The Cornerstone Television Network is a non-commercial Christian

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

and satellite

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

network based in

Wall, Pennsylvania Wall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 580 at the 2010 census. History Wall is located at the site of a farm purchased by James Walls in 1829. The property, on the south bank of Turtle Creek, wa ...

, United States. Its founder was Russ Bixler. The network has 44 full-power and 57 low-power affiliate stations, 1 online affiliate station, and it is on the Glorystar satellite service.

History

In the late 1970s, Norma Bixler claimed to have received a vision from

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

while visiting the

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series '' The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' ...

's headquarters in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, to launch a Christian television station in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Though her husband

Russ Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor * Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired baseball player * Russ ...

was wary of the numerous hurdles to overcome to launch a full-power television station, he eventually was convinced to share in his wife's dream and pursue the vision. With the assistance of CBN's

Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American media mogul, religious broadcaster, political commentator, former presidential candidate, and former Southern Baptist minister. Robertson advocates a conservative Christian ...

, along with

Loren Cunningham Loren Duane Cunningham (born June 30, 1935) is founder of the international Christian missionary movement Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and the University of the Nations. Cunningham founded YWAM in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1960 with his wife, Darl ...

, and

Jim Bakker James Orsen Bakker (; born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist and convicted fraudster. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program '' The PTL Club'' and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with ...

, they were able to navigate the build-out and licensing issues, then pursued professional talent such as Bill Freeman, Oleen Eagle, Stan Scott, and Eleanor Clarke, and numerous volunteers to launch Christian television in Pittsburgh.

WPCB-TV WPCB-TV (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Pittsburgh area as the flagship of the religious network Cornerstone Television. Cornerstone originates most of its programs from this s ...

, the network's first station, launched on April 15, 1979,

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...

. Through the years, it purchased and launched other stations throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio before the cable and satellite age in the 90s allowed it to expand nationwide, then with the launch of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

, beyond the United States.

Programming

Cornerstone Television Network broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Programming includes preachers, teachers, international leaders, movies, documentaries, music, and holiday specials for people of all ages. Other notable programming includes ''Origins'', a program on creation science and the argument against commonly accepted scientific principles; the show presents scientific evidence supporting

Young Earth creationism Young Earth creationism (YEC) is a form of creationism which holds as a central tenet that the Earth and its lifeforms were created by supernatural acts of the Abrahamic God between approximately 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. In its most widespre ...

List of affiliates

References

External links

CTVN official site

trueGODtv Affiliate
{{American broadcast television Lists of American television network affiliates Companies based in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Evangelical television networks Television channels and stations established in 1979 1979 establishments in Pennsylvania