VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA (ANS) -- Another "founding father" of Christian broadcasting has turned over the baton to his son.

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Pat Robertson announced at the quarterly meeting of the CBN Board of Directors his desire to continue as Chairman of the Board, but to relinquish his duties as Chief Executive Officer of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), effective immediately. Robertson, who will be 78 in March, founded CBN in 1960. He has been the ministry’s Chief Executive Officer since its founding.

From a tiny rundown UHF television station in Portsmouth, Virginia, CBN has grown to a worldwide ministry employing approximately 2,800 and having sent out programs in 99 languages to over 225 countries with domestic studios in Virginia Beach and Nashville, and overseas studios in Manila, Jakarta, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kiev. Its humanitarian arm, Operation Blessing International, is responsible for humanitarian and disaster relief caring for an estimated 9.5 million people worldwide in 2007.

As Chairman, Pat Robertson will continue active involvement in the ministry he founded as well as the Presidency of Regent University.

The CBN Board voted unanimously to appoint Gordon Robertson as Chief Executive Officer of the corporation and Vice Chairman of the Board, reporting to the Chairman.

Gordon Robertson holds a baccalaureate degree from Yale University and a juris doctor degree from Washington & Lee Law School.

Upon graduation from law school, he began a law career with the Norfolk law firm Vandeventer, Black and became a partner specializing in real estate and corporate law. He left the practice of law to serve the ministry of CBN.

Robertson lived in Manila in the Philippines for five years and was placed in charge of CBN’s Asian operations in China, India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia.

At present, Gordon Robertson has assumed expanded responsibilities in addition to Asia to include the production of CBN’s flagship program, The 700 Club, its national and international news, and its digital media division. As CEO, he will lead an expanded effort to enlarge the scope of CBN’s penetration into all phases of digital communications.

Gordon Robertson is married to the former Katharyn Banks. Katharyn was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of William and Mary. The couple has three children and resides in Norfolk, Virginia.

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. His weblog appears at: Michael's Wor(l)d BLOG