Baptists sell FamilyNet broadcast unit

At its peak, the Southern Baptist Convention produced a remarkable number and variety of radio and TV programs, ranging from preaching to documentaries to animation.

The Southern Baptist Convention's network hit its peak in the 1960s.

SBC broadcasts won an Emmy and many other awards, and by 1969 generated so much mail — almost 1,000 letters and cards a day — that the headquarters in Fort Worth had its own ZIP code.

But Southern Baptists' broadcasting fortunes began to dim years ago. And now it's time to fade to black.

Faced with financial losses, SBC leaders have agreed to sell what's left of the denomination's broadcast operation — FamilyNet, a TV network and satellite radio channel — to In Touch Ministries of Atlanta.

The remaining 36 employees will get generous severance, and the 80,000-square-foot headquarters in West Fort Worth will go on the market, said Tim Patterson, a Jacksonville, Fla., pastor who chaired the task force that recommended selling FamilyNet.

• Read more about this in the Dallas Morning News