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Paul Crouch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For his son, the Christian broadcaster, see Paul Crouch Jr. For the communist activist and informer, see Paul Crouch (activist).
Paul Crouch
Born
Paul Franklin Crouch

(1934-03-30)March 30, 1934
St Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2013(2013-11-30) (aged 79)
Orange, California, U.S.
Resting placePacific View Memorial Park
Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, California
Occupation(s)Evangelist, television network executive
Years active1955–2003
EmployerTrinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)
Known forFounder of TBN
TitlePresident
Spouse
​
(m. 1957⁠–⁠2013)​
ChildrenPaul Crouch, Jr.
Matthew Crouch
Relativesfive grandchildren, including Brandon Crouch and Brittany Koper
Websitepaulcrouch.com

Paul Franklin Crouch /kraʊtʃ/ (March 30, 1934 – November 30, 2013) was an American televangelist. Crouch and his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in 1973; the company has been described as "the world’s largest religious television network."[1]

Biography

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Crouch was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the third son of oft-traveling Assemblies of God missionaries, Andrew F. Crouch (January 7, 1889 – June 1, 1941) and wife, the former Sara Swingle (September 26, 1891 – September 29, 1976). Crouch had two older brothers, the Rev. Philip Crouch (1918–2005), and John Mark Crouch (1923–1991). Crouch, whose father died when he was seven years old, was mainly raised by his mother with the help of his grandparents. He soon became interested in amateur radio and announced he would use such technology to send the Gospel around the world. He graduated from the Central Bible College (Assemblies of God) in Springfield, Missouri in 1955 with a degree in theology.[2]

Crouch also received three honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Litterarum (D.Litt.) on May 29, 1981, from the California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale, California; a Doctor of Divinity on May 29, 1983, from the American Christian Theological Seminary, Anaheim, California; and a Doctor of Laws degree on May 5, 1985, from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Crouch and Janice Bethany met in 1957 and were married in Missouri. They have two sons, Paul Crouch, Jr. and Matthew Crouch.

Early broadcasting career

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Crouch began his career in broadcasting by helping to build an educational AM station (KCBI) on campus while a student at Central Bible Institute and Seminary. In 1957 he became a radio announcer at KRSD in Rapid City, South Dakota, and progressed rapidly to program director. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to manager of sister station KRSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Rapid City.

In 1961, he was appointed by the general council of the Assemblies of God to organize and operate their newly formed Department of Television and Film Production in Burbank, California, a position he held for four years. Crouch was responsible for the ongoing production of films focusing largely on foreign missions and foreign missionary works, as well as the Assemblies of God's large inventory of audiovisual materials and children's teaching aids.

From 1965 to 1970 Crouch was general manager of KREL radio in Corona, California. In 1966, he purchased a minority stock interest in KREL. During his time at KREL, he successfully completed the station's application for an increase in power to 5,000 watts.

After leaving KREL in 1970, Crouch was invited to serve as general manager for KHOF-FM and KHOF-TV in San Bernardino, California.

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) history

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Main article: Trinity Broadcasting Network

Crouch left KHOF in 1973 and with his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) along with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (the Bakkers left in 1975). In 1974, TBN purchased its first TV station, KLXA-TV (now KTBN-TV). Since then, TBN has grown to become the United States' largest Christian television network,[3][4] and the third largest group owner of broadcast TV stations in the U.S., with CBS, FOX, and NBC holding fourth, fifth and sixth place, according to TV News Check's annual listing of the Top 30 Station Groups.[5] Forbes.com indicated that Paul F. Crouch had compensation of $402,244 in the Fiscal Year ending on 12/31/08.[6]

TBN is viewed globally on 70 satellites and over 18,000 TV and cable affiliates. TBN is also seen on the web globally.[7] TBN is carried on over 287 television stations in the U.S. and on thousands of other cable television and satellite systems around the world in over 75 countries, where their programming is translated into over eleven languages. He was also executive producer for such Christian films as China Cry (1990), The Omega Code (1999), Carman: The Champion (2001), Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001), and Time Changer (2002).

In the U.S., TBN's coverage grew through agreements with national cable operators. TBN is viewed via major cable and satellite companies such as Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Verizon FIOS, DirecTV, AT&T, Dish Network, and Charter.[8]

In addition to TBN, Crouch and his wife developed and oversaw operations for TBN's affiliated television networks: Smile of a Child – children's channel,[9][better source needed] JCTV – youth network,[10] The Church Channel,[11] TBN Enlace USA – Spanish language network,[12][13][failed verification] TBNE-Italian, The Healing Channel – Arabic language network, TBN-Russia, TBN Nejat TV – Persian-language channel, and TBN-HD, TBN's new high definition network.

Death

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Crouch died at his home in Orange, California, on November 30, 2013, after 10 years with degenerative heart disease.[14][15]

Criticisms and controversies

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In 2000, Crouch was sued for $40 million[16] by author Sylvia Fleener, who accused Crouch of plagiarism in his popular end-times novel (and subsequent movie), The Omega Code. Fleener's lawsuit alleged that the movie's plot was taken from her own novel, The Omega Syndrome. A former Crouch personal assistant, Kelly Whitmore, revealed that she had encountered a loose-leaf binder in Jan Crouch's luggage that the Crouches referred to as "the End Times project" and that he often called it "The Omega" but said he disliked the working title, "especially the word 'Syndrome'. After the defendant's motion for summary judgment failed[17] the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.[16][18]

In September 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported that in 1998 Crouch paid Enoch Lonnie Ford, a former employee, a $425,000 formal settlement to end a wrongful termination lawsuit. The paper also reported that Ford had alleged a sexual relationship between the two men.[19] TBN officials denied the allegations.[19] On March 15, 2005, Ford appeared at the taping of the ION Television show Lie Detector. The show's producers decided not to air the show, and the outcome of the lie detector test was never released.[20]

A May 2012 New York Times article reported on the personal spending of Paul and Jan Crouch, including "his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community" in Newport Beach, California. Paul Crouch received $400,000 in executive salary as president and his wife $365,000 as first vice president of TBN. Brittany Koper, a granddaughter of the Crouches who had authority over finances, claimed that TBN appeared to have violated the IRS ban on "excess compensation" by nonprofit organizations.[21]

Bibliography

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  • Hello World! A Personal Message to the Body of Christ. (autobiography) (Nelson, 2003) ISBN 0-7852-6312-8
  • I Had No Father But God
  • The Omega Code: Another Has Risen from the Dead
  • Megiddo: The Omega Code 2
  • Shadow of the Apocalypse. (Berkley Trade, October 5, 2004) ISBN 0-425-20011-6

Awards and citations

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  • Parents Television Council Seal of Approval for TBN
  • Parents Television Council Seal of Approval for JCTV (now JUCE TV)
  • Parents Television Council Seal of Approval for Smile of a Child TV[22]
  • Appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Private Sector Initiative Project[23]
  • In May, 2009, the United Nations officially recommended the Smile of a Child Foundation to receive special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for the Democracy Coalition Project[24]

References

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  1. ^ Dell’Omo, Augusta (2021). "Infernal Handiwork: Trinity Broadcasting Network Aids Apartheid South Africa, 1980–1994". Diplomatic History. 45 (4): 767–793. doi:10.1093/dh/dhab032. ISSN 0145-2096.
  2. ^ "TBN Founder Paul Crouch: Leading the Way for Christian Broadcasting | TBN Newswire". Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  3. ^ "Mediabiz's Mission is to use Real World data to solve the media industry's future challenges". Mediabiz.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  4. ^ "Heavenly success: TV's largest religious network continues to expand around the world, while adding shows aimed at reaching a much wider audience. (30th Anniversary)". Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Top Station Groups Stay The Course". TVNewsCheck.com. 7 April 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ "Watch Us". Tbn.org. January 1, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  8. ^ [2] Archived December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Smile of A Child TV". Smile of A Child TV. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "JCTV". Jctv.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  11. ^ "A New Digital Network From TBN, the Leader in Religious Television". The Church Channel. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  12. ^ [3] Archived 2016-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Enlace – San José (Costa Rica) – Kabel- en satellietservice, Religieuze organisatie". Facebook. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  14. ^ "Grandson: Televangelist Paul Crouch dies at 79"
  15. ^ "Televangelist and TBN Founder Paul Crouch Dead at 79". Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  16. ^ a b News Service Report (5 January 2002) "West Virginia Woman Settles Suit with Network" The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) page B-2
  17. ^ Fleener v. Trinity Broadcasting Network, 203 F. Supp. 2d 1142 (5 September 2001, United States District Court for the Central District of California)
  18. ^ Coker, Matt (11 January 2002) "A Clockwork Orange" OC Weekly (Orange County, California) page 10
  19. ^ a b William Lobdell (September 22, 2004). "Ex-Worker Accusing TBN Pastor Says He Had Sex to Keep His Job". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ Lloyd Grove, "Born again: Evangelist sex scandal," New York Daily News, March 31, 2005
  21. ^ Eckholm, Eric Family Battle Offers Look Inside Lavish TV Ministry New York Times May 4, 2012
  22. ^ "TBN Awarded Seal of Approval by Parents Television Council". Parentstv.org. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  23. ^ "Paul Crouch, Co-Founder Of Trinity Broadcasting Network, Dies". NPR.
  24. ^ "COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS REJECTS SPECIAL STATUS FOR GROUP, CLOSES FILE ON ANOTHER, APPROVES 10 APPLICATIONS WHILE DEFERRING 15 OTHERS". Un.org. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
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