Lunch at Michael’s with UP TV CEO Charley Humbard

amp8220Time magazineamp8217s managing editor coined the name amp8216televangelistamp8217 after dad in 1974amp8221 Humbard sharedamp160 amp8220That is a question on Jeopardy by the wayamp8221 he added with a proud smileRex Humbard was host of the weekly series Cathedral of Tomorrow and he was also a visionary leader in television technology He was the first person to put a church service on TV every week beginning in 1953amp160 amp8220He built the Cathedral of Tomorrow which was the first megachurchamp8221 Humbard recalledamp160 quotThe 5400seat round cathedral had the largest freestanding dome in Americaamp160 Dad had big ideasamp160 He prewired the cathedral for television when it was built in 1952 television had begun active broadcasts in 1949 and was the first to amp8216station hopamp8217 by using a microwave signal to send the broadcast from Akron to Clevelandquotamp160 Humbard also developed the national TV syndication model for his weekly show expanding to global distribution as wellCharley Rexamp8217s youngest son has continued his dadamp8217s legacy as an innovator in the television industryamp160 The twin influences of technology and striving to uplift mass audiences with positive messages have remained with Humbard throughout his lifeamp160 amp8220I got to witness them first handamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220Watching how dad lived his life was very influentialamp160 His greatest gift to me was watching him liveamp8221A childhood and adolescence spent traveling around the world as a television personality with his family as his father continually broke new ground in entertainment communication and technology led Humbard to an eventual gig as a senior audio engineer at Turner followed by ten years at Discovery launching four brands in 140 countries and six domestic digital cable channelsamp160 But it all culminated in his most passionate endeavor to date the creation of Gospel Music Channel in 2004 which became GMC TV in 2010 and a few years later UP TVamp8220NRGamp160took the whole television landscape and divided it into three big bucketsamp8221 he shared to explain the UPamp160content and business modelamp160amp160amp8220One is Family in Mind thatamp8217s 40plus millionamp160amp160The second is Reality Escapist thatamp8217s about 42 millionamp160amp160The other is Blurred Lines a smaller group of about 26amp160millionamp160amp160We believe that Family in Mind is a huge opportunity for usamp160amp160As weamp8217ve drilled into this during the last five years weamp8217ve found that itamp8217s the most valuable group of the threeamp160amp160The stats are surprisingamp160amp160They are more A and B county more higher income more educated and they cut across Democrats and Republicans not just Red statesamp160amp160Its people who care about family about home and about faith and values amp8230 and by the way they love traditional televisionamp160amp160You put those four pieces together and youamp8217ve got a great opportunityamp160amp160We continue to use data and research to make usamp160better and smarteramp8220I think thatamp8217s so important with an entertainment brand especially when you are trying to touch peopleamp8217s hearts like in our case at UPquot Humbard continuedamp160 quotWeamp8217re not a head brandamp160amp160Weamp8217re a heart brandamp160amp160Working with Nielsen NRG Mediavest and Scripps weamp8217ve interviewed over 15000 people to create the Family in Mind reservoir of information so we understand this 40plus million audience better than anyone in the businessamp160amp160How to talk to them how to market to themamp8220I was around the music part of dadamp8217s shows a lotamp8221 Humbard said as he recalled the launch of Gospel Music Channelamp160 quotI grew up with Mahalia Jackson Johnny and June Carter Cash young Amy Grant Andre Crouch and the Disciplesamp160amp160They were groundbreakingamp160amp160Performing on dadamp8217s show could make or break someoneamp8217s careeramp160 Dad knew that entertainment would be key to drawing in the nonbelieversamp160 Great music and great entertainment along with a great message which was the core of how he set it upquotBeing a part of Dadamp8217s shows gave me exposure to a couple of things that Iamp8217ve carried forward combining entertainment with a purpose and a strong message and being diverse in the way you approach itamp8221 he told usamp160 amp8220Gospel Music Channel featured rock pop country soulamp160 It was the first time that gospel had been brought together in that way outside of an award showamp160 Gospel artists played on black stations the Christian artists played on white stations country artists played on country stationsamp160 No one had brought them together like thatamp160 It was a groundbreaking thing for us to doamp8220I love the space UP has defined because itamp8217s probably the most relatable television on televisionamp8221 Humbard said with a smileamp160 amp8220Weamp8217re all a part of a family so there is so much subject matter thereamp160amp160UP shows lifeamp8217s biggest moments and for families itamp8217s the most shared subject on social mediaamp160amp160We have teams of moms watching all our shows and movies before we acquire them and put them on the airamp160 Regular momsamp160 Theyamp8217re the front lineamp8221amp160 The moms he explained were found through relationships with employees as well as a research community hosted by Vision Criticalamp8220Itamp8217s important to understand that we are an adulttargeted network because we are talking about family a lotamp8221 he assertedamp160 amp8220We know that what weamp8217re doing on the programming side appeals to families who feel good about watching in a coviewing environmentamp160 Our research says there are four things families cherish the mostamp160 No 1 familyamp160 No 2 homeamp160 No 3 faith and valuesamp160 No 4 they love traditional television which is icing for usamp8220When things are really dark whether its politics or whatever itamp8217s interesting to note the shows that start to rise back upamp8221 Humbard musedamp160 amp8220Look at WGN right now and its success with MASHamp160 Weamp8217re getting ready to put Home Improvement onamp160 Back when we put The Waltons on it was the same kind of environmentamp160 Television ebbs and flows depending on the environment and the culture and whatamp8217s going on in Americaamp160 Right now people are back into the space that UP is inamp160 Our value proposition is to continue to be uplifting entertainment the light in a very dark media landscapeamp160 It sets us apart from everybodyamp160 It creates success and thatamp8217s why advertisers should look at usamp160 Itamp8217s a trusted environmentamp160 We have the formula rightquotUP he said amp8220was a purposedriven company before purposedriven companies were coolamp160 Our purpose has been to inspire hearts to be betteramp160 Thatamp8217s what makes us tickamp160amp160Itamp8217s in our DNAamp160 Itamp8217s what we do amp8230 to be uplifting and be positiveamp8221Asked what his favorite shows were when he was growing up Humbard listed many standard Baby Boomer favorites including Gilliganamp8217s Island Dark Shadows Lost in Space and The Wild Wild Westamp160 Not surprisingly the No 1 show in the Humbard household was The Waltons which ran on UP before it moved to Hallmark ChannelHumbard described his father as amp8220purpose and mission drivenamp8221 explaining that he focused on people39s souls asamp160a amp8220salvation ministeramp8221 at different times during our lunchamp160 quotDad39s messages were simplequot he saidamp160 quotHe was not into politics not any of the stuff that you see so much of todayamp160 He always used to say that a pastor in politics is like a blacksmith pulling teeth it would be a bloody messamp160 He would never do itamp160 We have a lot to learn today rightquotAsked what he does in addition to running UP Humbard replied with a wistful laugh amp8220The answer canamp8217t be raising boys anymore because they are about to ship offamp160 They are 18 and 20amp160 One is a sophomore in college one is about to go to collegeamp8220I spend as much time as I can in Park Cityamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220We have a house there so I ski and spend summers thereamp160 We mountain bike hike camp and fish a lotamp160 Fly fishing is probably my main passionamp160 Itamp8217s as zen as you want it to beamp160 It helps me get away from it all but Iamp8217m very competitive even with the fishamp160 My wife is heading back to work after 18 years of raising boysamp160 It really was a privilege for her to get to stay home and raise themamp160 We were blessed that she could do thatamp160 She just started back as a finance accountantamp160 She was temporarily CFO of Nat Geo International for a whileamp8221When we first sat down at our table I had told Humbard that I am currently mentoring several aspiring young innercity actors and writers in Bridgeport Connamp160 As our lunch was about to end I asked him about a blue UP wristband he was wearingamp160 The response crystalized and reinforced the entire conversation as well as Humbardamp8217s message about his workamp160 amp8220Give me your armamp8221 he repliedamp160 amp8220Hereamp8217s how it playsamp8221amp160 Referring to the wristband he said amp8220You were going to get this anyhow today for the work you are doing in mentoring peopleamp160 I usually give a band to somebody who uplifts meamp160 I always have one on and pass it alongamp8220Outreach is a natural extension of our brandamp8221 he concludedamp160 amp8220We remind viewers to do something good for othersamp160 We call that Uplift Someone which is our outreachamp160 Try to make a differenceamp8221Amy Winter shares more about UP39s programming in this interviewClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Lunch at Michael’s with UP TV CEO Charley Humbard

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