Christian Broadcasting Network

Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, the Christian Broadcasting Network started operations as a local UHF broadcast television in Portsmouth, Virginia. It did not take commercial advertising, and conducted its first fundraising "telethon" in 1963. Listeners were told that 700 subscribers, paying $10 per month, would pay the station expenses. This appeal was successful, and provided the name for Robertson's key "700 Club" program.

1964 saw the "televangelism" component develop, in which the audience began both offering contributions and asking for prayer. Robertson formalized the prayer, ministry and television response in 1965, which continued to grow into the present cable, broadcast and satellite distribution to 200 countries.

In 1977, CBN started the nation's first basic TV cable network with satellite transmissions of religious and syndicated family TV shows. By 1981, CBN Cable reached nearly 10 million homes. Renamed the CBN Family Channel in 1988, the commercial cable operation continued to prosper and was sold in 1990 to International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE), a publicly held company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. IFE was sold in 1997 to Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc.. Disney acquired the Fox Family Channel and it was named ABC Family on November 10, 2001.

The core CBB remains a nonprofit organization, built around the 700 Club

Evangelism

On 1 October 1995, CBN launched CBN WorldReach with a mission of converting 500 million people to Christianity using Gospel programming to targeted international audiences.

Middle East Television (METV), located in Southern Lebanon, was formed by CBN, and lated was sold to a like-minded ministry, LeSEA Broadcasting, in July 2001.

Over 10 Christian Broadcasters unite in a special for the United States, rWhere is God Now?", a two-hour primetime special produced by CBN, which broadcast between November 21-24, 2001.

700 Club operations

700 Club Prayer Counseling Centers in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee provide prayer, scriptural counsel, and literature to people who call CBN's toll free telephone prayer line. The center's phones are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year by a staff of paid, volunteer, and “on call” workers who are trained in offering comfort and encouragement from a biblical perspective.

Humanitarian operations

Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation is an affiliate organization founded by Pat Robertson in 1978. Operation Blessing was originally set up to help disadvantaged people by matching their needs for clothing, appliances, vehicles and other items with articles donated by viewers of The 700 Club. However, as requests for assistance grew, Robertson and CBN's board of directors decided to make a financial commitment to Operation Blessing that reached $1 million in 1982. In 1992 a fleet of refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks was added to Operation Blessing and called the Hunger Strike Force (HSF). The HSF hauls millions of pounds of food and disaster relief across the U.S. Operation Blessing later purchased and retrofitted an L-1011 airplane into a hospital. “The Flying Hospital” was commissioned in 1996 by former President George Bush and took its first medical mission to El Salvador. The Flying Hospital was sold to a charitable not-for-profit organization in 2000.

Education

In 1977, CBN University was founded, and subsequently became Regent Univerity.

2000s

Pat Robertson reaffirms his ordination vows on March 27, 2000, following the recognition of his 70th birthday. CBN Newswatch was insitituted to cover the Iraq War.

Pat Robertson participated in the the Herzliya Conference in Israel at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy on December 17, 2003. Israeli Cabinet Member and Minister of Tourism, Benny Elon, presents Pat Robertson with honorary Ambassadors Award at the NRB convention on February 15th..

Operation Blessing begins providing emergency relief for Tsunami victims in Asia on December 26th. On January 7, 2005: John Tesh, Connie Sellecca and family travel with Operation Blessing to Sri Lanka to aid Tsunami victims

In April 2005, Pat Robertson, Bono, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and a host of other leaders join together for ONE: The campaign to make poverty history—www.one.org

Internet video sharing among Christian broadcasters debuted on 15 May 20005.