Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9x2HSf-ZQ34<\/p>\n
Passing of a visionary.<\/strong> Lowell \u201cBud\u201d Paxson, the co-creator of Home Shopping Network who later amassed a trove of TV stations and launched the family-friendly network Pax TV, had died at his home in Montana. He was 79.<\/em> (More @ Variety<\/a>)<\/p>\n Comment: <\/strong>I didn’t actually know the man — never met him — but I worked at his network as a producer on a show called Faith Under Fire<\/em><\/a>. I do know this though. The man had a great idea and the courage to act on it. The Pax TV network<\/a> was in existence from 1998 to 2005. For whatever reasons, and no doubt mistakes were made, it has gone the way of the DuMont Network<\/a> but the idea and ideal of creating a home for quality programming that supports the positive values of faith lives on. The current and growing success of\u00a0 UP TV<\/a> and Hallmark Channel<\/a> demonstrates that Bud was onto something. Viewers are tired of the seemingly endless stream of demoralizing, edgy and dark fare. There is a powerful demand for storytelling that uplifts and inspires.<\/p>\n BTW, while I worked on Faith Under Fire<\/em> — and am grateful for the experience and the people I met there — the best show on Pax was actually a drama called Mysterious Ways<\/em><\/a> about an anthropology professor (Adrian Pasdar) who investigated apparent miracles\u00a0 with the help of a skeptical psychiatrist (Rae Dawn Chong) and introverted physics graduate student (Alisen Down). The intelligent and compassionate show, created by the very talented Peter O’Fallen<\/a>, remains one of my all-time favorite shows from any network.\u00a0 Though it ran on Pax for two seasons (44 episodes), it’s a gem that relatively few people have seen. I actually think reruns would be\u00a0 a great pickup for either UP or Hallmark. Checkout the beginning of the premiere episode below.<\/p>\n