Filming of a second series of 13 shows, sponsored by the Church and focusing on strengthening the family, has begun.
"Families are Forever," a half-hour television show hosted by Richard and Linda Eyre and sponsored by the Church's Public Communications Department, is shown on the national VISN cable network and, in Utah, on KBYU-TV, Channel 11."This is a non-denominational program that focuses on topics that are helpful to all families, regardless of religion," explained Eyre, on the set during a break from shooting.
Many of the program's ardent supporters have accidentally discovered the show while "channel hopping," observed Eyre, a former mission president and graduate of Harvard University.
"They don't care what the station is or who sponsors the show, they are just interested in what they are hearing and learning."
The VISN network, which reaches an estimated 12 million homes, is designed to provide entertainment, music, drama, documentaries and talk shows suitable for family viewing, said Don LeFevre, spokesman for the Church Public Communications Department. "The programming emphasis is on faith in God and moral values."
VISN is operated by the not-for-profit National Interfaith Cable Coalition with headquarters in New York City. Programming for the network comes from a broad range of faith groups.
The format for "Families are Forever," produced for the Church by Bonneville Media Communications, is simple. It begins with a brief greeting from the Eyres, who welcome the television audience into their "home" and introduce the topic for the day. A guest is interviewed, other segments that pertain to the topic are shown, and then the Eyres summarize and sign off.
The topic for the show filmed on the day of the Church News interview was mixing humor and fun into family living.
"You know, we have a motto in our home," said Linda Eyre as the cameras rolled. "Crisis plus time usually equals humor." She then shared a personal story to illustrate her point. The couple's youngest daughter recently destroyed her mother's make-up case and its contents.
"How could you do that, Charity?" exclaimed her mother in exasperation. With wide-eyed innocence and 3-year-old honesty, Charity looked up and answered, "It was easy, Mom."
Because the Eyres choose topics and write scripts for the program, personal anecdotes like this one are liberally sprinkled throughout the show. As parents of nine children, the couple certainly has a rich supply of family stories to draw from.
The Eyres have also written, together or separately, more than 20 books, many focusing on family topics.
In addition, the two draw on information they gather during their more than 200 television and lecture appearances a year.
"In choosing subject material, we try to get a feel
for what is on the mind of parents out in the world, as well as the struggles that we've faced," she observed.
Past programs have focused on subjects like eliminating anger, building a child's self-esteem, using music in the family, finding balance in life, helping children reach their potential, and other pertinent topics that interest all families, regardless of religious affiliation.
"We're not posing as experts," said Eyre. "We don't preach. Our whole approach is to help parents realize that they aren't the only ones facing these challenges. We want them to realize that what is happening to them is normal.
"They already have the answers, they know what they need to do," he continued. "We're just here to offer encouragement and a few suggestions."
Offering encouragement and suggestions is something that the Eyres do quite well. Called to be mission president at age 30, he left a promising career as a management and political consultant to serve in England for three years. Those three years changed the Eyres' lives.
"We came back and it was hard to get back into consulting," he explained. "It didn't seem important anymore. Missions do that, you know."
So the Eyres decided to devote 10 years to projects focusing on strengthening families. That decision was, in a way, a selfish one, she explained.
"We were in the middle of raising our own children and knew that whatever we learned would only help and improve our own family."
But thousands of others have benefited from the Eyres' "selfish" motives. In addition to their books, the couple is well-known on the lecture circuit for their family presentations and as host and hostess of a weekly radio show, "Family Forum."
"This television show is really the culmination of that 10-year commitment," he commented.
"But it's been wonderful. The Lord has really directed our lives and has blessed us."
(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
`Live in real world and still maintain a love for Lord'
"What we're trying to achieve through `Families are Forever' is a better understanding by the general public of the values that are inherent within the Church. We are particularly interested in emphasizing how those values can relate to raising families and strengthening family relationships. In other words, we're talking about living and surviving in the real world while still maintaining a love for the Lord and commitment to Christian principles.
"Basically, the format of the show involves bringing in guests who are experts in their fields who meet with the Eyres. The interviews draw on the skills and expertise of these guests as it pertains to families.
"Anything we can do, whether on the VISN channel or other media options, to expose people to the values of the Church and to encourage basic Christian values will hopefully encourage and strengthen a happy family life." Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve
Scheduled broadcasts
"Families are Forever" can be seen on VISN network at the following times: (times listed are Mountain Daylight Time)
Monday - 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday - 7 a.m.
Friday - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday - 6:30 p.m.
(Utah viewers can see the program on KBYU-TV, Channel 11, on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. and Mondays at 2:30 p.m.)
