| The Old-Time Gospel Hour | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Jerry Falwell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production location |
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| Running time | 59 minutes [1] |
| Production company | Thomas Road Baptist Church |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1956 – 2007 |
The Old-Time Gospel Hour was a ministry radio and television program broadcast from Thomas Road Baptist Church hosted by minister Jerry Falwell featuring the church's Sunday service. [1] Started in 1956 [2] by Jerry Falwell, The Old-Time Gospel Hour gained a national following on radio and television. [3] The series was a major revenue source for Falwell, bringing in more than $90 million during the early 1980s. [4] The show's popularity continued through the 1990s, during which time it was still broadcast on hundreds of stations across the country. [5]
The television show ended after Falwell died in 2007. His son, Jonathan Falwell, became the primary minister featured in the Sunday services [6] and eventually folded the show into the church's online video library and livestream website called Thomas Road On Demand. [7]
Bono of the band U2 mentions The Old-Time Gospel Hour in the 1988 live version of the song "Bullet the Blue Sky" on the album Rattle and Hum . Toward the end of the song, there is a spoken section where he says "...and I can't tell the difference between ABC News, Hill Street Blues , and a preacher on the Old-Time Gospel Hour stealing money from the sick and the old. Well, the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister." [8]