P.M. BRIEFING : Falwell to Sell Cable TV Network

The Rev. Jerry Falwell will sell his FamilyNet satellite television network to an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention, ending his four-year effort to establish his own cable TV service, it was reported today.

Falwell, founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, had been scaling back his television operations anyway, and now the decision to sell to the convention’s ACTS cable network gets him out of the business entirely.

The move, however, will give his “Old Time Gospel Hour” show triple the exposure it currently has because it will be seen on both networks, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Falwell’s FamilyNet has access to about 10 million viewers, while the ACTS network has about 25 million potential viewers.