don Simmonds for a number of years prior to his appointment at CTS. However, there is no connection between Mr. Don Simmonds’ appointment to CTS, and Listen Up’s airing of its program on the CTS network.
Hi Lorna:
A House fan here.;^)
I’m finding Phil Cooke to be a clear communicator, giving words to the chaos the public is seeing in religious television.
I want to thank you for your willingness to explain how your show distribution works.
I think you are using ‘new’ models well by responding to BDBO reader concerns about your job and your company financial model.
And kudos from me for acknowledging your long time friendship with Crossroads CEO.
If Hope for TV ads aired during your show, I understand that would be the decision of CTS continuity.
I wonder if CTS and ListenUp TV follow Canada Revenue Agency’s guidelines concerning bartering…
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tp/it490/it490-e.txt
Lorna, if you read this, can you tell the readers whether you adhere to bulletin T-490 and if not, then why are you exempt from doing so? Also, do you know if CTS adheres to this bulletin?
Tim, I’m going to move a copy of your comment up to the Listen Up TV post on content distribution.
Oh my goodness. This really is a problem right now. I was living in Thailand during the Tsunami clean up and at one point there was an audit of some 300 organizations and only 2 were found to be totally accountable about all of their spending/donations etc… It was heartbreaking in a way that makes you think twice about who you donate to. Maybe a healthy wake up for some. Thanks for the post.