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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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091189
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09118900.078
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1990-09-17
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RELIGION, Page 76HOW THE OTHERS ARE FARING
ROBERTS
Since 1987, when Oral Roberts proclaimed God would end his life
unless viewers coughed up $4.5 million, the 71-year-old
televangelist's ratings have dropped one-half. Reported monthly
gifts of $2.7 million have fallen behind the $3.3 million in
expenses. Last spring loyalists provided the $11 million Roberts
said was needed to prevent the "dismantling" of his ministry. The
staff has been cut one-fourth. Roberts' formerly debt-free empire
has been mortgaging some of its $500 million in assets, and three
residences in California were unloaded for a quick $4.3 million.
SWAGGART
The Baton Rouge, La., spellbinder was once No. 1 among
television preachers, but Jimmy Swaggart's fortunes plummeted after
he was caught with a prostitute. The Assemblies of God defrocked
him, and his broadcast ratings plunged two-thirds. Construction at
Swaggart's Bible college has halted, and enrollment is disastrously
down. Today Swaggart, 54, probably takes in $1 million a week,
compared with $3 million in his heyday. The staff is two-thirds
smaller than it used to be, and Swaggart is faced with a welter of
legal woes.
ROBERTSON
As PTL's mud was spattering all TV preachers, Pat Robertson's
ministry suffered added strains because its leader was off running
for President. Though revenues dipped, the Family Channel, a
for-profit cable-TV venture that reaches 47 million homes, provided
a safety net. Numbers rebounded after Robertson, 59, returned to
Virginia Beach, Va., last year. The latest ratings for his 700 Club
were up 16%; 180 over-the-air stations now carry the daily talk
show, compared with fewer than 100 in 1987. Robertson has added 300
employees this year and is planning an elaborate new conference
center.