The nature of religious television in America can be seen to be a function of the interaction of four main players; changes
over the past decades have come about because of changes in the relative power and relationships of the four following players: (1) the regulatory agencies of the federal government, which, through the legislative process, provide the structure within which interaction inside the television industry takes place; (2) the television industry, primarily network and local station managements, which control the
airwaves within the legislated structure; (3) the viewing public, which selects what it is that will be watched; and (4) the religious broadcasters who provide the material for
broadcasts.
E-mail on the Internet is transmitted
over ordinary telephone lines and is, therefore, unlike cordless or cellular telephone messages, which are
broadcast over the open
airwaves.