Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico | Libna Stevens/IAD
Inter-American Division leaders representing Hope Channel Inter-America signed a special collaboration agreement with leaders at the Montemorelos University last week that will allow both to team up in a number of projects for the multi-channel television network.
The agreement, signed on the Montemorelos campus in Mexico, on July 8, will include available human resources and equipment for needed productions for Hope Channel Inter-America’s Spanish channel Esperanza TV Interamérica.
“We are pleased to have this first collaboration agreement signed with Montemorelos Univeristy to fill our Spanish channel,” said Abel Marquez, communication director for the church in Inter-America overseeing Hope Channel Inter-America.
“Our channels’ master control is at the General Conference Headquarters but we are setting up a remote control location here to manage the playlists of our three channels,” explained Marquez. “We thought of Montemorelos University because they offer many degrees in the area of communication and possess the ideal infrastructure and resources to collaborate with us in this venture.”
L to R: Montemorelos University’s School of Arts and Communication Director Matheus Nascimento, Ismael Castillo, Abel Marquez, and IAD Vice President Leon B. Wellington during the signing ceremony. Image by Benjamin Garcia/IAD
Hope Channel Inter-America will provide equipment and resources for the university to produce new television programs, in addition to the ones already being produced, according to Marquez.
Montemorelos University will use a local employee and communication students for scheduling program playlists for the three channels in English, Spanish and French.
President of Monteremolos University Ismael Castillo expressed his delight in closer collaboration with IAD and Hope Channel Inter-America.
“We are more than committed to this effort of transforming lives with the production of new programs for our church,” said Castillo.
The university is planning on expanding its School of Arts and Communication building to include new offices for Hope Channel scheduling and a larger television studio, Castillo added.
Already the playlist for the Spanish channel is being set and within the next few weeks the channel will be testing via satellite, explained Marquez.
The agreement is the first of a half a dozen ones to come as Hope Channel Inter-America is scheduled to officially launch its channels on September 15, 2016.
“Our goal for the channels is to air programs contextualized for our territory and that is why it is important to establish these collaboration agreements with our media centers across our Division, to enrich our channels with new programs,” said Marquez.
There are so many millions of people who are looking for answers to their daily challenges, explained Marquez. “We are looking to have more direct communication with them presenting the gospel in culturally contextualized formats so that we can share our values as a church with the purpose of changing their lifestyle and accept Jesus,” said Marquez.
For now, programming from other divisions will be used for the channels and plans are underway to produce children and youth programs among others this year, as well as our own channel spots, fillers and clips that identify us as Hope Channel Inter-America, added Marquez.
Additional Hope Channel Inter-America collaboration agreements to be signed in the coming months will include Jamaica Union with Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Media Group for the English channel, French Antilles Guiana Union for the French Channel , and other IAD media centers.
The collaboration agreement with Montemorelos University was signed by Abel Marquez, Ismael Castillo, Leon B. Wellington, vice president of the IAD, and Matheus Nascimento, director of Montemorelos University’s School of Arts and Communication.
