TV & VIDEO - July 27, 1987

Instead of donations, a PTL telethon fund-raiser was deluged with 1,800 prank, obscene and threatening phone calls, Rev. Jerry Falwell told viewers on the “PTL Club” show last week. Falwell said toll-free number for contributions would be suspended for a few days and begged viewers to write in with their pledges. The organization wants $1.5 million by the end of the month. The announcement was made an hour before Falwell joined the embattled ministry’s board of directors to try to hammer out a reorganization proposal to present to a bankruptcy judge.