Dr. Phil’s anti-woke TV network files for bankruptcy, accuses Christian broadcasting partner of ‘sabotage’

Dr. Phil McGraw’s conservative-leaning cable network Merit Street Media is filing for bankruptcy barely a year after its launch, and is also suing its distribution partner Trinity Broadcasting for breach of contract.

In its lawsuit against the Christian broadcaster, Merit Street alleged that Trinity “reneged on its obligations and abused its position as the controlling shareholder of Merit Street,” leaving the upstart channel with over $100 million in debt.

“These failures by TBN were neither unintended nor inadvertent,” the lawsuit read. “They were a conscious, intentional pattern of choices made with full awareness that the consequence of which was to sabotage and seal the fate of a new but already nationally acclaimed network.”

Following a two-decade run as a syndicated daytime talk show host, McGraw announced in late 2023 that he was starting up his own multi-platform media company, which would include a cable television channel featuring a Dr. Phil primetime program as its flagship.

Claiming that Merit Street would become “one of the most widely distributed startup networks in modern history,” the company revealed before its official launch that it was partnering with TBN. Besides McGraw’s weeknight show, the channel would focus on true crime and cultural programming and boast a lineup of familiar TV personalities such as Nancy Grace, Steve Harvey and Bear Grylls.

“Merit Street Media will be a resource of information and strategies to fight for America and its families, which are under a cultural ‘woke’ assault as never before,” McGraw said at the time..””I love this country and I believe family is the backbone of our society. Together we are going to stand strong and fight for the very soul and sanity of America and get things that matter back on track.”