I am old enough to remember when local TV stations used to sign off around midnight. The news would come on at 10:00, followed by a late-night talk show or old movie.
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Then the station would do something that, sadly, we would find most unusual today — it would air a little Christian devotional, featuring a local preacher, with a brief message of gratitude, praise and acknowledgement of God’s blessings. Then he would close with a prayer.
In the area where I grew up, the devotional was titled, “Lamp Unto My Feet.” I remember the title artwork was a drawing of a young boy kneeling in a pew, head bowed, hands folded in prayer position. When the poignant offering ended, the station played the national anthem, with video of the American flag unfurling and flapping briskly. Then a test pattern would come up, and finally the signal would shut down, filling the screen with snow and static.
I miss these little spiritual sign-offs. It was like the station was telling you, “Okay, you’ve watched enough TV today. We’ve taken you into worlds of fantasy, drama, comedy, music and adventure. But now it’s time to return to reality — to the realization that God is in control. The realization that He loves you, and in the real world, He is the one superhero. He’s the true source of salvation and hope.”
Including the national anthem firmly connected our country to Jesus Christ. One nation, under God. This was the sentiment with which local TV sent you to bed each night.
Back to today
Today, of course, local stations never sign off. Owners realized there was money to be made by airing commercials in programming throughout the overnight hours. And surprisingly, the time slot does achieve a modest audience. Now there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of channel options, featuring programming to fit every niche imaginable.
If you like spiritual content, you can view it 24 hours a day on several different specialized networks. But somehow, it’s not the same as watching it on your local channel. The local channel is your friend, your neighbor, your trusted source, your consistent companion. To have it acknowledge Jesus at the end of daily operations seemed to give it extra credibility.
Spiritual sign-offs may be a thing of the past, but rest assured God still wants us to “stay tuned.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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