3xM

New Christian TV program reaches Turkish youth

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:35:08 +0200

A large part of the population in Turkey is younger than 30 and the number of Christians among this group is increasing. Young people struggle with questions like ‘How can we translate the message of the Bible to our daily lives?’ and ‘Isn’t the Bible something particularly for children or old people? What does it have to say to me?’, To reach this target group, a Turkish partner of 3xM has recently started with the TV program 40 foxes in my head. Today, October 12th the first broadcast will take place. This is the first Christian program which especially aims at young people.

Taboo

The title of the program refers to the many questions which may run around like foxes in the heads of young people. Martien Timmer, international director of 3xM, explains: “In the Turkish culture it is not a matter of course that young people can talk about existential questions with for example their parents or their pastor. Due to this they often struggle with questions without knowing who they talk to about this. The new TV program offers young people the chance to break out of this isolation. The questions which occupy their minds are now mentioned and can be discussed regardless of the taboo.”

Existential questions

A pastor or Christian leader is the guest in each talk show. Besides this there are three young people in the studio who are allowed to ask this guest all kinds of (existential) questions. All of these young people have a different Christian background. There are young people with a Protestant background, an Armenian-orthodox believer and a Syrian-orthodox believer. The topics which are discussed vary from friendship, living like a Christian in Turkey to Christianity and science.

Minority

Although the number of Christians is increasing in Turkey, Christians are still rather a minority. As far as is known there are only 3,000 Protestants in Turkey. Among this group are remarkably many singles, because it is difficult to find a partner who shares the Christian faith. For that reason the program also wants to offer encouragement to young people who may sometimes feel lonesome because of their faith. The program also wants to show that the God of the Bible is for everyone, how old or young they may be.

3xM

For more than 30 years 3xM helps local Christians in producing and broadcasting television programs. Passing on knowledge is part of the mission. 3xM particularly aims at countries in which few Christians live in the so-called 10/40 window and is mainly active in West-Africa, Asia, Turkey and Bulgaria.

More interest in the Bible in Bulgaria due to Christian television

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:19:51 +0200

3xM publishes a research on the impact of her Christian television programs of her partner Studio 865 in Bulgaria today. The most important results are encouraging. The program ‘Christianity attracts more viewers than the other programs on the same channel. Besides this 60% of the interviewed people indicate that ‘Christianity’ is the best or a better program than most of the TV programs which they watch. As a result of the program, 31% have become more interested to read the Bible. And 12% stated that they will attend a church service again or do this more often.

Impact

In the program ‘Christianity’, current issues in society, such as Christianity and Islam, or aggression at schools, are discussed from a Christian perspective. The program consists of among other things, a studio interview, commentaries and a Christian news program. It is very important for 3xM to investigate the impact of the programs which it supports. Martien Timmer, International director of 3xM explains: “Impact research helps us to see what the effects of Christian programs are in human lives. It gives us the opportunity to improve our work in God’s kingdom, so that we can make Him known to more people!”

Improvement

The impact research was performed in Plovdiv, Burgas and Varna, for which 2,667 people were interviewed. In addition to this research was done by means of focus groups and finally viewers of ‘Christianity’ were asked to fill in a question form on internet. Based on the results of the impact research, Studio 865 feels encouraged in carrying out her mission. At the same time it is a challenge to search more carefully for topics which are relevant for the viewers. Family life, for instance, is under great pressure in Bulgaria. In the media family is depicted as something which is out of date and old-fashioned. Studio 865 hopes to attract a greater viewing public with her programs on familiar topics and in this way reach even more people with the hopeful message of the gospel.

3xM

Also Christian television programmes in Niger in the near future

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:15:39 +0200

Last month two television companies in Niger have decided to broadcast a Christian television programme from 3xM’s partner from Ivory Coast every month. This concerns three French programmes: the youth programme Nouvelle Generation, Et votre famille? a programme about family life and society and the programme Miel Mortel, which makes HIV/AIDS a subject of discussion. 3xM’s International Director, Martien Timmer, is very happy with this new possibility to also bring Niger into contact with the gospel.

Also Christian television programmes in Niger in the near future

Last month two television companies in Niger have decided to broadcast a programme from 3xM’s partner in Ivory Coast every month. After four years of lobbying for broadcasting time, finally an agreement has been made about the broadcasts. The broadcasts will be shown on TeleSahel, the national tv and TalTv, which broadcasts in the capital city Niamey and vicinity, so the total population of Niger can receive the Christian television programmes.

Range

Martien Timmer, International Director of 3xM, states: “For already twenty years it has been our vision that the French programmes which our partner in Ivory Coast has developed are broadcasted in an area which is as large as possible. We have not succeeded in broadcasting in Niger until now. Therefore we are very happy with this new possibility to also bring Niger into contact with the gospel.”

Programmes

The three French programmes which will from now on also be broadcasted in Niger, are Nouvelle Generation, Et votre famille and Miel Mortel. The first is a youth programme in which guests tell about how their faith in God gives them courage and helps them to persevere. The second programme is a magazine about family life and society. And the last programme is a series which provides information about relationships and HIV/AIDS using a biblical standard and biblical values.

Niger

Niger is 30 times as large as the Netherlands and has nearly 16.5 million inhabitants. Many people live beneath the poverty line and the average people do not become older than 53. Approximately 80% of the population is Moslem. Due to the support of the national Evangelical community Niger-AMEEN, 3xM has received broadcasting time on the national television.

3xM

For more than 30 years 3xM helps local Christians in producing and broadcasting television programmes. Passing on knowledge is part of the mission. 3xM particularly aims at countries in which few Christians live in the so-called 10/40 window and is mainly active in Africa and Asia.

Large number of reactions to christian tv-programmes in 2010

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:27:55 +0200

As a result of the christian television broadcasts supported by 3xM in 2010, a considerably greater number of responses have come in at the follow-up. In the Ivory Coast the number of reactions even increased with 40%, to a total of 14,000. Also the potential range of 3xM has risen from 234 million viewers in 2009, to 343 million viewers in 2010. This increase is mainly due to the start of a new programme in Southern Asia. After four years of preparation the first programme, a drama production on social issues, was broadcasted in 2010.

Extra income
3xM is thankful that it has actually received the estimated 11% extra income during a time of retrenchment. In order to meet with the increasing demand for support of new partners, the budget for 2011 has again been raised with 10%.

Impact
Every three years a research bureau performs an impact research under the authority of 3xM. It appears from an impact research that 3.4 million people have changed their behaviour, 175,000 people have started to read the Bible and 37,000 people have visited a church for the first time after watching a programme of 3xM. In Bulgaria the number of downloads by means of internet and digital media increased with 71%, from 83,000 times in 2009 to 142,000 in 2010.

2011
3xM hopes to finance projects in 16 countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe in 2011. The 307 planned tv-programmes will be broadcasted by means of 17 national and 9 regional channels, by means of satellite in ten countries and internet in two countries. Besides this, 3xM will evaluate the programmes which are running in the Ivory Coast, Turkey, Central Asia and Southern Asia. 3xM will also set out to increase the capacity of the local partners. To achieve this, 16 trainings have been planned.

3xM
For more than 30 years 3xM helps local Christians in producing and broadcasting tv-programmes. The passing on of knowledge is part of the mission. 3xM particularly aiAms at countries where few Christians live in the so-called 10/40 window and is mainly active in Africa and Asia.
If you are interested, please send an email to info@3xm.nl to get a full copy of the annual report 2010.

Gunfire surrounding 3xM studio Ivory Coast

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:33:13 +0100

The situation in the Ivory Coast deteriorates every day, as is also experienced by the employees of the PEMA/ACT (African Christian Television), the partner of 3xM which produces and broadcasts Christian television programmes in the Ivory Coast. This week PEMA/ACT was confronted with heavy gunfire close the premises in which the studio and the office are situated in Abidjan. Gilbert Okoronkwo, manager of PEMA/ACT states: “Fortunately the fighters stopped before they arrived at our studio and we are still safe. Yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to carry on our work under these conditions.”

Escalation
Times are turbulent in the Ivory Coast since the presidential elections in November last year. The election results indicate that Alessane Ouattara gained the victory, but the current president Gbagbo does not accept this and refuses to leave. The situation seems to escalate more and more and particularly affects civilians. Public transportation has almost completely stopped and banks are still closed, as a result of which people have no access to their money. The European Union has made an embargo on the import of food and medicines, so undernourishment is lurking and hospitals are confronted with a shortage in medicines. 3xM calls on christians in the Netherlands to pray for the safety of her workers in Abidjan, a rapid opening of the banks and the termination of the embargo on food and medicine.

3xM
3xM has already aided local Christians for 30 years in producing and broadcasting television programmes. The transfer of know-how is part of the mission. 3xM particularly aims at countries where few Christians live and mainly operates in Africa and Asia.