|
|
|
|
Trinity Broadcasting Network
|
| |
|
| |
The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the United States' largest Christian television network. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, it also has studios in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Orlando, Florida.
Founded by Paul Crouch, Jan Crouch, Jim Bakker, and Tammy Bakker in 1973, TBN currently is the ninth largest over-the-air broadcaster in the United States.
It makes the claim of serving an average of five million viewer households per week in prime time in the United States.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Trinity Broadcasting Network' Start a new discussion about 'Trinity Broadcasting Network' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the United States' largest Christian television network. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, it also has studios in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Orlando, Florida.
Founded by Paul Crouch, Jan Crouch, Jim Bakker, and Tammy Bakker in 1973, TBN currently is the ninth largest over-the-air broadcaster in the United States.
It makes the claim of serving an average of five million viewer households per week in prime time in the United States. TBN is carried on over 275 television stations in the U.S. and on thousands of other cable television and satellite systems around the world in 75 countries, where their programming is translated into eleven languages. TBN owns 34 full-power television stations serving larger metropolitan areas, and 252 low power television stations in the United States, which are mixed among stations serving medium-sized cities and rural translator stations in order to maximize the network's reach as much as is permissible.
History
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 telethons. TBN, then known as the Trinity Broadcasting Systems, 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 Satellite Network in Charlotte, North Carolina. PTL would later collapse in 1987 in the wake of a sexual harassment and embezzlement scandal involving Jim Bakker.
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.
According to the TBN website, TBN has several hundred affiliate stations, although just 61 of these stations are regular full-power UHF or VHF stations. The rest are low-powered stations, requiring a viewer to be within several miles of the transmitter. A few cities which have full-powered stations (such as Chicago and Milwaukee) receive the network from stations licensed to communities far outside the usual market area, depending on must-carry to penetrate the main metropolitan area. The network has grown to 70 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, the founder of Gener8xion Entertainment. 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, and a large number of other hosts including Paula White, Dr. Mark Chironna, Natalie Cole, Clifton Davis, Jason Crabb, Jack Van Impe, Carman and Dwight Thompson.
Television Programming
TBN's two major programs are the flagship variety show, Praise the Lord, and a half-hour talk show, Behind the Scenes. Praise the Lord is a two-hour program that features Christian leaders, televangelists, singers, and guests. The program features sermons by the host or the guest, as well as musical numbers by singers or dancers. Guests on Praise the Lord are sometimes secular celebrities or politcians that make their appearance to share their Christian faith with the public; Mr. T, Gary Busey, Dyan Cannon, Michael Biehn, and Michael York have appeared on this show to do so. Behind the Scenes, which is hosted by either Paul Crouch or his son, Paul, Jr. also features interviews with guests, and gives updates on TBN projects and initiatives. Crouch also leads a Bible study on this show, as well.
TBN broadcasts programs and telecasts hosted by other well-known televangelists and Christian media personalities, most of whom subscribe to charismatic or Pentecostal theology, including: A.R. Bernard, Carl Baugh, Kirk Cameron, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Billy Graham, John Hagee, MC Hammer, Marilyn Hickey, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, D. James Kennedy, Carol Lawrence, Gavin MacLeod, Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley, Pat Robertson, James Robison, Jay Sekulow, Fulton J. Sheen, Nasir Siddiki, Charles Stanley, Paula White, and Jack Van Impe.
TBN also operates four subsidiary channels: The Church Channel, JCTV, Smile of a Child, and Enlace USA. Coming soon these five networks to broadcast on High-definition television. TBN also owns two groups of television stations: National Minority TV, a group of stations that broadcast Christian programs into African-American and Latino neighborhoods, and Community Educational Television, a group of local stations in Texas and Florida that are more devoted to educational programming. The network also operates numerous affiliate networks and stations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. Most of these outlets, like TBN itself, are non-profit entities and thus do not run commercials; only TBNE, the network's station in Italy, regularly airs commercials.
Other Outlets
Radio
TBN provides audio replays of its television programming on its radio outlets. The network owned KTBN, a shortwave radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah, until it ceased operations in 2008. TBN still owns and operates KTBN Superpower Radio, a satellite radio service that can he heard worldwide.
Online
Like other television ministries, TBN produces a website featuring an online schedule showing the timeslots of all its programs in all four American time zones, in addition to news and updates regarding new programming and new network initiatives in the United States and overseas. Introduced in 2001, the website also provides an online archive of complete Praise the Lord and Behind the Scenes episodes going back two months, as well as information on the hosts and guests on both shows in the upcoming week.
Movies
TBN has produced a number of Christian movies. They include The Revolutionary and The Revolutionary II, based on the life of Jesus; The Emissary, a film on the life of Paul the Apostle, The Omega Code, Carman: The Champion, Megiddo, Time Changer, Six: The Mark Unleashed, and One Night with the King. Some of these films are released by TBN's for-profit movie studio, Gener8Xion Entertainment, and are directed by Matthew Crouch, Paul's son.
Studios
TBN broadcasts from its International Production Center in Irving, Texas near Dallas and from its Trinity Christian City International facility in Costa Mesa, California ( 33°41'11.71"N 117°53'28.20"W ). 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 singer 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.
Revenue and assets
TBN generates nearly $200 million in revenue annually. The network does not make its finances available and Crouch family members control the boards of all TBN entities, which makes Trinity "ineligible to join" the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an evangelical self-regulating group. 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 telethons (known as 'Praise-a-Thons') per year, as well as numerous other solicitation drives. It maintains a direct mail database of 1.2 million names.
As of 2002, TBN 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 $900,000. In September 2004, the Los Angeles Times characterized their personal lifestyle as a "life of luxury." According to Charity Navigator, TBN earned $188,152,079 in 2007 and has a 2 out of 4 star rating (47%).
In June 2007, TBN purchased the bible-themed adventure park Holy Land Experience for $37 million. The Orlando, FL based theme-park was in a slump with falling ticket sales and a reported $8 million debt when TBN purchased it. In October nearly 100 employees were cut from the payroll.
Criticism and Controversy
Fundraising and wealth
Trinity Broadcasting Network has come under heavy criticism for its promotion of the prosperity gospel — a belief that giving donations will cause God to materially reward the person giving. as well as other claims made by Paul Crouch and other prominent TBN personalities. During frequent telethons — "Praise-a-thons" in the spring and autumn and "Macedonian Calls" during the summer — viewers are often appealed upon to donate to the ministry by Paul and Jan Crouch or their guests. 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. In 2004, an investigative report in the Los Angeles Times described in detail how the Crouches and the network spend some of its' money, evidenced by receipts.
TBN broadcasts, endorses, and highlights televangelists who preach the prosperity gospel message, such as Nasir Siddiki, Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley, Pat Robertson, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Eddie L. Long, Jesse Duplantis, Paula White, and Kenneth Copeland. Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance has begun an investigation on Hinn, White, Copeland, Dollar, Meyer, and Long to determine if they mishandled donations to their respective ministries.
TBN refuses to disclose its financial situation for public inspection, and the network is not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a financial oversight group of TV ministries. TBN's refusal to disclose financial information, as well as the strong promotion of the "prosperity gospel," has caused the Christian watchdog group WallWatchers to repeatedly grade TBN with an "F" for its lack of transparency. TBN also received an F from MinistryWatch, a Christian ministry information and rating organization.
Sexual harassment settlement
In September 2004, the Los Angeles Times published a series of articles raising questions about the fundraising practices and financial transparency of TBN, as well as the allegations of a former ministry employee, Enoch Lonnie Ford, that he had a homosexual affair with Crouch during the 1990s. The Times spoke with several sources that claimed that other evangelists such as Benny Hinn, Jack Hayford, and Paul's son Matthew were aware that an affair had taken place. The Times also reported that Crouch paid Ford $425,000 in 1998 as a settlement over what Ford argued was an unjust dismissal from working at TBN. The settlement contained several other points, among them an agreement for Ford to be silent about the alleged sexual encounter they had in 1996 at a TBN-owned cabin near Lake Arrowhead, California. In a statement released on September 22 2004, TBN denied allegations about a homosexual affair involving Crouch, and claimed that Ford's story was part of an elaborate extortion scheme. However, TBN confirmed the payment of the $425,000 settlement. On March 15, 2005 Ford appeared on the Ion Television show Lie Detector, in which he was submitted to a lie detector test and was interviewed about his allegations; the test results determined that Ford was telling the truth.
Theology and behavior
Apart from the prosperity gospel, several Christian watchdog groups have criticized claims and proclamations made by the Crouches and TBN guests as being blasphemous and heretical. This causes TBN to be nicknamed "The Blasphemy Network" by certain critics. Critics often cite a 1986 Praise the Lord interview that Crouch conducted with Copeland, during which Crouch proclaimed himself a "little God", to be an example of this.
Watchdog groups have also found fault in the way that Paul Crouch and TBN respond to outside criticism. Crouch has been known to angrily rebuke and mock TBN's critics -- which he refers to as "heretic hunters" -- and often threatens them with damnation. During a 1991 "Praise-a-thon", Crouch addressed his critics by saying, "To Hell with you! Get out of my life! Get out of the way!...I say get out of God's way! Quit blocking God's bridges or God's going to shoot you if I don't...I don't even want to even talk to you or hear you! I don't want to see your ugly face!" During a 1997 "Praise-a-thon", Crouch went so far as to pray to God that TBN's critics would die, saying, "God, we proclaim death to anything or anyone that will lift a hand against this network and this ministry that belongs to You, God. It is Your work, it is Your idea, it is Your property, it is Your airwaves, it is Your world, and we proclaim death to anything that would stand in the way of God's great voice of proclamation to the whole world."
Following the investigative reports on TBN in September 2004 by the Los Angeles Times regarding the network's wealth and Ford's claims, the network issued a press release attacking Trinity Foundation head Ole Anthony as "not a credible source" for the Times series and charged that the newspaper itself was a "left-wing and anti-Christian" outlet. Ministry Watch, a Christian watchdog group, said that the press release, "demonstrated an attitude of arrogance and...lacked the humility one might expect from a Christian organization. This should be of grave concern to Christians because nonbelievers following this story may develop false lifelong impressions about Jesus Christ based upon TBN's aggressive response, which was more typical of political campaign rhetoric given the heavy use of character assassination as well as dubious representations of the truth."
Hal Lindsey cancellation
From 1994 to 2005, evangelist and self-styled Bible prophecy expert Hal Lindsey hosted a program on TBN titled International Intelligence Briefing, in which Lindsey provided news and commentary and aimed to interpret current events into biblical prophecy. Lindsey made remarks on the program that attracted outside criticism , particularly commentaries regarding Arabs and Islam. In December 2005, TBN announced it would be pre-empting International Intelligence Briefing for the entire month, causing Lindsey to send an e-mail to followers accusing TBN management of censorship, saying, "some at the network apparently feel that my message is too pro-Israel and too anti-Muslim." Paul Crouch issued a press release defending TBN's support of Israel and insisting that Lindsey's show was only pre-empted for Christmas programming. Crouch eventually admitted, however, that concerns over whether Lindsey "placed Arabs in a negative light" were a secondary factor in the show's pre-emption. TBN faced criticism from the conservative news website WorldNetDaily for supposedly bowing to the pressure of political correctness.
Lindsey resigned from TBN on January 1, 2006, effectively cancelling International Intelligence Briefing for good. Shortly therafter on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, Lindsey indicated that he would not be returning to the network. The following month, Lindsey launched The Hal Lindsey Report, a program similar to International Intelligence Briefing, which initially aired on Sky Angel and Daystar Television Network, but not on TBN. However, on January 22, 2007, TBN announced that Crouch and Lindsey had reconciled and that The Hal Lindsey Report would soon debut on the network. TBN said that a major factor in Lindsey's return was the debut of new television technologies that would let individual viewers in the Middle East block Lindsey's show if they saw fit to do so. While International Intelligence Briefing was produced by TBN, The Hal Lindsey Report is independently produced by Lindsey himself through his new organization, Hal Lindsey Media Ministries.
Travel the Road in Afghanistan
TBN produces and airs a Christian reality show called Travel the Road, which features missionaries Tim Scott and Will Decker in remote and often war-torn locations overseas in search of converts. In December 2008, the program attracted criticism from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group that looks for acts of religious discrimination in the United States military. The MRFF claimed that Scott and Decker were embedded with American troops stationed in Afghanistan, despite the fact that, according to MRFF president Mikey Weinstein, the military exercises a "complete prohibition of the proselytizing of any religion, faith, or practice...You see [Scott and Decker] wearing American helmets. It is obvious they were completely embedded." When ABC News contacted the U.S. Army in Afghanistan about Scott and Decker's alleged embed, which had taken place four years previously, they said that they no longer have the documentation of the missionaries' status with the troops.
Scott defended the trip to Afghanistan, telling ABC, "It wasn't like we were hiding in the back saying we're going to preach. [The military] knew what we were doing. We told them that we were born again Christians, we're here doing ministry, we shoot for this TV station and we want to embed and see what it was like. We were interviewing the chaplains and we talked to them. We spoke at the services and things like that. So we did do our mission being over there as far as being able to document what the soldiers go through, what it's like in Afghanistan. So I could say that we were on a secular mission as well as far as documenting. I would say we were news reporters as well, we were delivering news of what was actually happening there, but we were also there to document the Christian side." Scott argued that since the pair were acting as Christian journalists, they had the same right to cover the war in Afghanistan as secular networks.
Criticism of personalities
- Benny Hinn, a Palestinian-born faith healer and the host of the widely syndicated program This Is Your Day, is a frequent guest and occasional guest-host for Praise the Lord and Behind the Scenes. Throughout his career, Hinn has claimed to be a conduit for "the anointing", the ability of God to heal his followers of illnesses such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Since the late 1980s, Hinn has claimed to heal attendees at his ministry's "Miracle Crusades", held in stadiums and arenas across the United States and overseas. Because of Hinn's claims, following, and emotional broadcasts, Paul and Jan Crouch have repeatedly touted him on TBN broadcasts. However, some Christian critics have rebuked Hinn's theology and teachings as heresy, and secular investigative news programs such as Inside Edition, NBC's Dateline, and CBC's the fifth estate have questioned the veracity of Hinn's healing claims, as well as his personal history. Hinn is also being investigated by the Senate Finance Committee as to whether he is mishandling donations to his ministry.
See also
External links
- from Charity Navigator
- from Wall Watchers
- , an analysis of technology and religion on TBN.
- - includes the moniker, "The Blasphemy Network"
- - Apologetics Index's weblog entry on TBN
- Visser, John J. 2008 Satan-el: Fallen Mourning Star (Chapter 8). Covenant People's Books. ISBN 978-0-557-03412-3
|
| |
|
|
