April 2001 – Her hard work, perseverance, and determination to achieve her goal are as strong as that of any top athlete. And for more than 20 years, though facing many obstacles, she has carried a torch in her quest to inspire America's youth to seek a life of integrity and character based on a commitment to God.
She is Dr. Diane Preston-Reilly, president of Challenger Films in Atlanta, Georgia, and producer of The Winning Edge series for television.
Long-time AFA Journal readers are familiar with Dr. Preston-Reilly's battle with the secular media, Turner Broadcasting, ESPN, and most recently, the Fox Network. Because the 13-week TV series is comprised of nationally recognized sports figures and other celebrities introducing profiles of young Christian achievers, she has no trouble getting the series on the Christian networks. However, while the production value is network quality, the message is not what the secular media want to support. Thus, in order to get the series accepted and broadcast with secular broadcasters, Preston-Reilly has to get sponsors committed ahead of time.
Since 1992, when ESPN allowed two of the 13 half-hour programs to air, The Winning Edge has developed an excellent track record with its audience. Parents, and sometimes kids, have written numerous letters thanking broadcasters and sponsors for the encouragement and inspiration these programs bring to them. The good Nielsen ratings earned by the series also prove that there is an audience for programming that encourages values that help one overcome life's challenges.
That, Preston-Reilly says, is what The Winning Edge stands for. "If we commit our lives to God and make it our goal to adhere to the righteous values and principles given to us in Scripture, we will have the winning edge over any challenge we face in life. Seeking God's wisdom prevails ultimately over evil. The stories of these youth are all real-life testimonies of these God-given principles being followed."
A few years ago, the series got the attention of someone who knew the president of Fox Broadcasting. That person introduced Preston-Reilly and the series to Fox for possible airing. The producer reported that she had to bite her tongue in the subsequent meeting with this Fox executive when he told her he didn't find anything offensive in the program (obviously referring to the youth's expression of faith in the program he watched). Fox allowed only one of the programs to air. Preston-Reilly felt the programming people just simply did not want this reference to God as the winning edge in life to be a part of a weekly schedule on Fox.
Since then, Challenger Films has developed a strategy to help overcome this media bias: the "Inspirational Hour" campaign. The strategy is comprised of four major components.
The first component is prayer. "To overcome evil with good," says Preston-Reilly, "as Romans 12:21 challenges all believers to do, we must seek God first on the weapons of warfare, what to use and when to use it. Joshua won the battle of Jericho, not by man's way but by God's way. We take over where the "opposition" is embedded in a true spiritual war that only God can lead and give us the victory."
The second element of the strategy is to secure letters from major national leaders who represent a large body of people, as well as righteous principles and godly perspectives. It took a year, but Challenger was able to get leaders from ten major organizations--including Dr. Don Wildmon of the American Family Association, Dr. Beverly La Haye of Concerned Women for America and Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family--to write the owner of Fox in support of having an "Inspirational Hour." This time slot would be a positive encouragement and guidance for the many young people who are acquiring wrong values and misguided problem-solving strategies through entertainment programming.
The third part of the strategy is to get a woman of prominence to go with Preston-Reilly to meet with a top Fox executive and represent mothers across the U. S. who are concerned about what is being delivered to their kids as entertainment.
About a year ago Preston-Reilly and several prominent women met with a top Fox executive. They presented letters of concern from mothers. The meeting went well at the time, and she walked away thinking she had the commitment needed. But it soon was abandoned as the Fox executive got caught in the crossfire of network politics.
Feeling God will bring this back around, the producer has, in the interim, created a pilot for a new 26-week series. She has obtained the commitment of many new top sports celebrities and others who are great role models introduce her subjects. She is now trying to get some other prominent women to champion this "Inspirational Hour" on behalf of concerned mothers across this nation.
If you are a concerned mother and would like to add your name to a list she is compiling to show Fox that moms across America want such inspirational programs, E-mail Dr. Preston-Reilly at [email protected]. For a weekly update on the project, send an E-mail request to [email protected].
To view a sample video from the original TV series, visit www.challengerfilms.org. 
