That's a good question. Because our business IS a
ministry, it causes me to think through how I word my answer. I
believe it is possible to do too much 'ministry' on the air, thereby
compromising your business. A good business does one thing very,
very well. As wonderful as it would be to be effective at
everything we do on the air, I don't believe it is realistic to
think that serving all aspects of ministry ON THE AIR is an
effective use of radio. It is critical that each station remembers
their specific calling/mission and does just that. Serving Jesus by
trying to be the best in the business is more effective than trying
to be the best at ministry on the air. Please
read that last sentence again so you can hear my heart on this.
(of course you can assume I am referring to using
Biblical principles in business)
Oftentimes on the way to work, my prayer will be for
God to check my heart and then provide me with the tools needed to
be effective at accomplishing the mission He has laid out for our
station to do. I pray that He
allows me to connect with existing Jesus-lovers and yet be
completely relevant to someone searching for truth and God in
their own way. I want to be the 'Jesus'
that Jesus wants THAT listener
to see. I want to show people what it is like to have a
relationship and not a religion.
2. Overall, how is
Christian radio different today, from 5 years ago?
Let's see...that was two radio stations ago for
me... Well, it has increasingly become more digital. The delivery
of music is 90% online now. Of course we have the ever-convenient
portable music device to contend with more, too. Although, I must
say that I think people still
enjoy listening to live radio...knowing that they
are experiencing something that thousands of others are experiencing
at the same time. THAT is something those little 'pocket players'
can't do.
3. What do you think are the main characteristics of today’s
Christian radio PD?
More than ever, I am
passionate about stations accomplishing the mission of their
station. I believe the PD's job is to focus the programming
to accomplish that mission. That means song selection, show
content, imaging...everything on air. The
package of your station as presented to the public MUST reflect the
mission of the station. As good as songs and DJs may be, the
station's pursuit of its God-given vision has to take top priority.
4. What criteria do you require for a song to be played on your
station?
I gotta be honest
with you and tell you that the sound of the song is the first thing
that either gets me or doesn't. I think it is a HUGE thing in the
decision process. It must, must, must sound good and be the type of
song that listeners will want to hear again. There is nothing less
relevant than calling yourself a hit station and then playing music
that is nowhere close to the sound of today's mainstream hits.
Lyrics are also a
major factor for us. Since our mission is one to bridge that gap
for the non-Christian, we do not want to use 'churchy' language on
the air. There is nothing wrong with Christian lingo for stations
whose quest is to edify the saints, but it sure can sound out of
touch to the non-believer. We also don't shy away from
"relationship" songs. Primarily, because people have
relationships! You can't get much more relevant than that! It is
ok for us to play songs that sing about life and its triumphs and
stuggles. We play ALL of these songs in an attempt to raise
questions in people's minds about life and God...and ultimately,
Jesus.
5. What kind of
promotions work best for Christian radio?
It depends on the
format of the station. I don't know that there is a BEST type of
promotion. The common factor in pulling off a good promotion is
being able to engage your audience and get people talking. We
are currently doing a promotion that costs us NOTHING (except a
little gas). "Signs of Summer" is our way of having
