‘700 Club’ and County-Based ‘Praise the Lord’ : 2 Christian Television Networks to Swap Shows

Evangelists Pat Robertson of Christian Broadcasting Network and Paul Crouch of Tustin-based Trinity Broadcasting Network agreed this week to air each other’s centerpiece shows.

Robertson’s “700 Club” will air on the Trinity Broadcasting Network for the first time at noon May 25. Crouch’s “Praise the Lord” show will appear on the Christian Broadcasting Network at midnight June 21 under the new agreement, a Trinity spokeswoman said.

Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman Benton Miller said Friday that details were still being worked out and that he could not confirm the swap.

More than 35 million homes nationwide can receive the Virginia-based Christian Broadcasting Network, and more than 13 million can receive Trinity shows. Both Robertson and Crouch are charismatic Christians who espouse speaking in tongues, miraculous healings and other supernatural “gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

Although Christian Broadcasting will air “Praise the Lord” at midnight, officials at Trinity said other programs shown in that time slot have been successful, adding that Trinity receives many calls on its 24-hour counseling line after midnight.

Both “Praise the Lord,” hosted by Crouch and his wife, Jan, and the “700 Club,” on which Robertson appears an average of three times a week, combine evangelical preaching and religious conversations with celebrity entertainment. Robertson, who once hosted the show five days a week, now is a exploring a formal bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

In addition to Crouch’s show, Trinity’s all-Christian programming includes drama series and children’s and talk shows.

The Trinity network owns 12 full-power stations, an additional three educational stations, reaches more than 500 cable systems and has six affiliates.

Crouch started the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 1973 when he bought Channel 40 in Orange County.

Christian Broadcasting Network is sent by satellite to 7,452 cable systems in 17,200 communities with a potential audience of 35 million, Miller said. Aside from airing the “700 Club,” the Christian Broadcasting Network shows some original programs, old situation comedies and westerns.

Robertson took over Christian Broadcasting 25 years ago when it was a UHF station with a weak signal that “could only reach down the block,” Miller said.

Crouch’s “Praise the Lord” program is not affiliated with the network of the same name founded by evangelist Jim Bakker.