Dave Margalotti “Know Who You Are Really Competing Against”
Before I joined the Christian radio ministry team at Family Life as the Director of Radio, I spent 28 years in commercial radio. I learned a lot in those days about the competitive nature of the radio business, what it took to win and how other stations in the market were viewed. As you can guess, that view was not a favorable one since those other stations were vying for the same listeners and the same advertising dollars as we were.
Since coming to Family Life in 2014, I’ve learned that other Christian radio stations that can be heard in the markets where we have signals are not our “competition”. They are our allies. While we may be directly affiliated with them, we all share a mission to grow followers of Jesus. Our approaches may be varied and different, but the goal is exactly the same.
I often compare it to a community that has multiple churches. Unless it’s a really small town, no single church could ever minister to or meet the needs of the entire community. Plus, no single preaching style could ever appeal to all believers.
I don’t take credit for this mindset, but it is one I heartily embrace. When we go to pray on air during our spring and fall fundraisers, our CEO, Rick Snavely prays for all of the other radio ministries with stations in our listening area. He mentions them individually by name, as well as the names of their general managers. We want God to bless them just as much as we want Him to bless the work we are doing because it isn’t about us. It’s not us versus them. It’s all of us working together, as the body of Christ, to share the Gospel and hope we have in Jesus!
That doesn’t mean though that we do not have competition, because we do. And they are a fierce and formidable foe. Who are they?
Our competition is a secular society that does not share our values and beliefs. Our competition is other technology such as smart phones, social media, and on-demand streaming services that seek to steal and monopolize the time and attention of our listeners. And lastly, our competition is ourselves.
What does that mean? It means never thinking your best is good enough. It means never resting on your laurels or past accomplishments. It means never allowing yourself to become complacent. It means challenging yourself every day by carefully and prayerfully scrutinizing everything you do to find ways to make it be more effective, more connective, more impactful. Not for your benefit. Not to outperform another ministry. But to give our absolute best so that the Lord may be glorified and made known to a lost world.
If you’re not currently competing against yourself, you need to start because those other guys are working hard to make you irrelevant and they are not going away.
Since 2014, Dave has been overseeing the Christian radio outreach of Family Life Ministries, Inc. that includes 70 broadcast signals in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as multiple digital music streams and original podcasts. Prior to joining the Family Life team, Dave spent 28 years in secular radio as a programmer and on-air host for music and talk formats in the New York City area. Dave’s passion for radio began as a child, but that was eclipsed nearly 30 years ago by his love for the Lord when God got a hold of his heart and turned his life around. Dave and his wife, Patty followed the Lord’s leading to western NY after raising their 6 children in northern New Jersey. Contact Dave at davemargalotti@familylife.org
