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Paul Crouch and his wife Jan were the founders and face of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. They were called the “First couple of the Christian Network.” Paul died November 30, at the age of 79. Though many of the obituaries cite his work in establishing one of the largest religious tv networks, Paul first spent time working on the local radio airwaves.
Born On March 30, 1934, in St. Joseph, Missouri, he spent part of his early childhood in Egypt. His father was a missionary with the Assemblies of God. Paul was 7 when his father died.
While a student at Central Bible College and Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, he built a small campus radio station. Apparently it was this early experience with the campus station that gave him the idea about spreading the gospel electronically. In 1962, he and his wife Jan moved to Southern California.
In 1962, Paul and his wife Jan moved to Southern California. He was the manager of KREL from 1965-71. During that time, Paul helped complete the application to increase the power of the Corona radio station to 5,000 watts, and he would eventually become a minority owner of the station. He then moved to KHOF/fm (“House of Faith”) and became the station’s general manager. During his tenure at the radio station, Paul helped fortify KHOF/fm and helped establish KHOF/tv Channel 30 on the air from San Bernardino, reaching many parts of the Los Angeles market. In the beginning, it was back to back tapes of preachers before local programming was added. After a brief partnership with Jim Bakker, Paul and Jan leased time on KLXA/tv for the newly founded Trinity Broadcasting Network. Eventually, TBN purchased the station and changed the call letters of Channel 40 to KTBN, the station serving as the flagship for the network. His goal was to build the most-watched religious network by purchasing more stations and utilizing satellite technology. Despite the numerous bumps in the road, he will be remembered for being an early pioneer in using radio and television to spread the Word.
Born On March 30, 1934, in St. Joseph, Missouri, he spent part of his early childhood in Egypt. His father was a missionary with the Assemblies of God. Paul was 7 when his father died.
While a student at Central Bible College and Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, he built a small campus radio station. Apparently it was this early experience with the campus station that gave him the idea about spreading the gospel electronically. In 1962, he and his wife Jan moved to Southern California.
In 1962, Paul and his wife Jan moved to Southern California. He was the manager of KREL from 1965-71. During that time, Paul helped complete the application to increase the power of the Corona radio station to 5,000 watts, and he would eventually become a minority owner of the station. He then moved to KHOF/fm (“House of Faith”) and became the station’s general manager. During his tenure at the radio station, Paul helped fortify KHOF/fm and helped establish KHOF/tv Channel 30 on the air from San Bernardino, reaching many parts of the Los Angeles market. In the beginning, it was back to back tapes of preachers before local programming was added. After a brief partnership with Jim Bakker, Paul and Jan leased time on KLXA/tv for the newly founded Trinity Broadcasting Network. Eventually, TBN purchased the station and changed the call letters of Channel 40 to KTBN, the station serving as the flagship for the network. His goal was to build the most-watched religious network by purchasing more stations and utilizing satellite technology. Despite the numerous bumps in the road, he will be remembered for being an early pioneer in using radio and television to spread the Word.
