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Quick Facts About the It Is Written Telecast

  • It Is Written is viewed in approximately 7,000 cities in the United States and 700 cities in Canada. The telecast's reach extends to at least 140 countries.
  • An average of 1.5 million people view the North American telecast each week.
  • It Is Written airs in eight of the top 10 Nielsen markets and consistently ranks as one of the top 10 religious programs in the United States.
  • Recent surveys indicate that 18 percent of all United States residents and 33 percent of all Canadians are familiar with the telecast.
  • The telecast regularly airs on six networks: TBN, Family Net, Safe TV, Loma Linda Broadcasting, the Hope Channel, and 3ABN/Sky Angel (which includes more than 100 low-power stations in the United States.)
  • It Is Written is produced in 11 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish and Ukrainian.
  • It Is Written has an inventory of over 1,100 recorded programs, with at least 36 new broadcasts produced each year.
  • Average of yearly phone responses: 85,000.
  • More than 200,000 pieces of Christ-centered literature, books and videotapes are distributed from It Is Written's California offices annually.
  • In its 15th anniversary and led by Pastor Robert Costa, It Is Written's Spanish ministry, Está Escrito, is now reaching 138 countries on more than 10,000 channels. Each month, an average of 900,000 people visit the website to watch the program and to obtain Bible studies.

Awards

  • It Is Written has received 32 Angel Awards from the Excellence in Media organization for promoting high moral values to the public, with two Gold Angels presented to Pastor George Vandeman.
  • Since 2002, the Telly Awards organization has awarded the ministry with 12 statuettes—including its top honor, the Silver Telly, in 2006.
  • The Aurora Awards presented the ministry with a 2002 Aurora Award in recognition of the ministry's "New Beginnings" DVD series. In 2005 and 2006, two It Is Written telecasts were also recognized with Aurora Awards.

History/Milestones

  • It Is Written is a donor-supported ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. Click here to view the fundamental beliefs of the church, and visit this website to find the church near you.
  • The program initially aired in March 1956 on 13 stations with founder Pastor George Vandeman as speaker.
  • It Is Written was the first religious telecast to air in color.
  • Pastor Mark Finley became speaker/director of It Is Written in 1991. In January 2005, Pastor Finley placed the speaker/director mantle on Pastor Shawn Boonstra.
  • Pastor Boonstra and It Is Written's other international speakers reach millions of people in 140 countries every week.
  • It Is Written was the first major ministry to use satellite uplink technology to spread its evangelism messages. During the ministry's 10-country, three-year "ACTS 2000" effort, more than 3 million people attended at least one downlink location.
  • It Is Written became one of the first Christian television programs to broadcast free video podcasts via iTunes in 2006.
  • Pastor Boonstra writes and records 260 A Better Way to Live daily devotional programs each year.
  • In 2008, It Is Written launched My Place With Jesus, a free Bible study series just for kids!