The establishment of the Commission for the Social Communications Society was not a chance event. It was an earnest response of the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council (TNBC) to the urgent call of the Second Vatican Council to give high priority to Mass Communication considering its vital importance as an instrument of evangelization and human promotion.
A solemn decision to this effect by the Tamil Nadu Bishops in 1974 reached its fruition on August 06, 1976 when Santhome Communication Centre, the Regional Communications Centre, was inaugurated at 150 Luz Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004, Tamilnadu, South India.
Santhome Communications Centre is the Regional Communications Centre of the TNBC. The Vision and Mission Statement of the Regional Communications Centre is “To Proclaim the Message of God’s Love through media” and from inception the Centre has been always faithful in implementing its vision and mission statement. The Centre has produced regular Radio programs to Radio Veritas Asia, Radio Vatican and to the All India Radio and especially it has produced almost ten thousand radio drams to tell stories of wisdom, justice, truth, love, faith and other moral values based on the values of the Bible. Moreover, the Centre has been producing also television programs and telecast it through Private and National television. Besides audiovisual productions till date the Centre has been giving courses on Media Education and Social Awareness in Major Seminaries, Formation Centers, Colleges, Schools and youth groups.
It was a long awaited dream of the Tamilnadu Catholic Church to launch its own television channel. The TNBC Commission for Social Communications and the Regional Communications Centre took a Himalayan initiative in starting a Tamil Catholic Satellite Television in 2011 and on 11th February 2014, Madha TV; the Tamil Nadu Catholic Church launched the Tamil Catholic Television. The Regional Communications Centre is the main production unit for Madha TV in coordination with all the Diocesan Communications Centers in Tamilnadu.