(calm music)

- [Narrator] With some early donations,

Pat got the FCC license for channel 27,

with the call letters, W-Y-A-H,

the first three lettersof the Hebrew name of God.

With that,

CBN became the firsttelevision station in America

licensed to broadcast 50% ormore religious programming.

The studio was far from being ready

and Pat still owed RCA $5,000.

But that didn't stop him

from scheduling CBNs inaugural broadcast

for October 1st, 1961.

- I didn't have the money on the day

we were supposed to go on the air.

(laughs)

And I opened the Bible andmy eyes fell on the Psalm.

It said, "The salvationof the Lord is at hand."

And I thought, "It's coming."

And I just began to praise God.

And on the way to church thatday I encountered a friend.

And I said, "come over to the station,

we're going on the air today."

And he stopped by

and fifteen minutes before one o'clock

when we were supposed to go on the air.

I said, "look, I'm short $5000."

And he bowed his head,put his head in his hand.

He said, "I'll let you have the five."

And I said, "okay. We're ready to go."

Of course, the engineerdidn't believe we'd get it,

so he wasn't ready.

(laughs)

- [Narrator] By threeo'clock in the afternoon,

the engineer had cobbledtogether the broken equipment

and the Christian Broadcasting Network

made its television debut.

- CBN, The Christian Broadcasting Network

presents the following program.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] It was asnowy black and white image

of Pat preaching the gospel infront of a dry-rotted curtain

and a cardboard cross.

- My church was therein that little station

It didn't look too impressivereally to tell you the truth.

- We had this tiny transmitter

and I didn't know if we're on the air,

we didn't have a monitor.

- My husband said, "I'llgo down to the drug store.

They've got a TV and I'll check and see."

He came back and said,

"we know you're at leastgetting to the corner,"

which was less than a blockaway, it wasn't very far.

(calm music)

- But it was a start, one thatwas riddled with challenges.

- It was survival.

Can we get enough money to pay the bills?

Are we reaching anybody?

Can I get a new camera? CanI make that camera work?

Will the transmitter stay on the air?

Will, you know, it blow up in my face?

And do I have the tubes to fill it?

Always pressure, always pressure.

You know, the Lord, whenyou're walking by faith

it isn't necessarily easy.

- I often marvel whenPat tells the stories

of the early beginnings, I think,

I don't think I wouldhave had the chutzpah

to do some of those things that he did.

(laughs)

With great admiration, I say that.

(calm music)