Our HIstory

For over forty years, the Total Living Network, formerly known as WCFC-TV38, has been faithfully spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through media in the Greater Chicagoland Area. For the last eighteen of those years, through the acquisition of TLNWest, we have also expanded our outreach to include the San Francisco Bay Area as a full-power broadcaster.

As a Christian broadcaster, TLN has recognized its responsibility to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through multiple electronic means. For TLN/TLNWest that has included over the air as a broadcaster; through cable via Comcast, AT&T, Astound, Google, Inc. and ON DEMAND; through satellite via Dish and Direct TV; through online streaming platforms such as Roku, AndroidTV, Amazon Fire TV; and via live streaming on our websites TLN.com and TLNWest.tv; through direct products via MP3s, CDs, videos and DVDs; through radio and through films.

As a broadcast television station – WCFC’s call letters proclaimed its mission – “Winning Chicagoland For Christ.” Since signing on the air in 1976 as Chicago’s first Christian television station, TLN has provided airtime to a wide variety of bible teachers looking to reach people for Christ outside the doors of their churches or ministries. But we did more than that. TLN/WCFC led the way by being content providers as well, producing thousands of hours of original content in the form of news programs, talk shows, children’s programming, prayer specials, women’s shows, ministry/counseling programs, health programs, music/variety/inspirational programming, documentaries and specials to meet the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our audience: thus the name change to the Total Living Network – programming designed for body, mind and spirit. In the early 2000’s, TLN expanded its reach further by producing several Christian-themed films, and in partnership with Grizzly Adams Productions produced a national television series and specials for the Pax Television Network. Our original teaching program Journey was also distributed on Grace Radio. On a national level, TLN’s original programming is seen on the NRB Network and has reached international markets through partnerships with Alpha Omega television in Romania and SAT 7 in the Middle East. As a consultant to the International Correspondence Institute in Brussels Belgium, TLN former President Jerry Rose wrote and narrated three teaching series in development of International Christian Education programming. TLN is committed to excellence and has won numerous local and national awards, including over 30 Emmy awards.

TLN also serves ministries in the major markets we reach in order to build up the Body of Christ and further kingdom work for the glory of God collectively. For the last several years, TLN has identified and come alongside specific ministries and helped them begin television programming of their own. The homeless shelter Pacific Garden Mission is one such example. Serving Chicago’s homeless for over 135 years, PGM has been spreading the gospel through their radio broadcast “UNSHACKLED," for over 60 years, but they’d never considered using television as another outlet to expand their reach until TLN produced a TV pilot for them, pro bono. We then walked them step-by-step through every phase of TV production until they were fully able to produce a weekly, hour long program. TLN’s goal was to see an effective ministry expand the gospel and their outreach further through television. This goal was reached beyond all expectations. In conjunction with other marketing efforts, through the addition of the television program, Pacific Garden Mission has seen their donations triple. Further, the gospel is proclaimed creatively through a quality television program aired on TLN. TLN is currently partnering with Heart for the City, an urban ministry alliance aimed to petition God to move on behalf of the violence in Chicago’s inner city. Other ministries TLN has recently partnered with to spread the gospel through quality electronic communications via television and video programming include Moody Bible Institute’s Founder’s week, Illinois Family Institute and Hashtag Productions for the Fate of Our Nations series and other video packages, Project HOOD with Pastor Corey Brooks for the Presidential Series on Urban Issues, and The Orchard Church with Pastor Colin Smith. TLN will continue to reach into the communities it serves as partners, servants and leaders to creatively use every electronic tool available to fulfill the Great Commission.