Late at night, starving children, homeless veterans and unwanted animals come out.

Commercials showing the destitute, the afflicted and the in-need are broadcast in between regularly scheduled programming on network television -- to empty living rooms, night owls and people who can't sleep.

Some viewers feel the beginnings of sympathy during the 30-second spots, but before those feelings take root and turn into action, the images are often off the screen, and the toll-free number gone.

John Marsh wanted to provide a louder voice.

Marsh is the creator of a non-profit TV station called the Starfish Network. It's a channel he built for programming that inspires people to take interest in their fellow men. It's a place where old public service announcements live on, where celebrities promote causes instead of themselves, and where people who want to know how to help can tune into.

"I noticed that there was a food channel and a golf channel and a history channel, and I really felt there ought to be a charity channel," Marsh said.

The Starfish Network broadcasts news and information about charitable causes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than 500 charities are represented, at no cost to the organizations.

"Our product is our airtime, and we give it away," Marsh said.

Everything from UNICEF and the American Cancer Society to "teeny" organizations run by individuals have been represented. The Starfish Network went live to Dish Network customers in April 2007 following Marsh's whirlwind effort to get it up and running.
Initially, though its placement in the lineup was less than desirable.

"We were on channel 9408, and peoples' thumbs break before they surf up (that far)," Marsh said.

Satellite and broadcast television providers use public airwaves and are required by law to set aside 4 percent of their bandwidth for public service. There aren't, however, stipulations as to how prominent they be placed.

To help the network grow, Marsh turned to an old co-worker and friend. Joe Lake founded the Children's Miracle Network, a major charity that raises money for children's hospitals around the world. Since Lake came on in January 2009, the Starfish Network has made it down to channel 269 and has been included in the Dish Family Package.

"We're right along the line with CNN and Fox Sports and ESPN," Lake said. "We're right in the mainstream."

Dish Network didn't have to do that, Marsh said.

"We're making the case that we're worth carrying," he said.

When Children's Miracle Network began airing 21-hour telethons in the early '80s, Lake saw how televisions could reach and motivate millions. He saw how people responded, and still respond, by donating millions of dollars to help funding and research. He could relate to Marsh's dream.

In addition to airing a charity's programming at no cost, the Starfish Network also produces programming for non-profits. Both Lake and Marsh have worked as TV producers, and will film commercials and educational material for little cost. They also film fundraising events like concerts, which they turn into entertainment programming. Live streaming is also available 24 hours a day at www.starfishnetwork.org.

The bulk of the shows on the Starfish Network are the familiar "Feed the Children" infomercials and the like, but there are also exercise videos, singing time shows for children and interviews with celebrities.

"Our feeling is that you can only watch starving children or homeless people so long before it overwhelms you," Marsh said. "So we want to add entertainment into our mix. And have good entertainment shows, hopefully tied to a non-profit, and then have also the fixing cleft palates and that kind of thing so that you're not constantly bombarded."
Marsh said he's thrilled with the network's progress, and hopes to get into even more homes.

The Weather Channel makes it into 96 million homes, Marsh said. "I would love to be up between about 70 and 90 million homes," he said.

The more homes these messages reach, the more funding charities can receive. And while 500 might sound like a lot to represent, Marsh said he hopes it grows by leaps and bounds in the months and years to come. What's more, he hopes the programming will inspire people to create their own charities and do their own good.

The network gets its name from the oft-told adaptation of Loren Eiseley's book "The Star Thrower." Marsh heard the tale of a young boy walking along a coastline at low tide throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean. When told by a passerby that he'd never be able to save all of them, or even make a significant difference, the boy picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean and remarked that it made a difference to that one.

"We're the station that makes a difference," Lake said, "one starfish at a time."

Included in the programming are commercials for a variety of religious charities. Both Marsh and Lake are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Neither the Starfish Network nor the Children's Miracle Network are religious organizations, but the founders say they draw much of their motivation from their faith.

"The church is the influence in what we do, even if we don't brand what we do as the church," Lake said.

Both men served missions to Scotland when they were young adults and say their experience as full-time missionaries and lay leaders has built their personalities for the better.

"The values of the church built the characters of those of (us) that are members," Lake said. "And those characters have allowed us to carry that message of good will into the world."

Both Marsh and Lake are examples of individuals who want to make a difference, both in helping people abroad as well as each other.

"John Marsh helped me build my dream, the Children's Miracle network," Lake said. "And that alone is my legacy. And I sleep really good at night as a father of six and a grandfather of 14 because of what we've done with children's hospitals. I now have the opportunity to help John realize his dream so that his legacy can be built."

E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com