Christian Broadcasting Network

The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production, broadcasting, and ministry organization founded by televangelist Pat Robertson in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1960. It began as a local television ministry and developed into a substantial producer and distributor of religious, family-oriented, news, and public-affairs programming. Its best-known property is The 700 Club, a long-running television program that evolved from a local telethon into a nationally syndicated religious news-magazine and variety program. CBN’s early broadcasting activities combined Christian programming with acquired secular entertainment, allowing its stations to serve broader family audiences while relying heavily on viewer donations and church support. The organization expanded through television stations, radio outlets, and satellite distribution. In 1977 it launched the CBN Satellite Service, one of the early American cable services to use satellite transmission for nationwide distribution. The service later became the CBN Cable Network and then The CBN Family Channel. In 1990, the cable operation was transferred to International Family Entertainment, an affiliated company associated with the Robertson family. The channel subsequently became The Family Channel, ABC Family, and ultimately Freeform after later corporate transactions. Although the channel itself ceased to be a CBN-controlled asset, contractual arrangements preserved carriage of The 700 Club. CBN’s current activities center on content production and distribution rather than ownership of a large conventional station portfolio. CBN News produces programs including CBN NewsWatch, Christian World News, and The Brody File. The organization also operates or supports digital and broadcast outlets, including the CBN News Channel, which was relaunched as an over-the-air and online service in 2018. Its reporting and commentary generally present national and international events from a conservative Christian perspective. CBN maintains production and news operations in Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem. International expansion has been a major part of the organization’s identity. CBN has distributed programming in numerous languages through affiliated operations such as CBN Asia, CBN India, CBN Africa, CBN Europe, CBN Deutschland, and regional partners in Latin America and the Middle East. Localized versions of The 700 Club and related programs have appeared in markets including the Philippines, Canada, Francophone Africa, Germany, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Spanish-speaking Latin America. CBN has also produced youth, music, documentary, and animated content, including One Cubed, Turning Point International, and the Superbook franchise. The organization’s broader ministry activities include humanitarian work associated with Operation Blessing, established in 1978, and educational initiatives. CBN University, founded in 1977, was renamed Regent University in 1990. CBN has often been identified with American evangelical political and cultural debates, particularly because of Robertson’s public activism and the network’s conservative editorial orientation. It remains an active Christian media organization with television, digital, international, educational, and humanitarian dimensions.

CBN was established by Pat Robertson in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1960. Its first television station, WYAH-TV, began broadcasting in October 1961. The station used a mixed schedule: religious material was concentrated around worship programming, while secular westerns, sitcoms, dramas, children's shows, and other acquired programs broadened its audience. CBN’s operating model depended substantially on small contributions from viewers and local churches. The organization expanded into radio and additional television properties during the 1960s and 1970s. It acquired an FM sister station in Virginia, created the CBN Northeast radio network from several New York stations, and acquired or operated stations in Atlanta, Dallas, and Boston. International activity began with the acquisition of Nuevo Continente in Bogotá in 1968, although that station was later transferred to local Christian broadcasting leadership. CBN also participated in a Christian radio and television project in southern Lebanon during the late 1970s. The program that became The 700 Club originated as a local daily talk and telethon format on WYAH in the 1960s. By the late 1970s it had developed into a daily religious variety program incorporating interviews, music, news, and political commentary. In 1981 the format shifted toward a news-magazine structure, helping make the program CBN’s principal national and international distribution vehicle. International editions subsequently appeared in the Philippines, Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Nigeria, Francophone Africa, and Spanish-speaking markets. CBN entered national cable television on April 29, 1977, with the CBN Satellite Service. The service became the CBN Cable Network in 1981 and adopted a more family-entertainment-oriented schedule while continuing to carry religious programs. In 1988 it was renamed The CBN Family Channel. The operation was sold in 1990 to International Family Entertainment, an affiliated company with Robertson-family involvement. It later became The Family Channel, was acquired by News Corporation in 1997, and was sold to Disney in 2001. Disney renamed it ABC Family and later Freeform. The sale agreements preserved ongoing carriage of The 700 Club. CBN moved its headquarters from Portsmouth to Virginia Beach in 1980. Its Middle East television operation, Middle East Television, was formed after a Christian station in southern Lebanon was donated to CBN in 1982; it was later sold to LeSEA Broadcasting in 2001. CBN also expanded its educational and charitable activities. CBN University, founded in 1977, became Regent University in 1990, while Operation Blessing, created in 1978, developed from a viewer-supported assistance program into a broader humanitarian organization. The organization launched its first website in 1995. It added CBN NewsWatch in 2002, an online CBN News Channel in 2008, and a renewed over-the-air and digital CBN News Channel in 2018. Today CBN operates primarily as a content producer and distributor, with international affiliates and localized programming in many languages. Its public profile remains closely connected to evangelical Christianity, conservative political commentary, and debates associated with the United States culture wars.

• 2018

  CBN News Channel relaunched over the air

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  The news service returned as an over-the-air channel on multiple U.S. stations while continuing online.

• 2008

  CBN News Channel became an online service

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  CBN introduced an online-only 24-hour news channel.

• 1995

  CBN launched its first website

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  The organization expanded its distribution into web-based publishing and video.

• 1990

  CBN cable operation transferred to International Family Entertainment

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  The cable channel was transferred to an affiliated company and became The Family Channel.

• 1981

  Cable service became the CBN Cable Network

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  The satellite service adopted a broader family-entertainment schedule and a new cable-network identity.

• 1980

  Headquarters moved to Virginia Beach

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  CBN relocated its headquarters from Portsmouth to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

• 1978

  Operation Blessing established

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  CBN created a viewer-supported aid initiative that later developed into a broader humanitarian organization.

• 1977

  CBN Satellite Service launched

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  CBN introduced a national Christian cable service distributed by satellite.

• 1966

  The 700 Club originated

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  A local television talk and telethon program developed into what became The 700 Club.

• 1961

  WYAH-TV began broadcasting

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  CBN’s first television station began broadcasting in October from Portsmouth.

• 1960

  CBN founded in Virginia

  [1]Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org

  Pat Robertson established the Christian Broadcasting Network in Portsmouth, Virginia.

A Christian media and ministry organization combining evangelical programming, conservative news commentary, international religious broadcasting, family entertainment, and humanitarian outreach.

• Television program · 1966

  The 700 Club

  CBN’s signature daily program began as a local talk and telethon format in the 1960s and later became a nationally syndicated religious news-magazine. Its format combines Christian teaching, interviews, music, human-interest reports, news coverage, and commentary. The program has also served as the foundation for numerous international adaptations.

• News production · 2002

  CBN News

  CBN News produces national and international reporting for Christian and general audiences. Its programming includes CBN NewsWatch, Christian World News, The Brody File, and digital video. Coverage is presented from a conservative Christian perspective, with reporting operations associated with Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem.

• Animated series · 1981

  Superbook

  Superbook is a Christian animated franchise produced or co-produced through CBN. The original series appeared in 1981, while a later computer-animated revival began in 2011. Stories use biblical narratives and child-oriented adventure to support religious education and have been distributed internationally in localized versions.

• Interactive television program · 2009

  700 Club Interactive

  700 Club Interactive extends the editorial and ministry format of The 700 Club with audience-oriented segments, interviews, news, and digital participation. It is aimed at viewers seeking a shorter and more interactive version of CBN’s flagship programming.

• Youth television program · 2001

  One Cubed

  One Cubed is a youth-oriented program built around music videos, action sports, interviews, and contemporary youth culture. It was first developed for Asian audiences and later received U.S. and Nigerian versions, reflecting CBN’s strategy of adapting Christian content for younger viewers and regional markets.

• Humanitarian service · 1978

  Operation Blessing

  Operation Blessing began as a viewer-supported effort to match donated clothing, appliances, vehicles, food, and financial help with people in need. Working with churches and other organizations, it expanded into a wider humanitarian and disaster-relief ministry associated with the CBN network.

• Cable television network · 1988

  The CBN Family Channel

  The CBN Family Channel was the later name of CBN’s national cable operation. It combined family entertainment, classic television, films, and selected religious programs. The channel left CBN control in 1990 and subsequently passed through additional owners and brand identities, eventually becoming Freeform.

• 2017

  Payments for events at Donald Trump properties

  During the first Trump administration, CBN paid at least $170,000 to host events at properties associated with Donald Trump. The organization subsequently received access to the White House comparable to that granted to larger news organizations, including frequent exclusive interviews with senior officials. The arrangement attracted scrutiny because of the relationship between paid events, political access, and CBN’s conservative news coverage.

  Source

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• 1994CBN Asia launch

  Philippines · Hong Kong · Asia

  CBN established an Asian regional operation that developed localized television, children's, and music programming, including Asian editions of The 700 Club and later youth formats.

  Outcome. Created a continuing regional production and distribution platform.

  Source
• 1990Eastern European broadcast and church-development projects

  Soviet Union and successor states

  CBN programming began reaching the Soviet Union through special broadcasts and later included The 700 Club and Superbook. The broadcasts were connected with rallies and church-development efforts across the region.

  Outcome. CBN reported numerous regional rallies and new church establishments.

  Source
• 1978Operation Blessing viewer-assistance program

  United States

  CBN used its television audience and church relationships to coordinate donated goods and financial assistance for struggling families, creating the foundation for Operation Blessing’s later humanitarian work.

  Outcome. Expanded into an international humanitarian and disaster-relief ministry.

  Source

• 2018

  Relaunch of the CBN News ChannelProduct launch

  Background

  CBN had operated an online news channel since 2008 and sought a wider television distribution footprint.

  Action taken

  It relaunched the CBN News Channel as an over-the-air service on 15 U.S. stations while retaining online distribution.

  Aftermath

  CBN expanded its direct news presence alongside syndicated programming carried by Christian-oriented networks.

  Source

• 1990

  Transfer of the cable network to International Family EntertainmentM&A

  Background

  CBN’s cable operation had grown into a broader family-entertainment service and required a structure separate from the ministry’s core operations.

  Action taken

  The channel was sold to an affiliated entity, International Family Entertainment, while continuing to carry The 700 Club.

  Aftermath

  The channel became The Family Channel and later passed through News Corporation and Disney ownership before becoming Freeform.

  Source

• 1981

  The 700 Club shifted to a news-magazine formatGeneration change

  Background

  The program had developed from a local religious talk and telethon format into a nationally distributed production.

  Action taken

  CBN moved The 700 Club toward a news-magazine structure with reporting, interviews, religious features, and commentary.

  Aftermath

  The format strengthened the program’s role as CBN’s flagship national and international broadcast.

  Source

• 1977

  Launch of the CBN Satellite ServiceProduct launch

  Background

  CBN sought national distribution for Christian and family programming beyond its owned broadcast stations.

  Action taken

  It launched a satellite-fed cable service on April 29, 1977.

  Aftermath

  The service became the CBN Cable Network and later The CBN Family Channel, establishing a major national distribution platform for CBN programming.

  Source

1. 1Christian Broadcasting Networken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Christian Broadcasting Network official websitecbn.com