Contact: Chris Pham, 617-923-0220

MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Many economists agree that America is in a full-fledged recession. Despite this, CatholicTV a non-profit, nationally broadcast television station headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts saw financial support surge in December 2008 right in the midst of these difficult financial times.

Elated with the support from viewers in December, Jay Fadden, General Manager of CatholicTV, exclaimed "We received over 4200 letters from viewers which is the most mail we have received for one month in 4 years!" Referring to December, one employee stated, "We were in the middle of a spending freeze during December, and we couldn't even purchase business cards." Despite the challenging economic times facing the viewers of CatholicTV, viewers continue to sacrifice so that the station can broadcast into millions of homes.

CatholicTV began broadcasting over 50 years ago in the city of Boston. Monsignor Walter Flaherty came up with the idea of launching a television station that would broadcast the Sunday Mass (Sunday church service for Catholics) to those unable to leave their homes. Ultimately, his vision became CatholicTV. When Monsignor Flaherty presented the idea to the local Bishop, the Bishop agreed to let him proceed on the condition that the station would not cost the diocese any money. After 50 years, the station not only is still self sufficient, but has grown at a rapid pace due to the affirmation and support of millions of people over the years.

For over 50 years, CatholicTV has been funded by the generosity of the viewers, monies from bequests, fundraising and an endowment and continues to broadcast without paid advertising. CatholicTV now broadcasts across the United States and its programming can be viewed on stations in Canada. The station's full-screen-capable, live, online broadcast can be viewed across the globe on CatholicTV.com and is seen in virtually every country in the world according to web analytics.

CatholicTV broadcasts on Comcast, RCN, Verizon FiOS, Sky Angel, and Full Channel as well as several regional stations. CatholicTV has over 60 shows, many of which are produced in the studios in Watertown, Massachusetts, just 3 miles from Boston. CatholicTV's foundation is the Daily Mass, a live talk show called "This is the Day," and rosaries from around the world. But there is much more. Two other popular CatholicTV programs include "Wow! The CatholicTV Challenge", which is a Catholic trivia show starring 3rd graders, and "The Future Depends on Love", which is a show about marriage hosted by Dr. Angela and Dr. David Franks. CatholicTV also broadcasts "Real Faith TV", which is a faith-based program that is produced by and features teenagers talking about real-world issues. To find out if CatholicTV is available in your area please click or paste the address below into your browser:

http://www.catholictv.org/schedule/where-to-watch.aspx

About CatholicTV:
CatholicTV provides family-friendly, religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over 50 years ago, CatholicTV is available in selected areas on cable in the United States and Canada, via Sky Angel IPTV and online via a live stream anytime, everywhere at the station's web site www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV