CBN Announces Layoffs Amid Shifting Media And Fundraising Landscape
The Christian Broadcasting Network is cutting 8.4% of its U.S. workforce as part of a “strategic realignment,” the ministry said.
CBN, based in Virginia Beach, operates television, digital and humanitarian ministries worldwide. CBN had about 1,100 employees in the U.S. in 2024, according to its latest tax filing. Although the organization did not disclose the total number of employees affected, the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported the downsizings hit three dozen local employees.
The cuts are part of a desolate media landscape that includes massive layoffs in secular outlets such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Washington Post, both announced this week.
Best known for its “700 Club” daily talk show, CBN was the brainchild of the late Pat Robertson, a televangelist who founded the network in 1960. He ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 1988, coming in second in the Iowa caucuses before fading in later primaries.
Robertson, who died in 2023, also founded Regent University, a school with more than 13,000 students at its Virginia Beach campus and online. Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl-Sears, and actor Tony Hale are among the school’s alumni.
In a statement, CBN said the cuts did not include Operation Blessing, the organization’s charitable arm.
“These changes were made as part of a broader realignment to focus resources on areas of growth and long-term impact,” the statement added. “In a rapidly changing media and fundraising landscape, we are committed to being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us and to making thoughtful, necessary adjustments to streamline our systems in support of our mission and our donors.”
According to WAVY-TV and Virginia Business, the workforce reductions were confirmed this week.
Despite the cuts, CBN said its audience reach continues to expand.
In 2025, the organization “reached a projected 745 million people worldwide through its programming based on audience surveys.” As of 2021, CEO Gordon Robertson said 90% of its audience was outside the United States.
That total includes the animated children’s series Superbook, which CBN said “reached a projected 404 million people across 143 countries, generated more than 3.2 billion YouTube views, grew to 11.2 million YouTube subscribers, and saw over 41 million app downloads.”
Other CBN media initiatives — including documentaries, podcasts and digital content — “also reached millions of viewers and listeners,” the ministry said. CBN News “continues to expand its digital footprint with more than 2.6 million YouTube subscribers.
“Looking ahead, CBN is exploring opportunities to expand its presence internationally, including the potential opening of offices in multiple countries, which would further strengthen our global impact,” the statement said.
The organization has increasingly emphasized digital platforms and international markets in recent years as traditional television audiences fragment and fundraising models evolve.
This article was originally published at The Roys Report.
Mark A. Kellner is a reporter based in Mesquite, Nevada. He most recently covered statewide elections for the New York Post and was for three years the Faith & Family Reporter for The Washington Times. Mark is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and also attended Boston University’s College of Communication.