Pat Robertson reflects on 50 years of CBN

By Larry Bonko

Correspondent

Pat Robertson retire? Leave "The 700 Club," the hour of television evangelism he's hosted since its inception in 1966? And the Christian Broadcasting Network, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year?

"Not right now," he said upon turning 80 on March 22.

Ignoring the fact he's an octogenarian, and that it hasn't been long since he underwent 10 hours of surgery to correct a heart disorder, Robertson continues to do live television from Virginia Beach five mornings a week.

While describing himself as "the oldest surviving daily talk show host on television," Robertson gave nary a hint as to when he will leave the combination magazine, talk show and news digest - the rock on which the Christian Broadcasting Network was built.

"I don't know when that day will be," said Robertson in an interview conducted at CBN headquarters off Indian River Road.

Robertson began CBN 50 years ago in Portsmouth with $35 in the bank. In 1977, he brought the network into the space age with the unveiling of a satellite earth station.

From what he called "a tiny little beginning," CBN grew to include a cable network, Regent University, Operation Blessing, CBN WorldReach, the American Center for Law and Justice and other ways and means, including a flying hospital, to reach souls in over 200 countries.

And always front and center of the CBN experience has been "The 700 Club." On the flagship program, Robertson shares camera time with Terry Meeuwsen, Lee Webb, Gordon Robertson and Kristi Watts.

Why leave now, asks Robertson? "We have pretty good ratings. A lot of people who watch are accepting the Lord into their lives. "

Retire? "Not until I start to look like George Burns," he said of the comic-philosopher who lived to be 100.

Here is more of the Robertson interview:

Q. Are you still deeply involved in the running of CBN?

A. "I've turned over the day-by-day operations, the nuts and bolts, to my son, Gordon, who's doing a real good job as chief executive officer. The network is in pretty good shape. We have a good operations team, a good production team and a good finance team. When I'm not there on 'The 700 Club' Gordon fills in for me."

Q. Is he, then, your logical successor?

A. "Oh yeah."

Q. What thoughts come to mind as you reflect on the 50 years of CBN?

A. "I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. It's like I blinked my eyes and the years were gone. I've had my share of pressures and my shares of joy. I can't complain. I've had a long run."

Q. What were your goals when you launched CBN 50 years ago?

A. "The initial dream was simply to create a Christian television presence on the east coast of the U.S. I never foresaw anything like what CBN has become. Fifty years ago, I certainly didn't anticipate the creation of anything like Regent University. All along the way I have felt the touch of the hand of God. There wasn't a thing that God didn't lead me to. I can't take credit for any of this. God has been on my side. And I've always had a good team around me."

Q. You don't get enough credit for being a television pioneer. You recognized the impact of cable early on. You leaped at the chance to put CBN programming on satellite in 1977. What was the driving force behind all of that?

A. "They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and back in the 1970s it was necessary to find a more economical way to hook our affiliated and CBN-owned stations together. At that time we were 'bicycling' our programming, which meant we were sending tapes by an express company all over the country. That was costing us a fortune. The satellite technology gave us the opportunity to broadcast live across the country for one fee."

Q. Just how early were you in the satellite television game?

A. "In the beginning it was Ted Turner down in Atlanta, HBO and us. We were the first basic cable network to go on the satellite."

Q. That network, The Family Channel, was sold for $1.9 billion to Fox and Haim Saban and then sold by that group to Disney in 2001 for $5.3-billion. How important was that sale to The Family Channel to the CBN mission?

A. "The money that came out of the sale of The Family Channel endowed Regent University. It endowed CBN WorldReach, which has served those in need in over 200 countries. In retrospect, I'd say we sold it too cheap."

Q. You look fit and healthy for a grandfather of 14, good for another 50 years. How do you feel?

A. "I'm in good shape. Amazingly so. During the 10 hours of heart surgery I lost a lot of blood. It took me every bit of three months to recover. It was a rough go. I was absolutely wiped out, really, really weak."

Q. How do you stay fit?

A. "I have a new workout regimen. It's a whole body workout. I do squats. I do sit-ups. I work with dumbbells. Over the years, I've learned what's good nutrition. I love ice cream. I used to be an ice cream-a-holic. But no longer."

Q. Speaking of working out, you caught flack from skeptics in 2008 for saying you did a leg press of 2,000 pounds. Through the years, you've been criticized for your remarks about God sparing Virginia Beach from hurricanes, Haiti inviting an earthquake by entering into a pact with the devil, and suggesting the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez would be cheaper than starting a war. Does such criticism hurt?

A. "Of course it hurts. I do have sensitivity. I'm not dead, you know. It's so easy to make jokes. I don't focus on the jokes or the things that the bloggers write when they go after me. I don't read that junk. As for Haiti, the truth is that the country has given itself over to voodoo. Regarding the leg press, some people tried to make it a big deal. But I did do it. One time."

Q. Now that you're in your 80s, do you think much about your mortality?

A. "Oh, I've talked to the Lord about how many more years I've got left now that I've reached 80. Moses was just getting warmed up when he was 80."

Larry Bonko, lbonko@cox.net