{
  "id": 12298262,
  "title": "Jim Bakker, who built ‘PTL Club’ televangelism empire, has died at 86",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-who-built-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-has-died-at-86",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T04:22:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2026/10/05/jim-bakker-who-built-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-has-died-at-86"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jim Bakker, the co-founder of the popular \"The PTL Club\" television program alongside his first wife Tammy Faye, has passed away at the age of 86, according to a statement released by his second wife Lori Bakker. The cause of death has not been disclosed.\n\nBakker and Tammy Faye, a married couple, built an evangelical empire centered around their successful TV show. At its peak in the mid-1980s, their ministry included a TV show with up to 13 million nightly viewers, a Christian-themed theme park and hotel, and other associated ventures.\n\nThe Bakkers' ministry began in the early 1960s, with Bakker preaching and Tammy Faye playing the accordion while traveling across the country. They later caught the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson and launched their own children's show on Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network in 1965. Bakker eventually left CBN in 1972 and formed the PTL Satellite Network, where \"The PTL Club\" became their signature show.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Jim Bakker co-founded The PTL Club television program.",
    "Married to Tammy Faye, they built an evangelical empire.",
    "Died at 86, cause of death unspecified."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The passing of Jim Bakker marks the end of an era for the televangelism movement, where his and his first wife's ministry had reached millions and became a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s.",
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/12298262.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ynetnews",
        "title": "Jim Bakker, televangelist whose Christian TV empire collapsed in scandal, dies at 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-televangelist-whose-christian-tv-empire-collapsed-in",
        "published": "2026-10-06T04:09:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Jim Bakker, televangelist who co-founded \"The PTL Club\" empire, dies at 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-televangelist-who-co-founded-the-ptl-club-empire-dies-at-86",
        "published": "2026-10-06T04:37:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "Jim Bakker, who built 'PTL Club' televangelism empire, has died at 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-who-built-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-has-died-at-86-12318043",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:57:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News (US)",
        "title": "Jim Bakker, who built ‘PTL Club’ televangelism empire, has died at 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jim-bakker-who-built-ptl-club-televangelism-empire-has-died-at-86-12317168",
        "published": "2026-10-06T06:20:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}