The , or '''TBN''', is the largest Christian
Religious Television Network in the world and is headquartered near
Los Angeles in
Costa Mesa, California with studios near
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in
Irving, Texas and near
Nashville in
Hendersonville, Tennessee . Founded by
Paul Crouch ,
Jan Crouch ,
Jim Bakker , and
Tammy Bakker in
1973 , TBN currently is the ninth largest broadcaster in the United States. The network now has a larger
U.S. viewership than its three main competitor networks combined (followed by
Daystar Television Network and
The Inspiration Network ). It claims five million viewer households per week in the U.S. TBN is carried on over 6000
Television stations in the U.S. and on thousands of other
Cable Television systems around the world in 75 countries, where its programs are translated into eleven languages. TBN owns 23 full-power television stations and 252 low-power rural stations in the U.S.
TBN began in 1973 when the elder Crouches, along with
Jim and
Tammy Bakker (formerly affiliated with
Pat Robertson 's
Christian Broadcasting Network ), rented air time on a local
UHF TV station in
Santa Ana, California . The fledgling network was so weak in its first days, that, according to Crouch in his
Autobiography , ''Hello World!'', it almost went bankrupt after just two days on the air, leading to the first of TBN's well-known
Telethon s. TBN, then known as the , spread from UHF stations to cable outlets and then to satellite distribution. After a falling-out between Jim Bakker and Paul Crouch, the Bakkers left to start the
PTL 'Praise The Lord' network in Charlotte, NC. PTL would later collapse in
1987 in the wake of a
Sexual Harassment and
Embezzlement scandal involving Jim Bakker. Ironically, Crouch would buy the rights to PTL's flagship program, ''The PTL Club,'' renaming the show ''
Praise The Lord ''.
Recently, TBN has been purchasing independent television stations to gain cable carriage, due to
FCC Must-carry rules. As a result, TBN is available to 95% of American households, as of early 2005.
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According to the TBN website, TBN has several hundred affiliate stations, although just 61 of these stations are regular
UHF or
VHF stations. The rest are low-powered stations, requiring a viewer to be within several miles of the transmitter. The network has grown to 47 satellites and 12,500 affiliates, reaching nearly 100,000,000 households globally.
Today, Paul Crouch is TBN's president and chairman, Jan Crouch is its vice-president and director of programming, and their son Paul Jr. is its vice president of administration. The network maintains production deals with their other son, Matthew. While they are probably the most popular personalities on the network as hosts of the programs ''Praise The Lord'' and ''Behind The Scenes'', Paul and Jan Crouch have become increasingly absent from TBN broadcasts, due to health problems and old age. Hosting duties for the two shows have fallen to their children.
In addition to their flagship network, TBN also offers other cable/satellite channels in the
United States . They include:
In the Middle East, TBN operates an Arabic language channel called "Kanat al-Shefaa", which translated means "The Healing Channel".
In Africa, TBN broadcasts their programming via TBN South Africa and TBN Family Media in Kenya. And
TBN Zimbabwe .
In Central and South America, TBN broadcasts via TBN Enlace which consists of Spanish language programming. Enlace Juvenil is their Spanish youth-oriented network.
Asia is reached by TBN Philippines, and TBN South Pacific covers Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding islands.
As of 2006 TBN's broadcast signals are carried by 67 satellites and cover every inhabited continent.
TBN generates nearly $190 million in revenue annually. It does not air commercials; rather, two-thirds of its revenue comes from viewer contributions and one-third from other televangelists' payments for running their programming. Its $120 million donation revenue is larger than any other television ministry. It has posted average annual surpluses since 1997 of about $60 million. It holds two week-long fundraising
Telethon s per year, as well as numerous other solicitation drives. It maintains a
Direct Mail database of 1.2 million names.
As of 2002, it boasted $583 million in assets, including $238 million in government-backed securities and $31 million in cash. Also among its assets are a $7.2 million Canadair Turbojet and thirty houses in California, Texas and Ohio with values ranging up to $8 million.
The elder Crouches and their son Paul Jr. earn an estimated combined annual income of $850,000. In September 2004, the ''
Los Angeles Times '' characterized their personal lifestyle as a "life of luxury." The network reports that during the first twenty years of the network's operation, Paul and Jan were paid roughly one-tenth their current income, with the amounts rising in the past ten years as they approached retirement.
In 2007, TBN acquired the bible-themed adventure park The
Holy Land Experience . The Orlando, FL based theme-park was in a slump with falling ticket sales and a reported $8 million debt when TBN purchased it. The transition was described as a "hand-over" than a "take-over." TBN plans to restructure the Board of Directors, as well as upgrade and renovate portions of the complex. TBN's Orlando Channel TV-52 will house studios on the Holy Land Experience property.
Trinity Broadcasting Network has come under heavy criticism for its' promotion of the so-called
Prosperity Gospel -- a
Word Of Faith belief that a donation to a particular ministry will cause God to materially reward the person giving -- during constant fundraising. During frequent telethons -- "Praise-a-thons" in the spring and autumn and "Macedonian Calls" during the summer -- viewers are often subject to emotional appeals by Paul and Jan Crouch or their guests. Sometimes, divine retribution is threatened in viewers fail to donate. Critics have claimed that Paul and Jan Crouch use TBN's donations from these telethons to build an opulent lifestyle; the Crouches allegedly own thirty homes across the United States and own a private jet.
TBN broadcasts, endorses, and highlights televangelists who preach the prosperity gospel message, such as
Benny Hinn ,
Rod Parsley ,
Pat Robertson ,
Creflo Dollar ,
Jesse Duplantis , Paula White, and
Kenneth Copeland .
According to a
September 12 2004 ''
Los Angeles Times '' story, Paul Crouch Sr. paid
Enoch Lonnie Ford $425,000 in 1998 as a settlement over what Ford argued was an unjust dismissal from working at TBN.
1 The settlement contained several other points, among them an agreement for Ford to be silent about an alleged
Homosexual encounter they had had in 1996 at a TBN-owned cabin near
Lake Arrowhead , California. In a statement released on
September 22 2004 , TBN denied Crouch had a homosexual affair with Ford, but confirmed the payment of the $425,000 settlement.
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An audio relay of the station is available on:
TBN broadcasts from its International Production Center in
Irving, Texas near
Dallas and from its Trinity Christian City International facility in
Costa Mesa, California . With a recent upgrade to its Southern California facilities, TBN will become the first Christian television network to broadcast in high-definition, although the start date for HD broadcasting is not known. It also operates Trinity Music City USA (the former estate of country music player
Conway Twitty ) near Nashville in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The complex attracts thousands of visitors every week, and includes the 2000-seat Trinity Music City Church Auditorium, which hosts TBN-produced concerts, dramas, seminars and special events.
Admission is always free and TBN offers free local charter buses to groups who wish to attend tapings.
TBN has produced a number of major Christian movies. They include "The Revolutionary" and "The Revolutionary II," based on the life of Jesus; "The Emissary," a film on the life of ", and "
One Night With The King ."
TBN is an
Ecumenical Christian network, showing mostly ministers from the
Charismatic and
Pentecostal movements, plus secular celebrities sharing their religious faith to the public. Its cornerstone program is ''
Praise The Lord '', a two-hour nightly program featuring talk, music, and prayer.
As Of 2007 , programs on the network include:
- ''Dr. A.R. Bernard ''
- '' Back On Course '', hosted by Gavin And Patti MacLeod (former of '' The Love Boat '' fame)
- '' Believer's Voice Of Victory '', hosted by Kenneth Copeland
- '' Betty Jean Robinson ''
- Billy Graham
- '' Breakthrough '', hosted by Rod Parsley
- Carol Lawrence (Hollywood actress)
- '' Changing Your World '', hosted by Creflo Dollar
- ''Christian World News''
- ''Coral Ridge Ministries'', hosted by D. James Kennedy
- '' Creation in the 21st Century'', hosted by Dr. Carl Baugh
- '' Dean And Mary Brown ''
- '' Enjoying Everyday Life '', hosted by Joyce Meyer
- '' Jack Van Impe Presents''
- John Hagee Today''
- '' Lakewood Church ''
- '' Life Is Worth Living '', classic religious series hosted by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
- '' Life Today '', hosted by James Robison
- '' MC Hammer '' ( Hip-hop star - turned preacher)
- '' Paula White Today ''
- ''Reflections from the Crystal Cathedral '', hosted by Gretchen Schuller Penner
- ''The 700 Club ''
- '' Team Impact ''
- '' The Way Of The Master '', starring '' Growing Pains '' actor Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort
- '' This Is Your Day '', hosted by Benny Hinn
- '' T.D. Jakes Ministries''
- '' Today With Marilyn & Sarah '', hosted by Marilyn Hickey and her daughter, Sarah Bowling
- '' Travel The Road ''
- '' Virtual Memory '', a Biblical game show
- '' Walt Mills ''
On . Many of these shows can be used by local affiliates to fulfill Federal
E/I requirements.
