 Religious programming has been a staple of television since its infancy. Local stations have always films and tapes of local church services, as well as airing a devotional message from local ministers at various times of the day. By the 1970s, televangelists often fundamentalist preachers with a conservative religious philosophy rose to power with programs such as "The P.T.L. Club." The P.T.L. was founded by Jim Bakker, a minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God church; he explained the initials stood for "Praise the Lord" and "People that Love." Bakker and his wife, Tammy Faye, had already their own local children s religious show and the original "700 Club" before "The P.T.L. Club" took to the airwaves. The show adopted a talk-show format, not unlike "The Tonight Show" and others of the era. Frequently, between chats with guest stars, religious messages ("God loves you; He really, really does!") and musical numbers, the Bakkers appealed for funds from the television audience (estimated to be in the millions).