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Christian Broadcasting Network
Religious television station From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an conservative American Christian media production and distribution organization.[2] Founded in 1960 by televangelist Pat Robertson, the organization produces the long-running television program The 700 Club, co-produces the ongoing Superbook anime, and operates several television channels and radio stations. Its international headquarters are located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
CBN has been described as being "at the forefront of the culture wars since the network's inception in the early 1960s".[3]
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Operations
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CBN now serves mainly as a production company for The 700 Club, and four other syndicated shows: CBN NewsWatch, Christian World News, 700 Club Interactive and The Brody File, a news-analysis program hosted by one-time political journalist David Brody.
The 700 Club is a religious variety program that mixes sermons, interviews, and religious music (such as hymns and gospel).[3] The name refers to a fundraising drive where Robertson successfully sought 700 viewers willing to contribute $10 per month to sustain the station.[3] The 700 Club is the longest-running program in the variety format.[4] Initially focused on devotional content, The 700 Club became increasingly political in the late 1970s, adding news segments.[3]
CBN News provides news updates to The 700 Club and produces religious news and political opinion commentary programs such as CBN NewsWatch and Christian World News; it also produces a special hour-long block of prime time election coverage hosted by Robertson during American presidential and mid-term elections, airing on Freeform, which also carries The 700 Club and the half-hour talk show 700 Club Interactive. CBN also operates the CBN News Channel.[5] The company also produces a version of The 700 Club aimed at Spanish-speaking Americans (Club 700 Hoy).
CBN has broadcast programs in over 70 languages. CBN Asia manages Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation (OBI), an international relief and missionary effort, and has international programming, producing local programs including Solusi in Indonesia and From Heart to Heart in Thailand.[citation needed] CBN India produces three shows, a daily Hindi program Ek Nayee Zindagi, a bi-weekly Telugu program Nireekshana, and an award-winning weekly Bengali program Samadhan.[6]
Some of CBN's programs also air on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Cornerstone Television, FamilyNet, LeSEA Broadcasting Corporation, TCT and Middle East Television, all of which are Evangelical Christian networks. The secular commercial stations that continue to air The 700 Club in syndication (along with Freeform) air CBN's annual telethon during the last week of January.
Charity Navigator gave CBN a 3-star overall rating (out of a maximum four stars), a 3-star financial rating and a 2-star accountability and transparency rating.[7]
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History
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CBN was founded in 1960 in Portsmouth, Virginia, by Pat Robertson, who had recently become a born-again Christian.[3] The organisation relocated its main headquarters from Portsmouth to Virginia Beach in 1980.[citation needed]
Radio
CBN entered the broadcasting industry in October 1961, when WYAH-TV (WGNT-TV) in Portsmouth—the group's flagship station—signed on the air.[8] The ministry's broadcasting subsidiary, the Continental Broadcasting Network, operated its over-the-air outlets as family-oriented independent stations, featuring a mix of religious programming (which took up most of its stations' Sunday schedules) and secular acquired programs, including westerns, sitcoms, drama series and children's programming.[citation needed] Its programming was funded by small donations from individuals and local churches.[3] In August 1962, WYAH-TV was joined by an FM sister station, Norfolk-licensed WXRI,[9] which broadcast a format of Christian music and teaching programs.[citation needed]
The organisation acquired several stations across the United States. CBN Northeast was established in 1969, a simulcast network of five FM radio stations (previously the Rural Radio Network) in upstate New York: WBIV in Wethersfield, WEIV in Ithaca, WJIV in Cherry Valley, WMIV in South Bristol and WOIV in DeRuyter). Later purchases include WHAE-TV in Atlanta in 1971, and KBFI-TV in Dallas in 1973, whose call sign was changed to KXTX-TV. The ministry signed on its final station, WXNE-TV in Boston, in October 1977.[citation needed]
CBN expanded outside the U.S. in 1968 when it acquired the Nuevo Continente radio station in Bogota, Colombia (which was the first evangelical radio station in that country).[9] CBN transferred Nuevo Continente to Colombian pastor and broadcaster Ignacio Guevara on June 7, 1972.[10] In June 1979, CBN partnered with George Otis Ministries to establish a combined radio and TV station in southern Lebanon. It then began to broadcast Christian programming 28 hours a week in Hebrew.[9]
The upstate New York radio stations were sold in 1982. Three of the over-the-air TV stations were sold between 1984 and 1989. WXRI radio in Portsmouth was also sold in 1989.[citation needed]
In November 2008, a new CBN Radio service was launched.[11]
American television
On April 29, 1977, CBN launched the CBN Satellite Service, a religious television channel in the United States.[12] Its first classes began in September 1978.[12] The CBN Satellite Service became the CBN Cable Network on September 1, 1981. It adopted a more secular programming format featuring a mix of family-oriented series and films while retaining some religious programs from various televangelists (mirroring the format used by CBN's broadcast stations). Its coverage grew to 10.9 million homes with a cable television subscription. The channel was notable for being one of the first cable channels to distribute its signal across the United States through satellite transmission (the third overall, after HBO and TBS).[citation needed] CBN Cable Network began airing a late night block of classic family oriented shows such as You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx, I Married Joan, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. In August 1988, the CBN Cable Network became The CBN Family Channel.[citation needed]
On January 8, 1990, the national TV network was sold to an affiliated entity, International Family Entertainment (IFE). IFE was majority owned by the Robertson family, with a minority interest held by John C. Malone.[13][14] The sale was said[by whom?] to have been done because the channel had become too profitable for CBN to maintain its non-profit status. On September 15 that year, the newly sold channel rebranded as The Family Channel. It remained the most-watched outlet for CBN programs. IFE went on to launch other TV channels in the US and UK, and planned to expand further.
IFE was sold to News Corporation later in June 1997.[15] At this time, The Family Channel was the US's ninth-largest cable network, reaching 67 million homes.[15] The terms of the sale stipulated that the channel continue carrying The 700 Club in perpetuity.[16] Pat Robertson said that "We expect to continue to benefit from The Family Channel's... growing family entertainment franchise."[17] (The Family Channel was renamed Fox Family Channel in August 1998. The channel was then sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001, which renamed it as ABC Family, later renaming it again to Freeform.)[citation needed]
CBN's Dallas TV station was sold in 2000.[11] In October 2002, CBN launched CBN NewsWatch, a new half-hour weekend program.[11]
On October 1, 2018, the CBN News Channel was relaunched. It was now made available over-the-air via 15 stations in the United States, as well as continuing online. It was based in Virginia Beach, and had bureaus in Washington DC and Jerusalem.[18]
International television
On April 10, 1982, a Christian-based television station in South Lebanon, Hope TV, was donated to CBN, and became Middle East Television (METV). At this time, METV broadcast from Marjayoun.[19] In Israel, METV was known for broadcasting WWF wrestling that was not available on Israeli TV. The station broadcast news, sports, family entertainment, and religious programming.[citation needed] On June 5, 1997, METV launched its 24-hour programming broadcast on the Israeli satellite Amos 2. This allowed it to reach a potential audience of 200 million people in 15 nations, including Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Cyprus.[11] METV was sold to LeSEA Broadcasting in July 2001.[11]
In 1990, CBN programs began to be broadcast in the Soviet Union, and then in its successor states after they declared independence. It started with primetime specials, and later The 700 Club and Superbook. These broadcasts were followed by 190 rallies throughout the region that resulted in the establishment of 190 churches.[11] Similar special projects were implemented in the Philippines and Romania in 1994.[11]
CBN has established outside of the United States, including CBN Europe in the UK,[citation needed][when?] CBN Deutschland in 2007,[20] CBN Africa,[21][when?] and CBN India in 2000.[22] CBN Asia was established in the Philippines & Hong Kong on October 1, 1994.[citation needed] In 2005, a kids program, A.S.T.I.G. (All Set to Imitate God), was launched by CBN Asia.[23] Oyayi was made by CBN Asia in 2016.[23] In 2020, music program CBN Asia Reverb began, which was later renamed Reverb Worship PH.[23]
In 2001, a youth-oriented show, One Cubed, began in Asia.[23] On September 18, 2003, a US version of One Cubed launched, featuring extreme sports, music videos, and celebrity interviews.[11] A Nigerian version of One Cubed was also later created[when?].[24]
Television programs
A daily talk program began on WYAH in 1966, which eventually became known as The 700 Club.[9] In June 1981, The 700 Club changed from being a religious talk show to having a news magazine format.[9]
The International 700 Club was first broadcast on November 7, 1976, in the Philippines.[9] International versions of the show continued with:The 700 Club Asia in 1999;[23] Le Club 700 for Francophone Africa in 2002;[25] Club 700 for German speakers in 2007[26] (renamed Erlebt TV in December 2019);[20] The 700 Club With Paul and Fiona for UK audiences in 2004 and later dubbed in Dutch, hosted by Paul Jones and Fiona Hendley;[26] The 700 Club Canada[27] in 2011;[11] and 700 Club Nigeria. The TV program 700 Club Interactive began on May 25, 2009.[11]
In 2004, Club 400 Hoy began as a daily program for Spanish speakers throughout the Americas.[28] In October 2021, Club 400 Hoy was relaunched as a weekly US-focused program.[28]
CBN co-commissioned the first Superbook anime series, which was subsequently dubbed in many languages and distributed internationally. In 2011, a newly rebooted Superbook series began to air in various countries, commissioned by CBN.
Other ventures
CBN launched its first website in March 1995.[9] On April 29, 2008, the 24-hour CBN News Channel was launched as an online-only channel.[11] In 1997, Turning Point International (TPi), an English-language magazine program for people of African descent around the world, began.[29]
In 1977, CBN University was established for "the specific purpose of preparing leaders who would not only succeed in their professions but also advance as Christians equipped to effectively impact their world." CBN University rebranded to Regent University in 1990[12] and built the luxury hotel The Founders Inn and Spa at the university campus. The name of the hotel refers to the US Founding Fathers.[30]
On April 30, 2007, the First Landing was produced by CBN and Regent University documenting the English settlement of Jamestown. It aired on ABC Family and various broadcast stations across the United States.[11]
Affiliated charity Operation Blessing was set up on November 14, 1978. It was initially intended to help struggling individuals and families by matching their needs for items such as clothing, appliances, and vehicles with donated items from viewers of The 700 Club. Coordinating with local churches and other organizations, OBI expanded its matching funds program to also include food provisions and financial assistance for low-income families.
During the first Trump administration (2017–2021), CBN hosted events at Trump properties, paying at least $170,000. Subsequently, CBN obtained access to the White House similar to that of larger news outlets, and were given frequent exclusive interviews with senior administration staff, including Trump himself.[31]
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Programs
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Current
- The 700 Club – a daily newsmagazine that debuted in 1966, one of the longest runs of any program within that genre; the program is hosted by Pat Robertson (retired in 2021), Terry Meeuwsen, and Gordon Robertson. The 700 Club features a daily news segment with commentary on certain stories, as well as interviews; it is distributed to an average daily audience of one million viewers, both on cable and through syndication.
- Club 700 Hoy – a half-hour weekly Spanish-language version of The 700 Club that is syndicated throughout Latin America, and previously aired in the United States on Azteca America. The magazine-style formatted morning program features opinions on current issues, interviews, informative features, stories about people, places, and music, as well as life advice.
- CBN NewsWatch – produced by CBN News, it is a half-hour daily news program featuring reports on national and international news stories from a conservative, Christian perspective. It is broadcast nationally on several Christian-oriented cable and satellite networks.
- Christian World News – produced by CBN News, it is a half-hour weekly conservative news program that is broadcast nationally on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
- One Cubed USA and One Cubed International – aimed at teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13 and 24 years of age, the two programs focus on youth culture, action sports, and music videos. It claims a mission statement "to reach this generation to express the unconditional love and salvation that God freely offered to everyone in this world. In everything that is One Cubed, we want to bring glory to God, never compromising and never settling, and always striving to be used by Him to the best of our abilities".
Notable personalities
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
Current
- Gordon P. Robertson – co-host of The 700 Club
- David Brody – host of The Brody File
- Terry Meeuwsen – co-host of The 700 Club and 700 Club Interactive
- Chuck Holton – military correspondent
- Ashley Key – co-host for 700 Club Interactive and co-host of The 700 Club.[32]
Former
- Pat Robertson – co-host of The 700 Club (retired in 2021)[33]
- Ben Kinchlow – co-host of The 700 Club
- Victor Oladokun
- Sheila Walsh – co-host of The 700 Club
- Danuta Rylko Soderman – co-host of The 700 Club[34]
- Lisa Ryan – co-host of The 700 Club
- Susan Howard – co-host of The 700 Club
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Final stations
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In the following tables, final CBN-owned stations are arranged alphabetically by state and community of license.
Note: Two boldface asterisks appearing following a station's call letters (**) indicate a station which was built and signed on by CBN.
Television
In addition, CBN planned to build a television station in Richmond, Virginia, WRNX on UHF channel 63. However, CBN sold the construction permit for that station to National Capitol Christian Television in 1982, which signed on the station as WTLL in 1984. That station was eventually sold and in 1986, converted into secular independent station WVRN-TV, which shut down in 1988.
Notes:
- 1 CBN traded the broadcast license for KXTX-TV on channel 33 to Doubleday Broadcasting, in exchange for Doubleday's license to operate KDTV on channel 39, in November 1973;
- 2 Operated by LIN Media under a local marketing agreement from 1993 until 1997.
Radio
| FM stations |
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References
External links
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