Religious broadcasting ratings increase following attacks

Some religious broadcasters saw a ratings jump after Sept. 11.

The Trinity Broadcasting Network said ratings for James Robinson’s “Life Today” doubled during the two weeks starting Sept. 16, compared to the two weeks before the attacks. Ratings for a news program featuring “prophecy expert” Hal Lindsey increased 60 percent in the same period, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“The 700 Club,” on Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), saw an average ratings increase of about 10 percent in the week following the attacks, compared to the week just before them.

In addition to ratings increases, CBN reported a rise in phone calls. Two weeks after the attacks, CBN operators answered 15,200 calls in one day to the network’s National Counseling Center. A CBN spokeswoman said 24,823 calls were placed Sept. 25. Typically the center gets about 9,000 calls daily.