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Communications and Media Offices

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to invite people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. We seek to echo the Catholic faith in the six counties of the Diocese of Youngstown. We amplify the voice, plans and priorities of the diocese by utilizing multimedia and a wide range of communication strategies. We proclaim the Gospel, build up the Body of Christ, practice authentic dialogue and support the work of the Church, in a spirit of truth, transparency and consistency.

Announcements

Media Relations

Have you received media inquiries or coverage? Please consult with Dennis Biviano, Public Relations & Media Specialist: (330) 744-8451, ext. 320 or dbiviano@youngstowndiocese.org.

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Catholic Echo Media Group

The Catholic Echo, is a multi-platform publication and media group that brings together all of the Diocese of Youngstown’s media assets, including its print publication (formerly The Catholic Exponent) and multimedia studios (formerly CTNY).

History

Just one year after the diocese was founded in 1943, The Catholic Exponent newspaper published its first issue, providing “a Catholic Window on the World” and offering news, features and commentary at the local, national and international levels to Catholics in all six counties of the diocese. The Exponent team produced it, without interruption, until its  final issue on February 24, 2023, when it was then re-imagined as The Catholic Echo magazine. Premiering in May 2023, The Catholic Echo magazine succeeds and builds upon the 79-year-history of The Catholic Exponent newspaper and is delivered free-of-charge to all 52,000 parishioner households in the Diocese of Youngstown.

Multimedia | Catholic TV Youngstown

The multimedia studio of the Diocese of Youngstown uses mass media with an ecumenical attitude and an evangelizing concern to proclaim the story of a loving God, revealed in Jesus and living in a believing, celebrating and ministering community.

This story is proclaimed throughout the six counties of Northeast Ohio and beyond for the sake of a greater awareness, better understanding, deeper discipleship and sustained support. We continue to produce Our Sunday Mass, Wineskins radio program (now available on all podcasting platforms), video for our social media platforms, and liturgical events at St. Columba Cathedral, with new programming in development.

Programs

Our Sunday Mass
The diocese continues to produce Our Sunday Mass. As early as 1954, the diocese was broadcasting Sunday Mass on radio with the help of a local AM station. Later, in the early 1960s, the first televised Mass was broadcast on in partnership with local stations. The award-winning “Our Sunday Mass” continues to be produced and broadcast on WFMJ-TV 21 (the local NBC Affiliate). Today “Our Sunday Mass” is taped at St. Columba Cathedral, produced in the multimedia studios in the Diocesan offices in Youngstown, and broadcast on Catholic TV Youngstown from the Society of St. Paul Monastery in Canfield, Ohio. 
 

Our Sunday Mass may be viewed online at catholicecho.org/live/, on Facebook or YouTube starting at 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

In Youngstown, Warren, Mahoning Valley, watch on WFMJ TV-21: Sundays at 6 a.m.

In Stark County, watch on Spectrum Cable in Canton – Channel 989: Sundays at 9:30 a.m., on Massillon Cable Channel 128: Sundays at 9:30 a.m., or on WIVM TV-39: Sundays at 9:30 a.m.

In nursing homes and prisons: The diocese continues to make its televised Mass available in 10 nursing homes and 3 prisons. For more information, contact Bob Gavalier at rgavalier@youngstowndiocese.org or 330-744-8451. Any further updates to diocesan cable TV programming will be noted at www.doy.org/live/

 
The Catholic Echo Podcast

The NEW Catholic Echo Podcast informs and entertains the faithful of the Diocese of Youngstown by discussing various topics that are relevant in the church today. Bishop David J. Bonnar begins the podcast with your host Fr. Jim Korda on the topic of the day. Various guests continue to inform us on the same topic.

Subscribe to The Catholic Echo Podcast on SpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts or any major podcasting platform. You can listen at any time on the Catholic Echo website catholicecho.org/podcast/. Listen on Youngstown radio stations WHOT-FM 101, WYFM-FM 102.9, WQXK-FM 105.1 Sundays at 6:30 a.m. The Catholic Echo Podcast is produced by the Communications Department of the Diocese of Youngstown.

 
Wineskins

Wineskins is now available as a podcast! Subscribe to Wineskins on SpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts or any major podcasting platform.

Wineskins airs every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on WKBN 570 AM in Youngstown and WRQX 600 AM in Salem; 9:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on WILB AM Canton 1060, WILB FM 89.5 Youngstown, WILB FM 94.5 Canton

Listen to Wineskins on the new Catholic Echo website. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates when we post a new episode.

The award-winning “Wineskins” radio program has been airing on local radio stations in the Youngstown, Ohio, area since the 1980s. “Wineskins” features reflections on the lives of the saints and the sacred scriptures, along with thoughts on a variety of topics and issues from a Catholic perspective. “Wineskins” is produced by the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio. Wineskins is brought to you by the Annual Diocesan Appeal, the Catholic Communication Campaign and St. Paul’s Catholic Books and gifts, a division of The Society of St. Paul.

History

The diocese was forward-thinking in its early use of multimedia communications. During the 1950’s and 60’s vigorous Catholic radio and television flourished nationally and within the Diocese. In 1954 the Sunday Mass was broadcast on radio with the help of a local AM station. In the early 60’s the TV Mass for Shut-Ins was first broadcast from WFMJ-TV 21 (the local NBC Affiliate). In the early 1970’s a Diocesan Director of Communications and producer were named, producing programs such as Moving Out, Popcorn Digest and Gallery.
 

Catholic Television Network of Youngstown (CTNY)

The Diocese began the Catholic Telecommunications Network of Youngstown in 1980 to expand the production and delivery of its radio and TV programs. The Gabriel Award- and Proclaim Award-winning Wineskins radio program had begun production along with TV programs such as Reel to Real, Diocesan Spotlight, Jewish Christian Dialogue, Profiles and Issues and more. St. Columba Cathedral was made television-ready to provide live and taped broadcasts of liturgical events from the central church of the Diocese of Youngstown. In the 1990’s CTNY continued to expand its programming and received national recognition for its TV and radio accomplishments. In 2022, CTNY closed its offices at St. Paul Monastery in Canfield, Ohio, moving production to a state-of-the-art multimedia studio at the Diocesan offices in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Ecumenical Television Channel (ETC-TV)

The Ecumenical Television Channel (ETC-TV), serving Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, was a collaboration of Christian denominations and the Jewish Community. The primary purpose was to communicate the word of God who calls, nurtures and unites us. CTNY served as the production and network facility for the Ecumenical Television Channel.
 

ETC initially broadcast for one hour a day in 1983 and in 1986 expanded to 24 hours-a- day, seven-days-a-week of religious and inspirational programming, thus becoming the first Ecumenical Television Channel in the nation. ETC’s development and broadcasting were conducted through the combined efforts of CTNY and ETC-NEO, the now defunct Ecumenical Telecommunications Coalition of NorthEast Ohio. National programs on ETC were provided by EWTN, Catholic Television, Catholic Faith Network, and others.

Over the years, local programming has included: Mass for Shut-Ins (English and Spanish), Spotlight, Best of CTNY, Scripture 101, Sacraments 101, Communion of Saints, The Holy Rosary, The Stations of the Cross, along with other seasonal productions and reflections that continue today, including special liturgical events from St. Columba Cathedral and Wineskins, a weekly radio program.

Social Media

The Diocese’s Social Media Minister accompanies the faithful, and all people of good will, through our diocese’s social media presence. This office manages all social media posts, moderates interaction and conversations, and provides social media consulting services to the diocese’s parishes. In this way, this office helps fulfill the Bishop’s pastoral priority of Communications, with Social Media as the “front door of the Church.”

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Media Relations

The coordinator of media relations is responsible for the implementation of communication policies and programs that support the church. This office is the primary point of contact with news media throughout the six-county Diocese of Youngstown. Parishes and schools that receive media inquiries are also asked to consult with the Department of Communications. Please contact Dennis Biviano, Public Relations and Media Specialist, at dbiviano@youngstowndiocese.org or (330) 744-8451 x320.

Internal Communications

The Department of Communications provides publications and support exclusively for diocesan offices, parishes, Catholic schools, and affiliated lay organizations in the Diocese of Youngstown. Our diocesan affiliates receive benefits such as:

 

These services are made possible through organizational and individual subscriptions to The Catholic Echo, donations to the annual Diocesan Communications Collection, and the support of our advertisers. To inquire about these and other services provided by the Department of Communications, please contact Meagen Farrell, Communications Manager, at mfarrell@youngstowndiocese.org or (330) 744-8451 x275.

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