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Chris's
Career Capsule
Started in 1985 at Walla Walla College in Washington state,
announcing classical music and very mild CCM. I Started a CCM show
on the local Top-40 station while I was in college, eventually
worked into programming and later still, managing that station.
Three years at KBBO/KRSE in Yakima, WA doing Christian music on the
AM and mainstream soft AC on the FM. 10 years at Positive Life Radio
in Washington state as PD then Ops Dir. 3 years as a station owner,
including Christian CHR 97-7 The Fire in Pullman, WA. Just over a
year now at KTSY Boise, ID as Operations Manager.
1.
Personally how do you keep the ministry in the “business”?
When you get listener calls, emails and letters on a regular basis
telling you how God is working through the station, it’s helps you
realize that it’s far more than just a business or string of songs.
2. Overall, how is Christian radio different today, from 5 years
ago?
We’re still growing in terms of impact and professionalism. More
recently, I think we’re realizing how important regular emotional
connections with the listener are in a time where their money is
tight and every expense and every gift is being looked at again.
3. What do you think are the main characteristics of today’s
Christian radio PD?
Multi-tasker extraordinaire, and a servant’s heart.
4. What criteria do you require for a song to be played on your
station?
I’ll defer to our music director, Travis Culver, on that one.
5. What kind of promotions work best for Christian radio?
Prizes that money can’t buy, and a way to participate that engages
as many people in as possible.
6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
Assume that we know what we’re talking about when we say we know our
audience and their tastes. Our very livelihoods are on the line if
we take the music off in a direction that the audience doesn’t want
to go. Understand that in a day of shrinking playlists, one new add
makes far more impact on your station sound than it used to, to our
benefit or to our detriment.
7. In your opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian
radio today?
The biggest obstacle is still getting people with a Christian
experience to give Christian radio a fair chance at impacting their
daily life. So many of them only stop by Christian radio on their
way to church, or when things go really wrong in life. We also need
enough signals to go around in
large markets that we can afford to do something that lets the next
generation fall in love with “their” version of Christian radio.
8. What do you believe is the primary role of the Christian radio
air personality?
To
be an interesting human being on the air, one that lives the same
life as the core listener and can bring a refreshing, relatable view
of that life to the table in bite sized pizzas, I mean pieces.
9. What (if any) Christian radio stations do you consider as
innovators today?
Anyone who is coloring outside the lines of music and topicality
that most of us have put around our format, but that the listeners
don’t see. The Fuse, Pulse 99.5, the Total Axxess show.
10. Where do you see Christian radio in 5 years?
Playing more songs
from the mainstream with positive messages, or playing more songs
from Christian artists who forgo the Christian music industry and
are working in the mainstream. To paraphrase T-Bone Burnett’s way
of putting it, we’ll be back to playing more songs that are about
what you can see because of the Light, not just singing to or about
The Light.
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