Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Founder, Pat Robertson Dies At 93
On June 8, 2023, CBN Leader Pat Robertson, a well-known American Christian leader, author, and businessman, passed away at home, surrounded by his family.
The 93-year-old Robertson’s passing was reported by the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Dr. Robertson founded and served as chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. (CBN), Regent University, Operation Blessing Relief and Development Corporation (OB), the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), International Family Entertainment, Inc., and was a driving force behind a number of other significant institutions and broadcast companies.
A. Willis Robertson and Gladys Churchill Robertson welcomed Pat Robertson into the world on March 22, 1930 in Lexington, Virginia. His father spent 34 years in the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States.
Mr. Robertson relocated his family to Tidewater, Virginia, in 1959 with just $70 and the goal of launching the first American Christian television network.
He registered The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., even though he didn’t have a television, and then gathered money to buy a shuttered UHF station.
CBN started airing from WYAH-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia, on October 1st, 1961. His son Gordon Robertson, the president and CEO of CBN, noted that at the time, its signal hardly made it past the city limits.
Over the years, the ministry’s reach expanded enormously, reaching audiences via television broadcasts, cable, satellite, the internet, and other media all around the world.
Today, CBN is one of the biggest evangelistic organizations in the world, spreading the gospel in more than 100 nations and dozens of languages, including Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, and many others.
The flagship program of CBN was born out of a telethon in 1963 in which Mr. Robertson requested $10 a month from a “club” of 700 viewers.
The 700 Club program, which airs every weekday with interviews, prayer, and outreach, was established in 1966. It is currently one of the most established Christian television shows in America.
When he declared that Gordon Robertson would take over as the show’s next full-time host on October 1, 2021, the 60th anniversary of CBN’s inaugural transmission, he continued to host the daily programme.
Over the years, Mr. Robertson’s co-hosts have been Wendy Griffith, Terry Meeuwsen, Sheila Walsh, Ben Kinchlow, and Gordon Robertson.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the war on terror, Israel, and the Middle East are just a few of the major events and causes that The 700 Club and CBN News have covered during their broadcast histories.
Former presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump have all attended as guests, along with important congressional officials from both parties, a “Who’s Who” of world and national leaders, journalists, professional athletes, celebrities, and pundits.
