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Revision as of 20:57, 21 July 2009

Trinity Broadcasting Network
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersCosta Mesa, California, United States
Programming
Language(s)English

The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the United States' largest Christian television network. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, it also has studio facilities located in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New York City.

Founded by Paul Crouch, Jan Crouch, Jim Bakker, and Tammy Faye 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 35 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

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.[1]

Television Programming

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[2], Kirk Cameron[3], Kenneth Copeland[4], Creflo Dollar, Billy Graham, John Hagee, MC Hammer, Marilyn Hickey[5], Benny Hinn[6], T.D. Jakes[7], D. James Kennedy[8], Carol Lawrence, Gavin MacLeod, Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley[9], Pat Robertson, James Robison, Jay Sekulow, Fulton J. Sheen, Nasir Siddiki, Charles Stanley[10], Paula White[11], and Jack Van Impe[12].

Other Outlets

Movies

Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida plans to have a movie studio to produce Christian Movies as well.[citation needed]

Studios

Trinity Christian City International in Costa Mesa, California

The Holy Land Experience Theme Park in Orlando, Florida. The Holy Land Experience property to expand to have WHLV-TV, a TBN Owned and Operated Station. Including a movie studio to produce Christian Movies and future plans for The Holy Land Experience.[citation needed]

Revenue and assets

TBN generates nearly $200 million in revenue annually.[13] 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.[14]

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.[15] The elder Crouches and their son Paul Jr. earn an estimated combined annual income of $900,000.[16] In September 2004, the Los Angeles Times characterized their personal lifestyle as a "life of luxury."[17] According to Charity Navigator, TBN earned $188,152,079 in 2007 and has a 2 out of 4 star rating (47%).[18]

In June 2007, TBN purchased the bible-themed adventure park Holy Land Experience for $37 million.[19] In October nearly 100 employees were cut from the payroll.[20]

Criticism and Controversy

Fundraising and wealth

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.[21] 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.[22] TBN also received an F from MinistryWatch, a Christian ministry information and rating organization.[23][24]

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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[25][27] 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.[28]

Theology and behavior

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.[29][30][31] as well as other claims made by Paul Crouch and other prominent TBN personalities. 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.[32]

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.[33]

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!"[34] 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." [35]

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."[36]

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 [37][38], 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."[39] 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.[40] 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.[41]

Lindsey resigned from TBN on January 1, 2006, effectively cancelling International Intelligence Briefing for good. Shortly thereafter on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, Lindsey indicated that he would not be returning to the network.[42][unreliable source?] 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.[43]

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[44].

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[45].

Criticism of personalities

Benny Hinn, a Israeli-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 the world. Because of Hinn's claims, following, and emotional broadcasts, Paul and Jan Crouch have repeatedly touted him on TBN. 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[46] 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

TBN Full Power stations

Note: **Indicates a station built and signed-on by TBN.***Indicates a station that is an affiliate

Station Digital Channel Number Virtual Channel Number (Pre DIgital) City Licensed TV DMA Year acquired Notes
WTBY 27 54 Poughkeepsie, NY New York City 1981 Signed on in 1980 as a Christian Station WFTY and bought by TBN soon after
KTBN 27 40 Santa Ana, California Los Angeles 1974 Signed on as a Spanish Independent station in 1967 as KLXA. Calls changed in 1977
WWTO 10 35 La Salle, Illinois Chicago 1986 Located 50 miles from Chicago
WGTW 27 48 Burlington, NJ Philadelphia, PA 2004 Was a general entertainment independent station WKBS from 1965 to 1983 owned by Kaiser then Field. Went Dark in 1983. Signed back on as a general entertainment station WGTW in 1992 and sold in 2004
KDTX** 45 58 Irving, Texas Dallas/Ft. Worth 1987 Has been a TBN station since sign on
KETH-TV*** 49 39 Houston, Texas Houston 1987 Has been a TBN station since sign on but not fully owned by them
WHFT 46 45 Miami Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 1980 Signed on as a Christian station WFCB in 1975. Sold to Le Sea in 1976, becoming a Christian and General Entertainment television station at that time. Sold to TBN in the Summer of 1980 and changed formats to full time Christian TBN programming at that point
KTBW-TV 14 20 Tacoma, Washington Seattle/Tacoma 1984 Originally was to be called KQFB and to be owned by Alden TV. They sold the CP in 1982 and the station was to sign on as a Christian station in 1984. Prior to sign on, TBN buys the CP and it signs on as a TBN station. Calls become KTBW soon after sign on
WHSG-TV 44 63 Monroe, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia 1991 Originally was a Home Shopping Network Channel replacing WVEU (now WUPA)69 as HSN's affiliate. Became a TBN affiliate in 2001 and bought by TBN in 2003
KPAZ 20 21 Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix 1978 Originally signed on as a Spanish International Network affiliate. The station had financial problems and when SIN (now Univision) began building their own station, KPAZ was sold to TBN and made a TBN station.
WHLV 51 52 Cocoa, Florida Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, Florida 2006 Originally signed on as WTGL in 1982 with a Christian and family entertainment format. Moved all Christian by the mid 80's. Owned by Good Life TV who also signed on another station with more family programs in 1998. In 2006 Channel 52 was sold to TBN and the WTGL calls were moved to their other station. Shares facilities with Good Life TV's WTGL today
KNMT 45 24 Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon 1985 Originally owned by National Minority Television but still a full-time affiliate since its sign on. Today the station is owned & operated by TBN
WDLI 39 17 Canton, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio 1986 Originally signed on as WJAN in 1968 as a general entertainment station. added more religious shows in the early 70's. Sold to PTL Television in 1977 and took their satellite Christian Network. Then sold to another Christian broadcaster in 1982 and became WDLI and kept PTL programming. Sold to TBN in 1986 and became a TBN station at that point
WWRS 43 52 Mayville, Wisconsin Millwaukee 1997 Signed on as an affiliate
WTJP*** 26 60 Gadsden, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama 1986
KTBO 15 14 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City 1980 The first station built by TBN from the ground up
KNAT 24 23 Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque/Santa Fe 1986 Signed on as KMXN with religious shows (in English) late mornings and Spanish shows the rest of the day in 1975. Became an English speaking general entertainment station in 1978 and became KLKK in 1980. Sold to Carson Broadcasting in 1981 and became KNAT at that time. Suffered financial problems and signed off in Spring of 1985. Sold to TBN late that year and back on the air in 1986
KAAH 27 26 Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 1996 Signed on in 1982 as KSHO with a general entertainment format with some Asian shows. Began some Home Shopping Network shows a few hours a day in 1987 and became KMGT. Became a full-time HSN station by 1990. Added Trinity Broadcasting Network Shows 12 hours a day in 1992 becoming KOBN. By 1996 they would switch call letters again to KAAH after it was sold to new owner All American Broadcasting, who would drop HSN and go full time with TBN. Trinity would later buy the station in 2003.
WKOI 39 43 Richmond, Indiana Dayton, Ohio/Cincinnati, Ohio 1982 Serves both Cincinnati & Dayton
WMCF 46 45 Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery, Alabama 1985 Signed on as a full-time affiliate but sold to TBN outright in 2000
KHCE 16 23 San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas 1989 Also serves Austin Market
WSFJ 24 51 Newark, Ohio Columbus, Ohio 2008 Signed on in 1980 as a Christian Television station. Became a Pax-TV affiliate in 1998 but keeping Christian format the rest of the day. When Pax-TV pulled back to an evening only lineup, Family programming was added other hours as well. TBN Bought WSFJ in 2008 while former WSFJ owners moved the intellectual unit of family programs to a Low Power UHF TV station
WCLJ 43 42 Bloomington, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana 1987
KLUJ 34 44 Harlingen, Texas Rio Grande Valley 1984
KITU 34 33 Beaumont, Texas Beaumont, Texas 1984
WMPV 21 20 Mobile, Alabama Mobile, Alabama/Pensacola, Florida 1984

References

  1. ^ "TV's Religious Revival". Broadcasting&Cable. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  2. ^ Creation in the 21st Century page TBN.org
  3. ^ The Way of the Master page TBN.org
  4. ^ Believer's Voice of Victory page, TBN.org
  5. ^ Today with Marilyn and Sarah page, TBN.org
  6. ^ This Is Your Day page, TBN.org
  7. ^ T.D. Jakes Ministries page, TBN.org
  8. ^ The Coral Ridge Hour page, TBN.org
  9. ^ Breakthrough page, TBN.org
  10. ^ In Touch Ministries, TBN.org
  11. ^ Paula White Today page, TBN.org
  12. ^ Jack Van Impe Presents page, TBN.org
  13. ^ "Income Statement (FYE 12/2004)". Charity Navigator. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  14. ^ "Scores lose jobs as Holy Land undergoes extreme makeover". Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  15. ^ "Doubts taint aid to Haiti". Miami Herald. October 11, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  16. ^ "Income Statement (FYE 12/2004)". Charity Navigator. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  17. ^ "Doubts taint aid to Haiti". Miami Herald. October 11, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  18. ^ "Income Statement (FYE 12/2004)". Charity Navigator. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  19. ^ "Scores lose jobs as Holy Land undergoes extreme makeover". Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  20. ^ "Scores lose jobs as Holy Land undergoes extreme makeover". Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  21. ^ "Scores lose jobs as Holy Land undergoes extreme makeover". Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  22. ^ "Summary Report". WallWatchers. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  23. ^ MinistryWatch report on TBN.
  24. ^ "TBN's Response to ABC 20/20 Report Attempts to Mislead Donors, Transparency Grade Dropped to "F"" (PDF). MinistryWatch. April 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  25. ^ a b Olsen, Ted (September 1, 2004). "Former TBN Employee Alleges Gay Tryst With Paul Crouch". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  26. ^ "Bad faith, blackmail and a troubled TV evangelist". The Independent. 14 September 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  27. ^ "Televangelist Paul Crouch Attempts to Keep Accuser Quiet". Trinity Foundation. September 12, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  28. ^ Lloyd Grove, "Born again: Evangelist sex scandal," New York Daily News, March 31, 2005
  29. ^ "Christianity, Cults and Mind Control Converge at Conference." The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 24, 1994
  30. ^ "God Doesn't Need Ole Anthony: Televangelists have called him a cultist, a fraud, and the Antichrist. He says he's just doing what Jesus would want." The New Yorker December 6, 2004
  31. ^ "Uganda: Money And the Church," Africa News August 21, 2005
  32. ^ "Televangelists Living Like Kings?". CBS News. November 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  33. ^ TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network, Let Us Reason Ministries
  34. ^ Trinity Broadcasting Network, Apologetics Index, 13 January, 1997
  35. ^ Ibid.
  36. ^ Ministry Watch Donor Alert, September 2004
  37. ^ TBN host Lindsey accused Democrats of helping Islamic terrorists. Media Matters for America, 28 June, 2005
  38. ^ Lindsey: Liberals proof that "some of our worst enemies are to be found among our own people", Media Matters for America, 18 July, 2005
  39. ^ [1] [dead link]
  40. ^ TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network
  41. ^ TBN admits concern about offending Muslims
  42. ^ Hannity & Colmes interview, YouTube.com, posted 25 September, 2007
  43. ^ TBN Welcomes Popular Christian Author Hal Lindsey with New Weekly Program, TBN Networks, 22 January, 2007
  44. ^ Missionaries Face Death, Criticism to Preach, ABCNews.com, 2 February, 2009
  45. ^ Missionaries Face Death, Criticism to Preach, ABCNews.com, 2 February, 2009
  46. ^ Do You Believe In Miracles?, the fifth estate, November 2004
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