Paul Crouch

For Paul Crouch's son, see Paul Crouch, Jr..
Paul Crouch
Born Paul Franklin Crouch
March 30, 1934
St Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Died November 30, 2013 (aged 79)
Orange, California
Resting place
 Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, California
Occupation Evangelist, television network executive
Employer Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)
Known for Founder of TBN
Title President
Religion Christianity (Pentecostal)
Spouse(s) Janice Bethany Crouch (1957–2013, his death)
Children Paul Crouch, Jr.
Matthew Crouch
Parent(s) Andrew F. and Sarah Swingle Crouch (both deceased)
Relatives five grandchildren, including Brandon Crouch and Brittany Koper
Website
paulcrouch.com

Paul Franklin Crouch (March 30, 1934 – November 30, 2013) was an American Christian broadcaster. Crouch, along with his wife Jan, and televangelist Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 1973 (TBN).

Biography

Crouch was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the third son of oft-traveling Assemblies of God missionaries, Andrew F. Crouch (born January 7, 1889 - died June 1, 1941) [1] and wife, the former Sara Swingle (born September 26, 1892 - died September 29, 1976).[2] Crouch had two older brothers, the Rev. Philip Crouch (1916 - 2005), and John Mark Crouch (1924 - 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 Institute and Seminary in Springfield, Missouri in 1955 with a degree in theology.[3]

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

Crouch began his career in broadcasting by helping to build an educational AM station (KCBI-AM) 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

Crouch left KHOF in 1973 and with his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). 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,[4][5] 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.[6] Forbes.com indicated that Paul F. Crouch had compensation of $402,244 in the Fiscal Year ending on 12/31/08.[7]

TBN is viewed globally on 70 satellites and over 18,000 TV and cable affiliates. TBN is also seen on the web globally.[8] 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.[9]

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,[10] JCTV - youth network,[11][12] The Church Channel,[13] TBN Enlace USA - Spanish language network,[14][15] 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

Crouch died at his home in Orange, California, on November 30, 2013, after a decade-long fight with degenerative heart disease, his grandson Brandon Crouch told The Associated Press.[16][17] Trinity Broadcast Network had reported that Crouch became ill and was taken to a Dallas area hospital in October while visiting the network's facility in Colleyville, Texas. Later he returned to California for continued treatment of "heart and related health issues."

Awards and citations

Criticisms and controversies

In 2000, Crouch was sued for $40 million[21] 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[22] the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.[21][23]

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.[24] TBN officials denied the allegations.[24] 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.[25]

Crouch family members control the boards of all TBN entities, which makes TBN "ineligible to join" the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an evangelical self-regulating group.[26] A May 2012 New York Times article noted the lavish 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.[27]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Andrew F. Crouch at Find a Grave
  2. ↑ Sarah Swingle Crouch at Find a Grave
  3. ↑ http://tbnnewswire.com/paul-crouch/paul-crouch-sr
  4. ↑ "Mediabiz's Mission is to use Real World data to solve the media industry's future challenges". Mediabiz.com. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  5. ↑ "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. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  6. ↑ "Top Station Groups Stay The Course". TVNewsCheck.com. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Watch Us". Tbn.org. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "Smile of A Child TV". Smile of A Child TV. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  11. ↑ . Facebook.com https://www.facebook.com/#!/JCTVFans?ref=ts. Retrieved 2013-12-01. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ "JCTV". Jctv.org. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  13. ↑ "A New Digital Network From TBN, the Leader in Religious Television". The Church Channel. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ "Enlace - San José (Costa Rica) - Kabel- en satellietservice, Religieuze organisatie". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  16. ↑ http://www.dailynews.com/obituaries/20131130/grandson-televangelist-paul-crouch-dies-at-79
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ "TBN Awarded Seal of Approval by Parents Television Council". Parentstv.org. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  19. ↑ "Paul Crouch, Co-Founder Of Trinity Broadcasting Network, Dies". NPR.
  20. ↑ "COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS REJECTS SPECIAL STATUS FOR GROUP, CLOSES FILE ON ANOTHER, APPROVES 10 APPLICATIONS WHILE DEFERRING 15 OTHERS". Un.org. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 News Service Report (5 January 2002) "West Virginia Woman Settles Suit with Network" The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) page B-2
  22. ↑ Fleener v. Trinity Broadcasting Network, 203 F. Supp. 2d 1142 (5 September 2001, United States District Court for the Central District of California)
  23. ↑ Coker, Matt (11 January 2002) "A Clockwork Orange" OC Weekly (Orange County, California) page 10
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 William Lobdell (September 22, 2004). "Ex-Worker Accusing TBN Pastor Says He Had Sex to Keep His Job". Los Angeles Times.
  25. ↑ Lloyd Grove, "Born again: Evangelist sex scandal," New York Daily News, March 31, 2005
  26. ↑ . ECFA. August 5, 2014 http://www.ecfa.org/Content/Comment2. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ Eckholm, Eric Family Battle Offers Look Inside Lavish TV Ministry New York Times May 4, 2012

External links

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