Katie Souza: God's Love Found in Lockdown - CBN.com
Katie Souza: God's Love Found in Lockdown - CBN.com
Early history
In 1960, Pat Robertson, the son of former U.S. Senator
A. Willis Robertson, purchased the license for WTOV-TV, channel 27 in
Portsmouth, Virginia, which had ceased operation because of poor viewership. Renamed WYAH-TV (known today as
WGNT), the station began broadcasting Christian programming to the
Hampton Roads area on October 1, 1961.
In 1962, the station suffered financially and almost closed. To keep
the station on the air, WYAH produced a special telethon edition of the
show. For the telethon, Robertson set a goal of 700 members each
contributing
$10.00
per month, which was enough to support the station. Robertson referred
to these members as the '700 Club' and the name stuck. The telethon was
successful and is still held annually.
After the telethon in 1966,
The 700 Club continued as a
nightly, two-hour Christian variety program of music, preaching, group
prayer, Bible study, and interview segments. The music was hymns,
instrumental pieces, southern gospel music, and urban gospel music.
The first permanent host of the program was
Jim Bakker who, along with his then-wife
Tammy Faye Bakker, also hosted a children's show on WYAH called
Come On Over (later retitled
Jim and Tammy). The couple left CBN in 1972; reportedly Jim Bakker was fired by Pat Robertson over philosophical differences.
[1] The Bakkers then moved on to help launch the
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) before starting their own television ministry and signature show,
The PTL Club. After the Bakkers left, some staffers at the station reportedly responded by destroying the Bakkers' sets and puppets.
[2] Pat Robertson took over as host, and evolved his
700 Club by cutting back on music and preaching and heading toward the talk show format developed by Bakker. Robertson transformed the
700 Club from a nightly religious themed
telethon to a religious talk show.
The 700 Club originally aired only on WYAH-TV and other CBN-owned stations in
Atlanta (
WANX-TV) and
Dallas (
KXTX-TV), and later
Boston (
WXNE-TV). The program entered
national syndication in 1974, as CBN purchased airtime on stations such as
WPIX in
New York City,
KTLA in
Los Angeles,
WPHL-TV in
Philadelphia, and
WDCA in
Washington, D.C.,
among others. The roster of stations carrying the program grew to over
100 markets by 1976. In some markets, the show aired on multiple
stations, choosing between either the full 90-minute version or an
edited 60-minute version. In 1977,
The 700 Club received additional exposure nationally on the newly launched
CBN Cable Network where, like CBN's broadcast outlets, it aired three times daily.
1980 to the present
In 1979,
The 700 Club moved its studios from WYAH's facilities in Portsmouth into CBN's then-new campus in neighboring
Virginia Beach,
where the program continues to originate. During the 1980s, the show
evolved into more of a magazine-like format, with news/opinion and
lifestyle segments interspersed with interviews.
Even after CBN sold its group of terrestrial stations later in the decade,
The 700 Club
continued to air on CBN Cable as well as many commercial secular
stations and Christian stations nationally. CBN was rebranded as
The Family Channel in 1988. The Family Channel was packaged as part of a sale of
International Family Entertainment to
News Corporation and television producer
Haim Saban in 1998. The channel was renamed
Fox Family Channel, but only three years later Fox Family was sold to the
Walt Disney Company and was subsequently rebranded
ABC Family. As of 2005,
The 700 Club
airs on ABC Family thrice daily, part of a contractual obligation
originally made as part of the Family Channel's sale to News
Corporation.
[3][4] As of 2009, the first airing of the show in the morning (only) has been preceded by a half hour show called
700 Club Interactive, which utilizes internet user generated videos and comments by viewers of the show.
Political advocacy
Between 1978 and 1980, discussions on current political issues became
a part of the program, and news segments were added in the first 20
minutes of the show. Following Pat Robertson's lead,
The 700 Club clearly endorsed a politically
conservative agenda supporting
Republican candidates and causes as the
Christian right movement was beginning to emerge.
[citation needed] According to Robertson, this had influence in the
1980 presidential election as well as congressional elections. It also served as the basis for Pat Robertson's candidacy for the U.S. presidency in 1988.
[citation needed]
The 700 Club strongly supports
Israel, especially in its conflicts with the
Palestinians and the
United Nations. Among its frequent Jewish guests are
Michael Medved and
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, who share the Club's conservative
Judeo-Christian beliefs.
International programs
CBN Broadcasts currently reach over 100 nations in dozens of
languages, and are viewed by more than 360 million people each year.
[citation needed]
CBN's primary strategy is to develop television shows produced by local
staff in selected countries. Programs are culturally sensitive,
relevant to the ethnic audience, and presented in their native language.
CBN has established international centers in Cambodia, Canada, Costa
Rica, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Middle
East, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine,
and the United Kingdom.
Regional versions of
The 700 Club include
- Club 700 Hoy in Spanish
- Le Club 700 in French
- 700 Club Nigeria
- The 700 Club Asia
- Club 700 Germany
- The 700 Club Canada
- Ek Nayee Zindagi in Hindi
- Nireekshana in Telegu
- From Heart to Heart in Thai
- Solusi in Bahasa Indonesia
Viewers can receive follow-up spiritual help through telephone ministry, literature, and the Internet.
The 700 Club Asia
An Asian edition of the show,
The 700 Club Asia, originally premiered in the
Philippines in the mid-1990s on
GMA 7 or
Global Media Arts . It was originally produced and hosted by Pat Robertson's son,
Gordon Robertson, and co-hosted by broadcaster
Mari Kaimo, and Philippine TV personality
Coney Reyes.
In 1998, Reyes took over as host and producer of the show, with
Tricia Amper Jimenez as co-host. When Reyes left the show in 2000 for
medical reasons, it was retooled as
The Club, hosted by Jimenez,
Peter Kairuz and
Carla Martinez.
In 2001, the show reverted to its old format and moved to
ABS-CBN 2 (a network unrelated to Pat Robertson's CBN and the rival network of GMA 7) and
ABC 5 (a network unrelated to the
American or
Australian networks), where it aired on its sister station,
Studio 23. Kairuz remained as host with veteran singer Maria Teresa "Dulce" Llamedo-Cruz and TV personality
Chat Silayan-Bailon (1959–2006), who later died of
colon cancer.
In 2006, the show moved to GMA's sister station,
QTV 11. Kairuz was retained hosts the show, with Reyes returning to co-host. The show also features
Kata Inocencio,
Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan,
Alex Tinsay and
Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon.
Since QTV-11 went off the air, the show was carried over
GMA News TV and began airing there on February 28, 2011.
Current Hosts
- Peter Kairuz
- Coney Reyes
- Kata Inocencio
- Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon
- Mari Kaimo
- Camilla Kim-Galvez
- Alex Tinsay
- Icko Gonzalez
- Wendy Griffith
700 Club Members
- Joe Bankard (2002-present)
- Billy Jack Blankenship (2002-present)
- J.J. Fotia (2012-present)
- James Halfacre (2002-2003)
- Terry Hollen (2002-present)
- Dan Little (2004-present)
- Mark Michaelson (2003-present)
- Steven Michaelson (2002-present)
- Joe Palmer (2003-2011)
- Justin Phillips (2002-present)
- Ben Powers (2002-present)
- Frank Serna (2002-present)
Former Hosts
- Gordon Robertson (now moved back to CBN USA)
- Chat Silayan-Bayhon (died in 2006)
- Maria Teresa "Dulce" Llamedo-Cruz
The 700 Club is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States
and available worldwide on CBN.com. Airing each weekday, the news
magazine program features live guests, daily news, contemporary music,
testimonies, and Christian ministry.
In production since 1966, it is one of the longest-running television programs in broadcast history. It is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Gordon P. Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen and Wendy Griffith. Since 2010, health reasons have prevented Pat Robertson from hosting on a regular basis. As of 2013, he only hosts when able (4 times a week); Gordon P. Robertson is a regular host.
Previous co-hosts include Ben Kinchlow (1975–88, 1992–96), Sheila Walsh
(1988–92), Danuta Rylko Soderman (1983–87), Kristi Watts (1999-2013),
and Lisa Ryan. Tim Robertson served as host for a year from 1987-88
along with Kinchlow and actress Susan Howard while Pat Robertson ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in the 1988 campaign.
The program also features major news stories plus in-depth
investigative reporting by the CBN News team with John Jessup serving as
the CBN News anchorman.
Celebrities and other guests are often interviewed about religious
views. Religious lifestyle issues are presented from distinct Pentecostal ideological viewpoints.[citation needed]
