The 700 Club, born from CBN's 1963 telethon, has remained the network's flagship program for more than six decades, making it one of the longest running programs of any kind in American television. Its format, a mix of news commentary, interviews, testimony and on air prayer, became a template other religious broadcasters, including the PTL Club, adapted for their own daily programming.
Pat Robertson hosted The 700 Club for most of its run, using the program's reach to build institutions well beyond broadcasting: Regent University, founded in Virginia Beach; the Christian Coalition, founded in 1989, one of the most consequential grassroots organizations in the growth of the religious right in American politics; and Operation Blessing International, a humanitarian relief organization. Robertson also sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, finishing second in the Iowa caucuses before withdrawing from the race.
Robertson stepped back from regular hosting duties in his later years and died at his Virginia Beach home on June 8, 2023, at age 93. His son, Gordon Robertson, now hosts The 700 Club, and CBN continues to operate as an international Christian broadcaster headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia.