The World Tomorrow
Encyclopedia
The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct radio
and television
half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God (later renamed Worldwide Church of God
while under the direction of Herbert W. Armstrong
) which ran from 1934 to 1994. A fifteen minute version of the radio program (but under varied translations of The World Tomorrow name but which are also now-defunct), was broadcast by various speakers in the French
, German
, Italian
, Russian
and Spanish
languages.
was originally called the Radio Church of God after the church that sponsored the program. Herbert W. Armstrong created the program and founded the church. Following the 1939 World's Fair
in New York
the broadcast was renamed The World Tomorrow following the theme of the fair which was "The World of Tomorrow". In 1968 the Radio Church of God changed its name to the Worldwide Church of God.
The programs originated daily in a half-hour format, primarily from a studio located on the campus of Ambassador College
in Pasadena
, California
, (USA), which was owned and operated by the church as a then-unaccredited liberal arts
institution. Other studios were located at Ambassador College, Bricket Wood
, Herts, England
and Ambassador College (later accredited as Ambassador University) at Big Sandy
, Texas
, USA.
In 1958, Garner Ted Armstrong, youngest son of Herbert W. Armstrong and his wife Loma Armstrong, took over the narration of the half-hour all-talk presentation. The voice and style of Garner Ted Armstrong was often compared to that of news commentator [Paul Harvey], whom Garner Ted Armstrong attempted to emulate with a degree of success. You can hear some of these old TWT programs at icg.org.au
The program was introduced and concluded by the voice of Hollywood radio announcer Art Gilmore
who appeared both on film and television screens in various roles. He was also noted for being the unseen announcer on The Red Skelton Show
and on Highway Patrol
with Broderick Crawford
which were among his many credits on television. "The World Tomorrow" concluded with an early Hollywood-produced music jingle
over which Art Gilmore gave the program address and a toll free telephone number still used by Grace Communion International (by which the Worldwide Church of God is known today), which varied according to the country that it was being aired in, or where its broadcast was intended to be received.
FRENCH: The French language edition was primarily aired in parts of Canada
and Haiti
over several local stations and in Europe over the super-power station Europe 1
. The presenter was Dibar Apartian who recorded the programs in the same studio used by Herbert W. and later Garner Ted Armstrong on the Pasadena, California campus of Ambassador College. The program was also supported by a French language edition of The Plain Truth
magazine.
GERMAN: The German language edition was primarily aired in Europe over Europe 1. The presenter was a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena where the program was recorded. The program was supported by a German language edition of The Plain Truth magazine.
ITALIAN: The Italian language edition was primarily aired in Montreal
and Toronto
, Canada over two local stations. The presenter was also a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena where the program was also recorded.
RUSSIAN: The Russian language edition was primarily aired for a short period of time in the 1950s-1960s over the super-power station Radio Monte Carlo
, which was beamed towards the USSR. The presenter was a Russian language Hollywood presenter who both translated English scripts and then recorded the programs.
SPANISH: The Spanish language edition was primarily aired in parts of South America
, although it was also aired from Porto
, Portugal
. The original presenter was Dr. Benjamin Rea who was Vice-Chancellor of Ambassador College at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire
, England which is where he recorded the programs in the radio studio located on the campus. The program was also supported by a Spanish language edition of The Plain Truth magazine.
in the 1950s before the advent of videotape
when all syndicated programs had to be recorded on film. The original series was shown on a portion of the ABC Television Network
for half an hour, once a week in black and white.
, Herbert W. Armstrong resumed the presentation. The thrust of the broadcasts was largely to present how current events in the world tied into the church's views of Biblical
prophecies
. Both the radio and televisions of The World Tomorrow invariably informed their audience how to receive the church's magazine
, The Plain Truth, the content of which was largely similar to that of the broadcasts. Following Armstrong's death in 1986, the television program was presented by David Hulme, David Albert, Richard Ames and Ronald Kelley on a rotating basis until 1994 when doctrinal shifts in the Worldwide Church of God and declining revenues led to the program's cancellation.
, California with reported discussion underway concerning yet another corporate name change.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God (later renamed Worldwide Church of God
Worldwide Church of God
Grace Communion International , formerly the Worldwide Church of God , is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Glendora, California, United States. Since April 3, 2009, it has used the new name Grace Communion International in the US...
while under the direction of Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon...
) which ran from 1934 to 1994. A fifteen minute version of the radio program (but under varied translations of The World Tomorrow name but which are also now-defunct), was broadcast by various speakers in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
languages.
The Radio Program (English language)
Herbert W. Armstrong secured a temporary fifteen minute slot on KORE Eugene, Oregon on October 9, 1933. This became a permanent half hour slot on January 7, 1934. This broadcastBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
was originally called the Radio Church of God after the church that sponsored the program. Herbert W. Armstrong created the program and founded the church. Following the 1939 World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
the broadcast was renamed The World Tomorrow following the theme of the fair which was "The World of Tomorrow". In 1968 the Radio Church of God changed its name to the Worldwide Church of God.
The programs originated daily in a half-hour format, primarily from a studio located on the campus of Ambassador College
Ambassador College
Ambassador College was a four-year, liberal arts college run by the Worldwide Church of God. The college was established in 1947 in Pasadena, California by radio evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong, leader of what was then the Radio Church of God, later renamed the Worldwide Church of God...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, (USA), which was owned and operated by the church as a then-unaccredited liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
institution. Other studios were located at Ambassador College, Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately 4½ miles from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a London Midland service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.Close to the village stands...
, Herts, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Ambassador College (later accredited as Ambassador University) at Big Sandy
Big Sandy, Texas
Big Sandy is a town in Upshur County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town's population was 1,288. A lake of the same name is cut nearly in half by U.S. Highway 80, the main thoroughfare of Big Sandy....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA.
In 1958, Garner Ted Armstrong, youngest son of Herbert W. Armstrong and his wife Loma Armstrong, took over the narration of the half-hour all-talk presentation. The voice and style of Garner Ted Armstrong was often compared to that of news commentator [Paul Harvey], whom Garner Ted Armstrong attempted to emulate with a degree of success. You can hear some of these old TWT programs at icg.org.au
The program was introduced and concluded by the voice of Hollywood radio announcer Art Gilmore
Art Gilmore
Arthur Wells "Art" Gilmore was an American voice actor and announcer whose voice has been heard in radio and television programs, movies, trailers, advertising promotions and documentary films.-Biography:...
who appeared both on film and television screens in various roles. He was also noted for being the unseen announcer on The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
and on Highway Patrol
Highway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
with Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford
Broderick Crawford was an Academy Award-winning American stage, film, radio and TV actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his starring role in the television series "Highway Patrol."-Early life:...
which were among his many credits on television. "The World Tomorrow" concluded with an early Hollywood-produced music jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
over which Art Gilmore gave the program address and a toll free telephone number still used by Grace Communion International (by which the Worldwide Church of God is known today), which varied according to the country that it was being aired in, or where its broadcast was intended to be received.
International editions in other languages
A fifteen minutes and usually once-a-week version of the same program (but under varied translations of The World Tomorrow name but which are also now-defunct), was broadcast by various speakers in the French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish languages.FRENCH: The French language edition was primarily aired in parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
over several local stations and in Europe over the super-power station Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
. The presenter was Dibar Apartian who recorded the programs in the same studio used by Herbert W. and later Garner Ted Armstrong on the Pasadena, California campus of Ambassador College. The program was also supported by a French language edition of The Plain Truth
The Plain Truth
The Plain Truth is a U.S.-based magazine founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, who also founded the Radio Church of God , Ambassador College, and The World Tomorrow radio and television programs. Herbert W...
magazine.
GERMAN: The German language edition was primarily aired in Europe over Europe 1. The presenter was a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena where the program was recorded. The program was supported by a German language edition of The Plain Truth magazine.
ITALIAN: The Italian language edition was primarily aired in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada over two local stations. The presenter was also a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena where the program was also recorded.
RUSSIAN: The Russian language edition was primarily aired for a short period of time in the 1950s-1960s over the super-power station Radio Monte Carlo
Radio Monte Carlo
Radio Monte Carlo is the name of six radio stations owned and managed by three different entities:*RMC Info is a French-speaking station, broadcasting in France and Monaco from Paris with some contributions from Monaco. Radio Monte-Carlo was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the...
, which was beamed towards the USSR. The presenter was a Russian language Hollywood presenter who both translated English scripts and then recorded the programs.
SPANISH: The Spanish language edition was primarily aired in parts of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, although it was also aired from Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The original presenter was Dr. Benjamin Rea who was Vice-Chancellor of Ambassador College at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England which is where he recorded the programs in the radio studio located on the campus. The program was also supported by a Spanish language edition of The Plain Truth magazine.
1950s: ABC Television Network
There were two eras of The World Tomorrow on television. The first era featured Herbert W. Armstrong speaking from a Hollywood sound stageSound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
in the 1950s before the advent of videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
when all syndicated programs had to be recorded on film. The original series was shown on a portion of the ABC Television Network
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for half an hour, once a week in black and white.
1967 to 1994
The second era began in 1967 beginning with black and white before changing to color in 1968. These continued well into 1980s. The presenter was originally Garner Ted Armstrong and then following his departure from his father's church in mid 1978 and subsequent founding of his own church, the Church of God InternationalChurch of God International (USA)
The Church of God, International is a seventh-day Sabbatarian Christian church currently headquartered in Tyler, Texas, USA, which was founded by former members of the Worldwide Church of God....
, Herbert W. Armstrong resumed the presentation. The thrust of the broadcasts was largely to present how current events in the world tied into the church's views of Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
prophecies
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
. Both the radio and televisions of The World Tomorrow invariably informed their audience how to receive the church's magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, The Plain Truth, the content of which was largely similar to that of the broadcasts. Following Armstrong's death in 1986, the television program was presented by David Hulme, David Albert, Richard Ames and Ronald Kelley on a rotating basis until 1994 when doctrinal shifts in the Worldwide Church of God and declining revenues led to the program's cancellation.
Sponsor
For a history of the sponsor of both the radio and television programs see the brief biography of Herbert W. Armstrong and the church that he founded called the Radio Church of God. Although the church changed its legal name of incorporation before the death of its founder, the Worldwide Church of God has since undergone significant doctrinal changes and has moved from Pasadena to GlendaleGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, California with reported discussion underway concerning yet another corporate name change.