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Gary's
Career Capsule
Started in 1976 doing a late Saturday night show with the youth
pastor from my church. He bought time on the local rock station
from about 10pm Saturday to about 3am Sunday. We played what passed
for Christian rock at the time and encouraged people who were
‘seeking’ to call in. The station we bought time from called and
asked me to man an overnight shift and away I went. Once I got to
college I used radio as a good way to pay bills and before you know
it the virus was in my blood and I couldn’t get it out. I’ve worked
every format I’m aware of, held just about every job one can hold in
a radio station and still love coming in and trying to find new ways
to do it everyday.
1. How
has The River evolved over the last few years?
The challenge for every radio station is to become a part of the
fabric of their community. Austin is a wonderful and very different
community. The official city slogan is “Keep Austin Weird’, it’s
not just a cute thing to put on t-shirts…it’s an actual way of
life. We are still testing the waters and trying to determine the
absolute best way for us to impact Austin families. We tried the
‘acceptable’ way of doing Christian radio to a fairly tepid
response. We have been charged with making an impact, not becoming
wallpaper. So, we are trying new things. We are playing some
familiar country records that clearly support and encourage the
lifestyle, we are playing some current mainstream AC hits that fit
within our ‘family friendly’ promise. Early response has been
interesting. Still too early to make any ratings conclusions but
early signs are good. Our promotional efforts target city events
and charitable runs, bikes and walks. The station targets Austin
families, regardless of their spiritual leanings.
2. Has The River made any changes due to economic situation, been
affected in any way?
Our company, Clear Channel, has been making changes for some time
with the economy in mind. The recent sale of the company afforded
us the opportunity to re-engineer our systems and streamline our
efforts. (I knew that ‘Corporate-Speak’ class would pay off
someday) From the beginning, being the only CCM station in the
Clear Channel empire, we have made every attempt to keep costs low
and revenues high. That means our full time staff of 3 people and
our part time staff of one person has been working pretty hard and
with great efficiency out of pure necessity for some time now.
3. How is Austin a unique Christian market?
Local pastors tell me Austin has the lowest saturation level of
church membership of any major American city. A clear majority of
the population does not attend church. That is a great challenge.
That means we can’t just put the latest praise song on the air and
count on church folk to fill out our listenership. Austin prides
itself on being diverse and accepting of any and all lifestyles and
belief systems. The Christian message that begins by denigrating
other belief systems has a very negative effect here. The Christian
message that focuses on acceptance and the common desire for
fulfillment makes a difference. Our challenge is to present that
message in a relevant and interesting way.
4. What criteria do you require for a song to be played on your
station?
Does it support the lifestyle? Does it further the message of
acceptance and fulfillment? Is it something an Austinite driving
through traffic would turn up, or turn off? People in the ‘Live
Music Capitol of the World’ are pretty picky about what they like
and don’t like. It better be real, or they turn away.
5. What kind of promotions work best for The River?
Promotions that impact Austin families. Promotions that allow
Austin families to directly impact people in Austin who are also in
need. Promotions that include physical activity that benefits those
in need in Austin. Again, it better be real. Austin does not
respond to fluff or hype.
6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
There are two clear styles of Christian radio. Ministry oriented
and lifestyle oriented. Our radio station is expected to garner
audience, increase ratings and revenue and help our cluster grow.
That means we have to compete favorably with the mainstream AC, Hot
AC, CHR and Country stations. Simply put, our approach is going to
be different from a ministry-owned, listener supported station. Our
style of radio is in the minority in this format, so labels tend to
skew their releases and promotions toward the needs of the many.
7. In your opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian
radio today?
Becoming inwardly focused. The people we need to touch are those who
don’t speak our language, don’t know our joke
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