| Founded by Presbyterian Minister John H. Allen,
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Inc. is a
self-supporting non profit organization that began over
40 years ago. |
| |
| THE BEGINNING |
Determined
to accommodate the ever-growing and diverse
religious communities of Atlanta, Rev. John H.
Allen had a progressive idea to unite people from
ALL communities and faiths to share their thoughts with the public. Although
this idea was seen as controversial by
many, three clergy members joined forces and
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters was born.
In May 1969, Rev. John
H.
Allen, Dr. Samuel W. Williams and Dr.
Walter G. Cook made it official and AIB became a
501(c)3 corporation.
Rev. Allen's vision to promote dialogue between
those of different faith, socioeconomic
backgrounds and cultures was up and running.
He was named as AIB's president and remained in
that position until his death in 1999. |
| |
|
THE 70's - FOCUS ON PROGRAMMING |
|
In
the early years and throughout the
1970's, focus was on the origination and
distribution of community service programs.
Hundreds of programs were produced and ran on
network affiliates and independent networks
including WSB-TV, WXIA-TV, WAGA-TV, WTBS and
radio stations including WGST and WSB radio.
Two of the most notable programs were
Sound
of Youth and
Midnight Minister. |
| |
|
THE 80's -
INTRODUCTION TO CABLE |
|
In
1981 AIB was granted a channel on Cable Atlanta,
providing the opportunity for small and large
faith based non profit organizations to reach a
larger audience. From humble beginnings of
20 hours per week reaching 3,000 homes, the
partnership with cable television allowed for
rapid and sustained growth. During the
1980's, access to more cable companies was
granted and by the end of the decade AIB could
be seen by cable viewers through the metro
Atlanta area on 12 cable systems. This
made AIB synonymous with quality faith based and
community programming in Atlanta. |
| |
|
THE 90's -
EXPANSION |
|
As the
number of cable viewers grew, so did AIB.
By the end of the decade AIB had become the
largest interfaith broadcast network in the
United States. Programming was now
provided 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
Anticipating changes driven by production demand
and new technology, plans to expand production
facilities were underway. In the late
1990's construction on a new 1600 square foot
studio production facility began. Designed
to meet the demands of the future, the state of
the art AIB studio was completed and dedicated
in 1999. |
| |
|
2000's - GROWING THE VISION |
In
2000, after an extensive executive search by the
board of directors, Collie Burnett Jr. joined
AIB as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Armed with over 25 years of telecommunication
management experience and a proven sense of
vision and purpose, President Burnett embraced
the original vision and began aggressively
leading AIB into the future. Product
offerings, programming and production
capabilities expanded to better meet the needs
and growing expectations of our communities.
|
| 2001 -
First annual Allen Awards. Named after
founder Rev. John H. Allen, these awards honor
and recognize metro Atlanta programmers for
broadcast excellence. |
|
2003 -
AIB community partnership expands to include
Conversations at the Carter Center. |
| 2004 -
Recognized with a Bronze Telly Award for the AIB
original documentary Printing the Dream: 75
Years of Atlanta Daily World.
The documentary profiles the first
African-American newspaper in the United States.
Because of the historical value and quality,
it is archived in the Chicago Museum of
Broadcasting. |
|
2005 -
Release of AIB's first CD/DVD collection
Every Time I Feel the Spirit by Rev.
William Womack. This collection features a
compilation of Negro spirituals performed by
Moments of Inspiration's
Rev. William
Womack. |
|
2006
-
The launch of streaming network -
AIBNET.tv.
AIB original series Sound of Youth
is
nominated for an Emmy award. |
|
2007 -
Video on Demand (VOD) is launched. On May 16,
2007 AIB completes migration from analog to
digital and is among the first to begin
broadcasting in 100% digital clarity. |
| 2008 -
First Emmy win honoring
World Pilgrims: A
Sacred Journey to Turkey. Launch of
children's programs Rufus the
Dog,
Panda Daycare,
Groundling Marsh
and Dr. Wonder's Workshop - performed
by an all deaf cast. The AIB television
studio is upgraded with a robotic camera system,
providing smooth live camera moves under manual
or memory control. |
| 2009 -
Community partnership with
The United Way of
Metropolitan Atlanta begins. Location
production capabilities are upgraded to include
tapeless P2 production in all High Definition
formats as well as Standard Definition. AIB
receives 3rd Emmy nomination for Sound of Youth
- Lupe Fiasco. On
September 29, AIB simulcasts the Episcopal
Ordination of Bishop-Elect Luis R. Zarama LIVE
from the Cathedral of Christ the King using the
internet to broadcast on both television and the
streaming service - AIBNet.tv. AIB
provides non-profit organizations with over
$1,100,000 of donated services from production
to broadcast time to generate awareness of their
services to the community and promote
volunteerism. |
