Irving students take behind-the-scenes trip to Trinity Broadcasting Network, learn how God works

by Chad Jones

About a week ago, students at Irving's Elliott Elementary School took a four-mile field trip to their local Trinity Broadcasting Network station (which is surprisingly located off Airport Freeway and not, as I initially assumed, within the gates of Heaven).

Though TBN, the world's largest religious network, is known for its various Christian-themed children's programing, there appears to be no religious motives behind the trip. Instead, the educational excursion aimed to benefit Elliott's team of lil' broadcasters—a.k.a. the students who help produce the school's regular morning show that airs live throughout the campus.

"The field trip was an extension of what the students have learned so far in our broadcast studio," said Angela Smyers, Elliott's Instructional Technology Specialist. "We wanted our team to be able to see these same capabilities but on a larger field."

Smyers says the students mainly learned the differences between Elliott's small-scale production capabilities and those of TBN, whose Irving station is but a cog in the leviathan (wah wah) TBN machine—which is allegedly the ninth largest broadcaster in the United States.

Unfortunately, Smyers says students did not come into contact with any of the station's most prominent televangelists, which include Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, and many other people who cry, scream and sing a lot. And when asked if any of the students suddenly fell to the ground and convulsed under the Spirit of the Lord, Mrs. Smyers sadly gave no comment.

The trip was facilitated by an unnamed former Elliott parent who now works at TBN.