| The Old-Time Gospel Hour | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Jerry Falwell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production location |
|
| Running time | 59 minutes[1] |
| Production company | Thomas Road Baptist Church |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1956 – 2007 |
The Old-Time Gospel Hour was a ministry program television 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 both radio and television.[3] The series was a major fundraising source for Falwell, bringing in over $90 million dollars in 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 as it was known ended in 2007 following the death of Jerry Falwell. 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]