SAT 7 / SAT-7 North America 
Summary
SAT-7 is a satellite television ministry by and for the People of the Middle East and North Africa. The ministry has four different channels: SAT-7 ARABIC, SAT-7 KIDS, SAT-7 PARS, and SAT-7 TURK. All channels share a vision to provide local Christians a platform to witness about Christ's love and to deepen their spiritual walk in a manner that is faithful to God's Word and respectful to the people of the region. SAT-7 broadcasts a variety of Christian programs, in Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish. SAT-7 is the most significant ministry in the history of missions in this strategic region with over 200 million Middle Easterner that have access to satellite television. An estimated 10-12 million viewers now turn on SAT-7 to watch attractive, entertaining, and Bible-based programs. SAT-7 partners with over 40 international and US mission agencies. For more information visit SAT-7's website: www.sat7usa.org
Contact information
Mailing address:
P. O. Box 2770
24 West Dover Street
Easton, MD 21601-1601
Website: www.sat7usa.org
Phone: (410) 770-9804
Email: usa@sat7.org
Organization details
EIN: 232964829
CEO/President: Dr. Rex M. Rogers
Chairman: Peter Schulze
Board size: 6
Founder: Terence Ascott
Year founded: 1998
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1999
Purpose
The largest and most watched Christian television station in the region, SAT-7 exists to provide the Churches and the Christians of the Middle East and North Africa an opportunity to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative, and educational television services.
Mission statement
Vision:
A growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community and contributing to the good of society and culture.
Mission:
To provide the churches and Christians of the Middle East and North Africa with an opportunity to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative, and educational television services.
Statement of faith
SAT-7 uses the Nicene Creed to express its Statement of Faith:
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Radio/ TV Stations
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 302 of 767 | 9 of 22 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 641 of 768 | 17 of 22 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 316 of 768 | 8 of 22 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 59 of 767 | 4 of 22 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 7% | 13% | 10% | 11% | 13% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 6% | 13% | 10% | 11% | 13% | 9% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 90% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 13% | 10% | 10% | 13% | 10% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 10% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 79% | 81% | 82% | 82% | 79% | 84% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 100% | 100% | 100% | 102% | 107% | 97% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 79% | 81% | 82% | 83% | 85% | 81% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 0% | 0% | 0% | -2% | -7% | 3% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 1% | 1% | 0% | -10% | -34% | 15% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 15% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.47 | 2.84 | 2.90 | 2.77 | 2.45 | 1.98 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.07 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1.01 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.15 | 2.88 | 2.95 | 2.82 | 2.48 | 1.99 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 21.45 | 33.87 | 27.62 | 29.01 | 33.50 | 43.33 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 9.35 | 4.04 | 3.92 | 4.11 | 4.70 | 5.88 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 3% | 54% | 53% | 58% | 53% | 59% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 206% | 16% | 16% | 15% | 19% | 21% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $2,779,900 | $2,461,170 | $1,657,008 | $2,443,053 | $3,260,460 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $235,537 | $452,547 | $1,598,670 | $768,912 | $1,782,522 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $3,015,437 | $2,913,717 | $3,255,678 | $3,211,965 | $5,042,982 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $46,964 | $52,468 | $49,756 | $31,049 | $34,654 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $46,964 | $52,468 | $49,756 | $31,049 | $34,654 |
| Total assets | $3,062,401 | $2,966,185 | $3,305,434 | $3,243,014 | $5,077,636 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $89,025 | $105,505 | $112,233 | $95,891 | $116,380 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $89,025 | $105,505 | $112,233 | $95,891 | $116,380 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $1,564,142 | $1,469,867 | $1,800,085 | $1,611,315 | $2,897,974 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $1,564,142 | $1,469,867 | $1,800,085 | $1,611,315 | $2,897,974 |
| Total liabilities | $1,653,167 | $1,575,372 | $1,912,318 | $1,707,206 | $3,014,354 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Unrestricted | $1,380,603 | $1,390,813 | $1,378,655 | $1,512,690 | $2,031,680 |
| Temporarily restricted | $28,631 | $0 | $14,461 | $23,118 | $31,602 |
| Permanently restricted | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $1,409,234 | $1,390,813 | $1,393,116 | $1,535,808 | $2,063,282 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $8,708,026 | $8,595,086 | $9,024,437 | $7,416,723 | $10,358,698 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other revenue | $7,791 | $5,591 | $1,911 | $10,686 | $2,082 |
| Total other revenue | $7,791 | $5,591 | $1,911 | $10,686 | $2,082 |
| Total revenue | $8,715,817 | $8,600,677 | $9,026,348 | $7,427,409 | $10,360,780 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $7,018,443 | $7,028,538 | $7,519,667 | $6,284,740 | $8,429,744 |
| Management and general | $579,875 | $701,842 | $690,345 | $669,496 | $653,722 |
| Fundraising | $1,099,078 | $872,600 | $959,028 | $1,000,647 | $973,413 |
| Total expenses | $8,697,396 | $8,602,980 | $9,169,040 | $7,954,883 | $10,056,879 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $18,421 | ($2,303) | ($142,692) | ($527,474) | $303,901 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $18,421 | ($2,303) | ($142,692) | ($527,474) | $303,901 |
Compensation
Compensation data for this ministry has not been collected.
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
History
On the last day of May 1996, an Egyptian Christian sat down in front of his television set and saw something he had never seen on Arabic TV before: a lady presenter with a cross around her neck. To see a representative of the almost invisible Arab Christian minority on screen was such a shock to him that he just had to call the station and say, " Mish maoul! This is unbelievable!"
What this viewer had seen was the first broadcast of SAT-7, a satellite TV channel that since then has radically changed the image of Christianity in the Arab world.
For ten years prior to the first broadcast, the vision of a Christian, Arabic-language satellite channel had been growing in the mind of Terence Ascott, a Brit working in the Christian publishing industry in Egypt. But for many years, nobody really believed it could be done. It wasn't until the Saudi satellite channel MBC was launched from London in 1991, in response to the success of CNN during the first Gulf War, that the concept of Arabic satellite TV began to seem realistic. But still Arab Christians thought it was beyond their reach. To imagine that Arab Christians could have any media presence was like a dream.
Over the next years research and feasibility studies were done, and partners were rallied behind the vision. Finally, in November 1995, SAT-7 was born at a founding meeting in Larnaca, Cyprus.
Six months later, the first two-hour SAT-7 Arabic broadcast went on the air. It included a program for children, some Christian testimonies, and a film about persecuted Christians in China. The following week, the broadcast had to be repeated because the new programs were not ready. But that did not stop the vision nor change the fact that the unbelievable had happened.
Program accomplishments
Seven Important Distinctives of SAT-7
- SAT-7's International Board of Directors is comprised mainly of representatives of the different churches in the Middle East.
- SAT-7's programming is politically and culturally sensitive and never attacks another faith or denomination.
- SAT-7 plans its broadcast schedule for the benefit of its viewers and is not driven by sponsored programming, which it normally does not accept.
- SAT-7 carries a wide range of programs for different audiences - with a special emphasis on the needs of children, youth, and women.
- 80% of SAT-7's programming is indigenously made, by Middle Eastern Christians.
- SAT-7 is a multi-agency and inter-denominational partnership with a unique network of partner-operated telephone counseling and audience follow-up centers.
- SAT-7 maintains production centers in multiple Middle Eastern countries - recognizing the importance of the involvement of the local church in locally made programming.
Needs
The Christians in the Middle East and North Africa need your help! If you would like to support SAT-7 and its efforts to serve the local church and to make the Gospel available to everyone in the region, here are three ways you can make a difference.
Being a part of something big like this has a way of transforming your life. Consider becoming a "friend-raiser" for this ministry by hosting a SAT-7 Ministry Briefing in your home. We need to get the word out about what Christ is doing in this region of the world. You have the power to change someone's life forever when you host a SAT-7 Ministry Briefing for your friends and family. We've already compiled all of the resources you need to plan a successful and meaningful evening. All you have to do is contact us to get started, select a date, and start spreading the word. Not only will you be planning an evening of fun with your friends and family, you will be planning an event that will help bring the love and hope of Christ right into the homes of families in the Middle East.
Consider a generous, leadership level commitment to this campaign over and above your current level of support. SAT-7 offers a convenient, safe and effective way for Christians around the world to establish a significant foothold in the Middle East. In total, a minimum of $60 million is needed over the next few years in order to reach our goals.