Gordon Robertson Succeeds his Father, Pat Robertson, as CHristian Broadcasting Network's Cief

It will be interesting to see what impact this change of management at CBN will have over time. Historically, Gordon Robertson - who was a member of a large, reputable Norfolk law firm for a decade - has been far less wacky and off the wall as his father. I actually used to know his wife some years back through political activities and she always struck me as pretty normal. Her are some highlights of the Virginian Pilot's coverage (http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=138121&ran=98740&tref=po):

(VIRGINIA BEACH) Evangelist Pat Robertson said today he is passing daily management of the Christian Broadcasting Network to his son, Gordon Robertson, 49. Robertson, 77, remains chairman of the Virginia Beach-based ministry he founded in 1960. "I thought that some of this day-to-day operation was important to pass down the line, especially to somebody a little more adept at figuring out the new technologies coming at such a bewildering speed to all of us," Robertson said on "The 700 Club," CBN's premier program. CBN's board of directors voted over the weekend to have Gordon succeed his father as chief executive officer, according to a CBN statement. Gordon will also be vice chairman of the board, reporting to his father.

According to CBN's Web site, he lives in Norfolk with Kathryn, his wife, and their three children. Gordon Robertson, who joined CBN in 1994, has co-hosted "The 700 Club" every Friday for years and regularly pinch-hits for his father on the show on other days as well. But while Gordon Robertson looks much like his father, he is a mild, non-confrontational personality lacking the righteous acidity that suffused Pat's calls to "gut" the State Department or assassinate Venezuela's socialist leader.

Gordon Robertson grew up in Portsmouth, where CBN first went on the air in 1961. He graduated from two of Pat's alma maters: Yale University in 1980 and then Washington and Lee University, where he earned a law degree. He worked as a lawyer for 10 years in Norfolk and was on the staff at Vandeventer, Black, Meredith & Martin.

Vinson Synan, a former divinity school dean at Regent University, said Gordon Robertson may not have aspired to succeed his father. Regent was founded by and is led by Pat Robertson. Synan described Robertson as a shy family man with strong convictions and a vivd awareness of the media's fascination with his celebrity father. "He knows he's in a fish bowl - he's very careful in what he says," Synan said.