TBN Salsa

On April 24, 2015, the Trinity Broadcasting Network announced that it would launch TBN Salsa, described as a "faith-and-family network" geared toward second- and third-generation Hispanics that do not speak Spanish, as well as non-Hispanic viewers interested in the Latin American culture and faith community. The network was co-founded by TBN president Matthew Crouch and Laurie Crouch, with Samuel Rodriguez (president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference) serving as a key advisor in the network's development.[2] The network initially debuted on the 38 stations owned directly by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and through its subsidiary Community Educational Television (including markets with large Hispanic and Latino populations such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Denver, Indianapolis, Nashville and Houston).[1]

Due to technical limitations with its stations' existing digital compression equipment, TBN opted to launch TBN Salsa on the subchannel previously occupied by Smile of a Child TV, collapsing that network (which is aimed at children 2 to 12 years of age) into a single subchannel with sister network JUCE TV (which targets teenagers and young adults 13 to 30 years of age) under a timeshare arrangement, with a reduced schedule of Smile programming airing daily from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the third subchannel occupied by JUCE (Smile of a Child and JUCE continue to maintain 24-hour-day schedules, with programs not seen on the subchannel available on their respective streams on TBN's website, mobile and digital media players, and select cable and satellite providers).[3][4]

TBN Salsa formally launched at 7:08 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 2015, with a 60-second promo reel previewing the network. This was followed by the network's inaugural program: a special live broadcast of TBN flagship program Praise the Lord from the network's Dream Center studio in Los Angeles' Echo Park neighborhood (hosted by Matthew and Laurie Crouch, and Samuel Rodriguez), with additional location segments conducted from Miami, Seattle and New York City.

On May 1, 2019, TBN removed Salsa from the DT5 feed of its O&O broadcast stations, replacing it with a placeholder standard definition feed of the main TBN signal, later replacing it with JUCE TV (as of the end of January 2020, known as Positiv).

TBN Salsa carries a broad mix of ministry, Christian teaching and contemporary worship programs featuring Hispanic pastors and Christian leaders from the United States and Latin America; Contemporary Christian and gospel music programs featuring Latino musicians and recording artists; topical talk shows highlighting issues relating to the Hispanic Americans; documentaries; sports programs; faith-based and family-oriented feature films; specials; and children's programs. The network also broadcasts Salsa Praise the Lord, a dedicated edition of TBN's flagship program Praise the Lord that airs each weeknight.[4]

• Official website