Pat Robertson Founds Christian Broadcasting Network - Timeline Event
Founder
Pat Robertson
Time Period
1961
Description
In 1961, Pat Robertson, a Pentecostal evangelist, purchased a bankrupted television station in Virginia and renamed it the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Robertson was an early pioneer in cable programming, offering the first exclusively religious cable channel. CBN grew into a more than $200 million broadcasting empire by the 2000s. He was an innovator, adapting the chat-show format to religious broadcasting with his popular show "The 700 Club." Annually, viewers of “The 700 Club” make four million prayer calls to 4,500 volunteers in 60 counseling centers. The financial success of CBN funded the establishment of CBN University in 1977, which would be renamed Regent University in 1990. The donor lists for CBN also were an important resource for Robertson's presidential campaign in 1988.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Baptist Family: Other ARDA LinksBaptist Family: Religious Family Tree
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: Pentecostal Family
Pentecostal Family: Other ARDA Links
Pentecostal Family: Religious Family Tree
Biographies
Robertson, Marion "Pat"Movements
Religious RightRelated Dictionary Terms
ChristianityPhotographs
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Regent University, where CBN headquarters is located- Flickr- photo by Patrick McKay (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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Pat Robertson portrait- Wikimedia Commons - photo by Paparazzo Presents (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Book/Journal Source(s)
Larson, Timothy and David Bebbington and Mark Noll, 2003. Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois.Burgess, Stanley and Gary B. McGee, 1988. Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Web Source(s)
https://www2.cbn.com/Official Website
Web Page Contributor
Benjamin T. GurrentzAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Sociology
