TBN Founder Paul Crouch Dead at 79
Paul Crouch, co-founder of Trinity Broadcasting Network, passed away Nov. 30, 2013, at the age of 79.
Announcement of his passing was made through the TBN
Facebook page as well as by his grandson, Brandon Crouch.
Born in St. Joseph, Mo., on March 30, 1934, to Assemblies of
God missionaries, Paul Crouch would later co-found TBN, which today has become
America’s most watched faith network and the seventh largest group owner of broadcast
TV stations in the U.S.
Crouch began his career in broadcasting by helping to build
an educational AM station on campus while a student at Central Bible Institute
and Seminary in Springfield, Mo.
In 1957 he became a radio announcer in Rapid
City, S.D. and eventually became program director. Shortly thereafter he was
promoted to manager of KRSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Rapid City.
His career
also included work with KREL-AM in Corona, Calif., KHOF-FM and KHOF-TV, San
Bernardino, Calif., and an appointment by the General Council of the Assemblies
of God to organize and operate their Department of Television and Film
Production in Burbank, Calif.
He will
best be known, however, for his efforts in 1973 – along with his wife, Jan, and
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker – to found TBN, then known as Trinity Broadcasting
Systems.
In 1974, TBN purchased its first TV station, KLXA-TV (now
KTBN-TV 40) in Southern California.
Since then, TBN has grown to reach every
major continent via 84 satellite channels and over 18,000 television and cable
affiliates around the world.
Along with his wife, Jan, Crouch anchored TBN’s flagship
program, “Praise the Lord,” a nightly two-hour talk show featuring guests,
Scripture and entertainment.
Crouch and TBN have been the recipients of numerous awards
and citations of appreciation, including the Golden Angel award from the
Excellence in Media organization and the Parents Television Council
Entertainment Seal of Approval.
