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Michael's
Career Capsule
I started working at KLJC in the
summer of 2001 as a paid intern. At the time, I really just viewed
my work as a part-time job that would be pretty interesting. I soon
started to realize that God was preparing me for His plan for my
life. I continued to work at KLJC while attending Calvary Bible
College and had the opportunity to spend some time in production and
various airshifts. Due to some staff turnover, I was able to move
into the Program Director/Afternoon Show Host position in April of
'04. I have been there ever since and added the title of Assistant
Manager in July of '06.
1.
Personally how do you keep the ministry in the “business”?
I
believe it is just a matter of making it my focus daily. It has to
be a personal decision to make it my objective/goal to serve God and
others. Honestly, I think if we make it a priority to serve in
everything we do, then God will take care of the rest. If we make
our station a place where people know that they are going to be
served and valued, then why would anyone not listen. That to me is
keeping the ministry in the business.
2. Overall, how is Christian radio different today, from 5 years
ago?
Obviously if you read
my career capsule you know that I was just getting started in
Christian radio 5 years ago, but I do believe I've seen some
changes. The overall production quality of the music continues
to get better. I feel like there are more groups fighting for those
precious spots on the playlist. Also, I believe radio, as a whole,
has more competition these days.
3. What do you think are the main characteristics of today’s
Christian radio PD?
Good
discernment, courage, faith, love for God & people, Flexibility,
Servant's Heart, a Good Ear, Ability to develop relationships,
experienced.
4. What criteria do you require for a song to be played on your
station?
1.
Good lyrics (Just like our AC format has a specific sound that makes
a song AC, I believe the "Christian" part of our format should be
followed just as closely.)
2. It
needs to make me want to hear it again.
3. It
has to be top-notch production quality.
4.
How many risks are involved in playing it (is it close to the CHR or
INSPO edge, is it a new artist, is the message unclear, is the sound
too unique)
5. I
need to hear good feedback from others after hearing the song.
5. What kind of promotions work best for Christian radio?
I've
always heard and now have learned that prizes for promotions should
be something that a listener wouldn't usually get for themselves.
Serve and spoil the listener! It needs to be fun, easy to
participate in, and something that gets people excited.
6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
As a
whole, Christian Record labels do a great job of serving Christian
Radio. I do believe that there is always room for improvement. I'd
love to see the labels come alongside radio and help us make our
biggest dreams and promotions come true. It's been my observation
that due to staff limitations at many stations, the great
promotional ideas don't pour out. It would be awesome to see
Christian record labels approach us with ideas of how to get their
artists in our market..
Also,
I would love to see the record label always send out the story
behind the song plus the lyrics on every song.
7. In your opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian
radio today?
One
obstacle that I think Christian Radio needs to overcome is the
tendency to make our staff hold multiple positions. How is anyone
ever going to brainstorm and get better at their jobs if all there
is time for is to put out the biggest fire? Not all stations face
this problem, but I know whenever you look at most Christian radio
websites, it looks like as a whole most employees are doing multiple
jobs.
I
think Christian radio needs to serve our listeners better. This
doesn't necessarily mean that we need to focus on coming up with the
coolest giveaway/contest ever. Rather, I think we need to get our
hands dirty and encourage our listeners to be involved in actual
service. I believe that is one of the biggest keys to building
loyalty and trust among our listeners. If we come alongside them
and serve/encourage/comfort/uplift, I think we will see it in the
"business" side of the ministry.
8. What do you believe is the primary role of the Christian radio
air personality?
The
primary role for our on-air personalities is to build
relationships. The on-air personality needs to become a trusted
friend. Our goal is to help the listener focus on God and their
relationship with Him. I feel it is important for the personality
to have a relationship established with the listener so that we are
someone the listener knows she or he can trust. The personality has
to show himself or herself to be a real person who is in the same
community, going through the same types of things that the listener
is.
9. What (if any) Christian radio stations do you consider as
innovators today?
This
is always a tough question for me to answer. Obviously, I read the
same things that everyone does about WPOZ, KSBJ, KLTY, and others
being at the head of the class. I agree that those stations are
doing a great job and continue to serve their communities. The
problem for me is that I have a hard time staying abreast of what
everyone is doing. So to be honest, I really don't know what
stations might be doing a great job, but just not receiving the
recognition that they might deserve. Any station that is serving
their community to the best of their ability and doing it for the
glory of God, I feel is a station that deserves to be honored.
10. Where do you see Christian radio in 5 years?
Christian radio will continue to grow over the next 5 years. I
think HD will be a huge factor in radio that will give us an
opportunity to win more listeners with the possibility of having
multiple channels broadcasting multiple formats!
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