RIDGEFIELD — Veritas Catholic Network, the EWTN affiliate at 1350 AM, will launch four new programs in the coming months, following its extremely popular “Let Me Be Frank” show, featuring Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.
“We are growing and our plans will significantly expand the proclamation of the Gospel in Connecticut and New York,” said Steve Lee, President & CEO of the network. “Listenership has been going up, and I am always receiving emails that say things like, ‘I just found you guys, and I love it.’”
In addition, the station, which serves Fairfield County, Westchester County and Long Island, recently moved its offices to Ridgefield on the campus of St. Mary Parish.
“We are settling into our new office space, and it has been a blessing,” Lee said. “All of our broadcast equipment is here, and we record some of our shows from here. We are in the parish building and blessed to be right next door to Monsignor Kevin Royal and down the hall from Father Damian Pielesz.”
New local programming includes “Focus on Veritas,” “The Frontline with Joe & Joe,” a talk show with Liv Harrison, who is a Catholic media personality and comedian, and a Monday to Friday live drive-time show.
“Focus on Veritas” will be hosted by Peter Sonski, Manager of Education and Community Outreach for the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven. The half-hour weekly show will be launched on Friday, April 9, at 12:30 p.m. and bring committed Catholics on the air to talk about their work, Lee said. It will feature segments about positive news in the diocese, such as Project Beloved in Stamford and Malta House in Norwalk, and later be available as a podcast. The first guest will be Lee, himself, to discuss the vision of Veritas Network.
“There is so much bad news out there that we wanted to focus on some of the good things that people are doing,” Lee said.
The show will follow “Restless,” which airs on Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m. and explores such topics as how to evangelize in the workplace and how to navigate the single life with an eye toward marriage. Father Joseph A. Gill of the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist is joined by Lauren Doyle, Diane Kremheller and Javier Tremaria.
“‘Restless’ is a great show, and I love listening to them,” Lee said. “I smile, I laugh, I nod my head. They are doing a great job, and their audience is starting to grow.”
Lee says the show, which has been running for six months, is particularly important at a time when the second largest religious group in the U.S. is former Catholics, and there is an increasing number of so-called “Nones” — young people who are abandoning the faith and claim no allegiance to an organized religion.
“When they are surveyed, they say they no longer believe the teachings of the Church, and that is a failure on our part to live the Gospel and to evangelize,” Lee said. “We now have a generation of Catholics who have been catechized but never been evangelized. They have never had an encounter with Jesus.”
Liv Harrison, a Catholic comedian and mother of two children, will host a nightly talk show from 8 to 9 p.m. once a week, which will begin airing at the end of April.
“She is going to do a monologue and interview guests and talk about what’s happening in the world,” Lee said. “It will be lighter and funnier and have the feel of a late-night talk show. I love her energy. She has a great personality, and this will be a fun show.”
“The Frontline with Joe & Joe” began airing in March and features Joe Pacillo and Joe Reciniello. It is described as “a fearless culture commentary born from America’s kitchen table.”
These “average Joes” will journey into the breach of our current American society, shining the Light of Christ,” Lee said.
Both men are devout Catholics who have been active in the pro-life movement and have helped the poor and dispossessed through their work with the Sisters of Life, the Missionaries of Charity and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. They live in Northern New Jersey and had careers on Wall Street for many years.
Their first show will begin with an interview of Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, whose mission is to defend the rights of Catholics. Subsequent shows will include segments with prominent Catholics, such as theologians Scott Hahn and Ralph Martin.
“They are guys I would love to be friends with,” Lee said. “When I listen to their show, they are like two guys I’d enjoy talking with around the kitchen table.”
Veritas is also developing a live morning drive-time show from 7 to 8 a.m. for people who are on the road, going to work or dropping their kids off at school. It will be hosted by a man and woman, who are yet to be announced, who will discuss local news and events and occasionally feature priests from the diocese and do live broadcasts outside the studio.
“Every day, there will be guests and interviews,” Lee said. “It will be a Catholic morning show that we expect to launch in May.”
“Let Me Be Frank” with Bishop Caggiano recently marked its first-year anniversary and has been tremendously successful, Lee said.
On the show, which airs at noon on Wednesday, the bishop talks about spirituality, catechetics, issues facing the Church and society, growing up in Brooklyn and many other topics.
“I get emails all the time from listeners who said that listening to Bishop Frank has enriched and deepened their faith,” Lee said. “I love to listen to his interviews, his stories about Brooklyn and his spiritual advice. It is definitely one of our most listened to programs, and I am very happy with hit.”
Last year, Lee moved Veritas to office space at St. Mary Parish in Ridgefield at the invitation of pastor and longtime friend Monsignor Kevin T. Royal.
“I mentioned to him that we might be in need of a different space, and he looked at me and said, ‘How about right here?” Lee recalled. “I have been blessed to know Monsignor Royal all these years. We are grateful for everything he has done, and it is gratifying having his presence because he is such a holy priest.”
Lee’s programming director, John Szewczuk is also there with the administrative staff.
“Veritas would not be here if John hadn’t been at my side for the past two years,” Lee said. “I can’t say enough about this guy. He’s the brains behind many of the things we’ve done, including pushing us to get a morning show on the air ASAP.”
The station is also in the process of constructing an FM translator that will let it broadcast on 103.9 FM.
Veritas began broadcasting EWTN Catholic programming 24 hours a day on August 21, 2019 throughout Fairfield County, almost half of Long Island and parts of Westchester. Lee purchased WNLK-AM 1350 radio and an FM translator at 103.9 MHz from Sacred Heart University.
There are currently some 400 EWTN Radio affiliate stations in the United States. Lee believes Veritas, which reaches an estimated audience of 900,000 people, including 400,000 Catholics in the Bridgeport Diocese, can expand further into Westchester and New York City and eventually throughout Connecticut.
Listeners can also live-stream through the veritascatholic.com website and a Veritas mobile app, which is available for Apple and Android devices.
EWTN programming includes “Catholic Answers Live,” “Called to Communion” with Dr. David Anders, “Kresta in the Afternoon,” “The Doctor Is In” with Dr. Ray Guarendi and “Women of Grace” with Johnette Williams. Veritas also simulcasts “The World Over” with Raymond Arroyo and classic programs featuring Mother Angelica and Father Benedict Groeschel.
“We need to reach people where they are — in their cars, in their homes, on their phones,” Lee said. “We need to show them the beauty, truth and goodness of our faith, and that will have a downstream influence that will affect families, the culture and the Church.”
Lee, who left his job in finance on Wall Street to start Veritas, credits his wife Roula with providing him the spiritual and moral support the initiative required. Residents of Ridgefield, they are parents of three children, Andrew, Christopher and Annabel.
Lee said that visitors are welcome to stop by the office and see the operation.
Because the station is a not-for-profit and does not receive financial support from EWTN or the diocese, it depends upon its listeners. For more information about charitable donations, visit www.veritascatholic.com.
By Joe Pisani