Jewish Life Television

Jewish Life Television (JLTV) is an American entertainment television network broadcasting Jewish–themed programming. The network was founded in 2007 by Phil Blazer, a longtime journalist and producer of programming for the Jewish community;[1][2] Blazer remained with the network until his death in August 2020.[3] The JLTV is funded by the Jewish Life Foundation,[4][5] and its remaining earnings come from advertising.[6][7]

Jewish Life Television
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNorth America
HeadquartersLos Angeles
New York City
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hatillo, PR
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerJLTV, LLC
(Privately Owned)
History
Launched2007 (17 years ago)
Links
Websitewww.jltv.tv
Availability
Terrestrial
WIMN-CD
(Arecibo, PR)
36.1
Streaming media
Digital media receiverRoku

In the United States, JLTV is available in almost 50 million households through Comcast, Spectrum and DirecTV as well as various regional cable systems, in addition to offering a live feed of its programming on the Internet.[8] JLTV's broadcast facilities are located in Los Angeles, California.[9]

Programming

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JLTV's newest programming features shows, such as international favorites Fauda and Prisoners of War along with many other news, sports, lifestyle and entertainment programming. These include films, documentaries, music, reviews, interviews, reality shows such as InOverOurHeads and special events, such as programming from the Maccabiah Games.[10]

In 2019, the network launched the original series, Bubbies Know Best, featuring three Jewish grandmothers serving as matchmakers for a variety of people searching for romance.[11] In 2020, JLTV premiered an episode of their global travel series Air Land & Sea featuring Porto, Portugal,[12] which was awarded "Outstanding Religion Documentary" by the Religion News Association.[13] JLTV, the Museum of Jewish Heritage and JewishGen announced the co-production of a Jewish genealogy series called Generations, set to premiere in 2023.[14][15]

The network also carries a collection of classic general-interest series with Jewish hosts or leads, including The Jack Benny Program, That Show with Joan Rivers, Candid Camera with Allen Funt, You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx, The Soupy Sales Show, Bonanza (Lorne Greene and Michael Landon), the Ukrainian sitcom Servant of the People (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and the mid-20th century dramedy The Goldbergs, along with general-interest public domain Westerns and sitcoms (The Lucy Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Stories of the Century and Annie Oakley). As of 2023, JLTV also broadcasts the original 1951-59 version of Dragnet.

In 2021, JLTV announced that they would be the first cable television channel in North America to broadcast the two award-winning thriller series Fauda and Prisoners of War.[16]

Canadian distribution

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In 2011, JLTV was officially added to the CRTC's approved list of foreign services, allowing the channel to expand into Canada. Ethnic Channels Group, who sponsored the application to get JLTV on the approved list, is the official Canadian distributor of the channel.[17] In July 2014, JLTV officially launched in Canada on Bell Fibe TV.

References

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  1. ^ Gideon Spanier, "Gideon Spanier profiles Phil Blazer, the man behind Jewish Life TV", Jewish Quarterly, Autumn 2007.
  2. ^ Dan Klein, "The actually Jewish-controlled media tries to make its mark", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "Broadcaster and Activist Phil Blazer Dies at 76". 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ "About | Jewish Life Foundation". JLF. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  5. ^ Gardner, Chris (2016-06-07). "Holocaust Survivors Branko Lustig, Meyer Gottlieb Honored Alongside The Hollywood Reporter by Yad Vashem". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  6. ^ "Jewish Life TV Penetrates the San Diego County Market". San Diego Jewish World. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  7. ^ Harrison, Donald H. (2022-11-19). "Jewish Life TV Widens San Diego Imprint; Ukraine's 'Servant of the People' Is Airing". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  8. ^ "Jewish Life Television's Global Travel Series Air Land & Sea To Premiere The Jewish History of Magnificent Malta". AP NEWS. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  9. ^ Natan, Nir (2009-07-04). "US Jewish TV channel expanding". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  10. ^ "Soboroff Raises Bar for 18th Maccabiah", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, July 29, 2009; "L.A. Fifth-Grader Ready for Prime Time", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, July 10, 2009.
  11. ^ Klug, Lisa (2019-05-02). "When It Comes to Matchmaking, 'Bubbies Know Best'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  12. ^ "Jewish Life Television/JLTV to Premiere "Air Land & Sea" in Porto, Portugal | Jewish Website". 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  13. ^ "2021 RNA Contest Winners". Religion News Association. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  14. ^ Flam, Charna (2023-06-17). "'Generations' Unscripted Series Exploring Genealogy Set to Premiere on Jewish Life Television". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  15. ^ "Jewish-Themed Genealogy TV Series 'Generations' Set to Premiere on Jewish Life Television". www.algemeiner.com. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  16. ^ "JLTV (Jewish Life TV) Lands First-Ever North American Broadcast Television Premiere of Award-Winning Series "Fauda" and "Prisoners of War" Debuting on Thursday, July 1, 2021". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  17. ^ Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-45
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