The Lowdown with Ansen Bayer
HisAir: You just launched a new station Real FM… can you describe the format… how does it differ from sister station KLRC?
(HisAir 4/4/25)
Ansen: Real FM is a unique format, for sure! In the simplest terms, KLRC is Christian AC and Real FM is Christian CHR. Of course, those labels have a somewhat limited descriptive use. Christian CHR in particular is quite diverse… some stations have more of an urban format with an emphasis on hip-hop, while others almost exclusively stick to pop music. Real FM is somewhere in the middle, but also adds in more indie or folk-pop than most other stations. Finally, Real FM takes some inspiration from our Australian Christian radio brethren by incorporating some mainstream music into our playlist as well. That all results in very little crossover between KLRC and Real FM’s music, but crucially both stations share the exact same mission: to share hope in Jesus with as many people as possible!
How has the new station been received?
It’s early days, but we’ve been extremely pleased with the enthusiasm so far! KLRC’s audience donated over $60,000 towards Real FM during a special one-day fundraiser, and listeners repeatedly told us how thrilled they were to fund a new generation of Christian radio. Real FM listeners have told us that they love the mix of songs and content they can’t hear anywhere else, and that’s backed up by our digital metrics. Real FM has been an online station and app for years, but we’ve already seen new records for daily and weekly web visits, app downloads, and daily and online listening hours since the FM signal launch!
What unexpected issues did you face with getting the station on the air?
Thankfully, not many! There was a ton of work involved, of course, and our General Manager Sean Sawatzky and Engineer Eric Morris deserve a ton of credit for leading most of the the legal and technical effort involved. In terms of programming, as I said, Real FM had already been operating as an online radio app for quite a while. Years of learning and fine-tuning made us pretty confident that the product itself was largely ready to go.
What about the air staff, what vibe are you looking for from personalities?
It’s right there in the name! Authenticity is a major priority for our target audience. Christian radio is known for its positivity and encouragement, and certainly we want to be those things for our audience. But we also want to be real and vulnerable about life’s challenges. Additionally, it’s important that our hosts have the freedom to take risks in terms of injecting their personalities into their shows. We’re unique and a little quirky, and our audience seems to appreciate that! We’re very fortunate that we have some extremely talented, young, and local John Brown University broadcasting alums in Isaac Weaver and Zoe Moody who are perfect fits for what we’re trying to accomplish. The Brant Hansen show was a natural fit for rounding out our lineup.
How will you measure Real FM’s success?
Certainly we want to sustain and even increase the pace of the year-over-year growth in total listening hours and cume that we’ve seen over the course of Real FM’s time as an online station and mobile app. In addition, while we’re grateful that KLRC’s success has made launching a second format possible, we want to see Real FM become financially sustainable in its own right. That said, we’re very aware that KLRC’s path to great reach and ministry impact involved a growth curve that developed and eventually accelerated over the course of many years… so patience will be key. Most importantly, we’re already hearing stories from Real FM listeners about how the station has impacted their spiritual lives, and that’s the most important metric we can measure!
Ansen Bayer is Program Director at 100.3 Real FM and Director of Strategy & Innovation at 90.9 KLRC/Siloam Springs
Reach Ansen at Ansen@real.fm