The Next Generation Doesn’t Want Safe. They want REAL!

By Josh Lauritch
Manager, National Promotion
EMI CMG

Who will listen to your radio station in 5 years? What will you offer them that they can’t get anywhere else? Why should they care about you?

I am the listener of tomorrow. Well, not specifically me, but definitely my generation. Here’s the problem: your radio station is one of hundreds of media competing for my attention. Let’s assume you are a music radio station. You are trying to compete for my attention with “the latest from David Crowder*Band”. Here’s the problem, I’ve got access to everything from David Crowder*Band. I downloaded the album the first day it was available at iTunes. I bought it because I’m a fan and want to support the artist. I get other music that I kind of like from Limewire. Crowder is on my iPod…every song the band has released. “Everything Glorious” is my ring tune. “Remedy” is the song on my Myspace page. I get the inside scoop from David Crowder himself because his personal blog is in my Google Reader. Oh yeah, I also have the limited edition of the album with the same version of “Never Let Go” that you didn’t play. I have everything before you do and you’re telling me “this is the latest from David Crowder*Band”? Lame. If you think the thing radio has over other media is music then you’ll never capture the attention of my generation. We’re ten steps ahead of you in that area.

Your current target listener wants to hear her favorite songs all the time, for a long time and hopefully be entertained in the process. That means 45 spins per week in heavy for 6 months because “it’s still testing”. Your target listener of tomorrow wants to feel like she belongs. Like you are her people. My generation is all about connection. That’s why we’re on all of the social networks. That’s why we blog. That’s why we tweet. Oh, sorry…you might not know about tweeting just yet. Check out http://www.twitter.com/ and let it blow your mind. Just might be the best new opportunity for you to connect with your audience.

In the past 5 years, we’ve moved from “get rid of the clutter, it’s all about the music” to “we MUST connect emotionally with the audience through content that is compelling and relevant in his/her life”. Sounds like a GMA session you’ve sat in 17 times, right? Everyone knows that’s what radio can offer the listener of tomorrow. Connection. A sense of belonging. So how do you go about doing that?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: BE REAL! Your listeners of tomorrow (my generation…and those younger) have the biggest and most sensitive BS filter that you’ll ever encounter. You can’t hype them. You can’t market to them. They can sniff out your fake attempts at being sweet, over-spiritual or funny. They can tell when you’re forcing it. They know that you’re trying to hook them in. They don’t buy it. They don’t care.

They want authentic. They want vulnerable. That’s what they are. That’s how they connect with others. My generation puts their entire life online. They’ll blog about their failures in life, their triumphs and their dreams. They’ll tell you when they’re on the mountaintop and when they’re in the valley. They’ll put embarrassing photos online because…well, it’s them. All their friends do the same thing. They won’t associate with anyone fake. That means YOU…no matter how good the music is. Remember, they have all the music you do…before you do.

The listener of tomorrow (and today, I would argue) wants you to BE REAL. Let’s be honest, we’re all a mess. We deal with all of the negatives: depression, anger, greed, lust, envy. We also deal with all of the positives: joy, peace, contentment, love, kindness, compassion. If you are going to offer something to your listener that they cannot get anywhere else then offer yourself. Offer a relationship. Give them something they can belong to. Deal with the highs and lows of life ON THE RADIO!

Ever woke up and went into work just not feeling it? Maybe you had a fight with your spouse the night before. Perhaps you’re feeling the pressure financially and you’re just depressed about it. Maybe your walk with God just isn’t where it needs to be. You’ve got to put on a show, right? You’ve got to play the silly game at 7:10, you’ve got to qualify listeners for the HUGE trip to Night of Joy, and you’ve got to entertain all morning long when you just don’t feel it. Why not tell your listeners that you’re feeling down? Why not be authentic and tell them what you are feeling…and that you’d like their help? You’ve got a community, a family that you’ve already built by being real. Watch those phones light up! They’ll gladly tell you what they do when they are in a rut, when they feel down, how they cheer up their spouse on a bad day. They’ll tell you how they mend things with their spouse after a fight. I guarantee you’ll come out of your funk by the time the show is over. Oh yeah, your listeners will probably help hundreds or even thousands come out of their funk as well. That is community. That is what the listener of tomorrow can’t get on their iPod. BE REAL!

Want to be funny and entertaining? Be authentic. Talk about the stupid things you do. Talk about the little quirks. Talk about the things that bother you and why you’re so sensitive. Talk about the things that creep you out or are just plain annoying. Like the fact that the guy at the grocery store asks you three times if you need help carrying your one bag of groceries. How he doesn’t really care and is just being forced to be nice…and how that DRIVES YOU NUTS! That right there will draw out all sorts of emotion in your listeners (won’t it Shannon Steele?).

Talk about the time you were a jerk and flipped off your husband (click here two of the best in the industry at being real http://connectwithceci.blogspot.com/2008/04/mean-girls.html). I bet there are a TON of listeners out there that have done that or worse before! People, we’re all a mess! Be a mess with your listeners. Let them know that they’re not alone! They don’t want to feel like the people on the radio have it all together. They want to feel like the people on the radio are just like them. BE REAL!

The PD Forum was buzzing last week with the story of Pastor Forrest Pollock from Bell Shoals Baptist in Brandon, FL. He was killed along with his son, Preston, when their plane crashed in the mountains of North Carolina. The Joy FM covers about 1/3 of the state of Florida and this church is in the heart of their listening area. Thousands of their listeners attend the church. How did the station deal with this? They dealt with it like they deal with every other day. This is a station whose personalities are as real as they come. They’re hilarious. They’re vulnerable. They’re compassionate. They’re honest. They are as compelling and real as it comes. Listen for a week, you’ll agree.

Last week, they experienced the fear of the unknown after hearing that Pastor Pollock and his son had gone missing. They prayed with their listeners. They waited. They hoped. On Tuesday morning, they cried with their listeners as they learned that Pastor Pollock and his son had been found, dead. That morning wasn’t “Positive”, it wasn’t “Encouraging” nor was it “Safe For The Whole Family”. It was sad, dark…depressing. But, in the midst of the tears they offered to their audience the tremendous hope that is found at the cross. That even though there is pain and suffering and death, there is hope in Jesus Christ. He never lets go.

Last week, the community that is The Joy FM was connected. An overwhelming majority of listeners to the radio station do not attend Bell Shoals. However, they felt the pain of those who did. They prayed for them and for the Pollock family. They cried with them. They bared each other’s burdens last week. That, my friends, is what you can offer your listeners that they can’t get anywhere else. BE REAL!

Josh was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI and spent 3 and ½ years as the Promotions Director/APD and Midday host at Salem’s former 105.3 The Fish, WFZH-FM in Milwaukee. He moved to Nashville to work with the legendary Grant Hubbard in the National Promotion department at EMI CMG. He currently handles promotion for Chris Tomlin, TOBYMAC, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman and the rest of the EMI CMG Label Group roster in the Midwest region of the USA. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Amy and their two annoying cats Jack and Phoebe. He blogs regularly at http://www.thedeepthoughtsofjoshua.blogspot.com/ and, of course, you can connect with him at Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter.

Watershed in the Kitchen

By Lisa Williams
Air Personality
K-LOVE Network



We all have watershed moments when something happens that changes us or our direction forever, irrevocably.

As I was answering phones in the KLOVE studio a few days ago, I remembered (as I often do) a radio watershed moment that happened over a decade ago, and yet dictates the way I act at work every day.

My husband's company had moved us to a new town in a new state. It was the fifth move of our marriage, and I had (again) left some good friends behind and was starting over. New town, new people...I was feeling alone.

As I was setting up our rental home and learning the area, I was listening a lot to the Christian station in town. At that time, Crystal Lewis' song "God's Been Good to Me" was just starting to get lots of airplay, and I was always listening for it. I had only heard it a couple of times, and was obsessing over hearing it again. I even called an old radio station where I had worked 1000 miles away and had them play it over the phone for me:)

The woman who hosted the midday show in my new town had become my friend. I had never called her, and we had never met, but she was my friend. She was the only woman in my new town who was talking to me. (I totally understand the phenomenon of listeners saying, "It's like you're my best friend.")

It took several days (this was before the ease of the Internet and handy-dandy web sites), but I finally caught the phone number for the studio. It was early afternoon, I was in the kitchen unpacking things, listening for my favorite song.

I decided to call the studio.

After several attempts, the DJ answered. I remember feeling the "I'm-about-to-talk-to-someone-important" nervousness. I said "hi" and asked if she was the woman on the radio. I remember wanting to say, "Hi, I'm Lisa and I just moved to town and I don't really know anyone and you are sorta like my only friend and I appreciate you playing songs for me while I unpack my house." But, instead, I just said, "Will you play a song for me?"

Her response was succinct. "We don't play requests."

So I said, "Oh, okay." I paused, and after hearing no other words from my friend, I said goodbye.

I felt blown off. I felt foolish for calling her. And I felt lonely as I realized the radio lady wasn't really my friend. What a loser I was for calling and asking for a song. Such a loser.

Here's what I learned from that moment in my kitchen:

Don't answer the request lines if you don't have time to be nice. If you're too busy to chat for 30-60 seconds, then just let it ring. If you're in a bad mood, then just let it ring. If you think your only job is to tell them the rules of the radio station, then just let it ring.

Don't tell a caller you don't play requests. Even though you don't, that's not the purpose of answering the studio lines! Use the phones to connect with people. Use their song request as an entry point into learning about them. Take charge of the conversation and go fishing!

"What song is it that you want to hear?", "Is there a reason why you like that song?", "What's your name?", "How long have you been listening?", "What are you and your family doing right now?", "Do you have kids?", "How did you find the station?"

Take notes. You may be able to mention some of the things they say in an upcoming break.

Sometimes they will tell you stories about their song that will BLOW YOU AWAY. Sometimes they really have nothing else to say, and you graciously let them go. Other times, you will realize their request gave them a plausible reason for calling, but really they have something else they want to talk to you about.

"Oh, you just moved here? Where from? Why did you move? Do you like the area? What do you like best? Are you feeling lonely about the move, or excited? Have you found a church? Does your dog like it here?" I mean the questions you can ask are ENDLESS! And usually it only takes one to get them talking.

The goal? To find out a piece of their story! To connect as one human to another! And, hopefully, glean something you can use on the air that is personal, interesting, relatable and connects with the thousands who are listening. Once you get a piece of their story, you can graciously let them go. They'll feel noticed. You'll have a bit.

If you have the time and energy, you could use them to chat about what you want to talk about on the radio. "What's the best thing about living here?", "Are the gas prices higher here?", "Did you get your tax rebate check yet? What are you going to do with it?" "What's your family doing this summer for a vacation?"

My goal is to have great bits on the air. Their goal is to connect with my radio station. The two are not mutually exclusive.


Lisa is on KLOVE weekday afternoons from 3-7pacific. Listen when you can at klove.com. After 18 years in Christian radio, she has finally found something she likes more: being a mommy! Her 14 month old JD is eagerly awaiting his new baby brother in a few weeks, and a very large, waddling Lisa is eagerly awaiting maternity leave.

Time to Move Forward

By Dave Senes
Network PD
WAY FM CHRSN
Nashville


Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion on email forums and in columns like this about Christian CHR. From what I can tell, it seems like a good number of well-intentioned Christian radio programmers hold on to the notion that if we just throw more money at Christian CHR radio (whatever CHR really is, but I’ll get to that in a moment) or get it into larger markets with the help of “visionary leadership” it could explode. No… it won’t – explode that is.

Christian CHR stations generally differentiate themselves from other stations by targeting teenagers. Trying to target teens exclusively with Christian music is self-limiting and plays against the natural landscape for the CCM fan base. In other words, one can’t create a larger potential audience for a specific type of music than the one that naturally exists.

CCM Radio naturally skews 30 plus, meaning that’s where the bulk of CCM fans exist. That’s a fact that has been shown in many very expensive research projects, so you just saved a lot of money if you were thinking of doing your own. Even stations aimed at a broader target like 18-34 aren’t designed to maximize audience share with CCM.

Ok, then why aren’t there more young fans of CCM?

Generally speaking, teens (Christian or not) and young adults (18-24ish) in general feel somewhat bullet proof and don’t have as much of a felt need for faith based music at this age as they will choosing a life partner, entering parenthood and realizing their influence on their kids.

Christian teens and young adults will certainly cherry pick their favorite CCM songs as they come across them based on a variety of reasons (often peer based), but not enough to change their primary goal of staying in touch with the mainstream mass appeal songs of their generation.

A quick glance back helps to see where we are today. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, a bunch of “saved” rockers began writing and performing mainstream sounding music with “Christian” lyrics. Christian labels were created and the industrialization of this music followed. This new music was fed directly to a Christian sub-culture of music buying fans found primarily in the American church and church youth groups.

The youth group sub-culture became the perfect market for CCM to flourish. The music was safe and “cool” which gave every youth leader in America an instant alternative to recommend for parents who were happy to bankroll their kids’ new clean listening addiction. Each week kids would bring their Christian cassettes to church and do what every kid does… compare their opinions on music with their friends.

Christian radio eventually caught on to the opportunity to promote “Christian mainstream” music as a ministry to thousands. I am fortunate to work for one of the pioneers of CCM radio. WAY-FM began over 20 years ago. In the early days, the lucky kids had a WAY-FM or other CCM station to listen to during the week between church attendances. The CCM radio revolution was well underway. By the 90’s, donor funded CCM had blossomed and most markets had at least some form of CCM station. But eventually the novelty wore off.

The ultra passionate “CCM all the time” youth subculture that once existed in much of the church world is long gone. In fact, now most youth leaders don’t even promote Christian music exclusively. They would seem out of touch if they did. Most Christian parents no longer see Christian music as the only option for their kids and have given up on the thought of “no mainstream music in the house”. Churches feature mainstream hits that reflect truths found in the Sunday sermon… So, it’s easy to see how the wave of CCM fans comprised of Christian youth in the 80’s just keeps rolling along with no replacement population behind it.

If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend that you read Charlie Peacock’s recent article on the future of CCM. I could go on and on, but he’s a much better writer. He picks up perfectly on what I’m talking about. He portrays a reality I’m afraid many will ignore, but here’s another plug not to.

So what about today? How do we program CCM radio today? That’s assuming we have another 5 – 10 years of viability among the fragmented formats that comprise CCM radio today.

First, a suggestion… let’s move forward. Let’s get beyond arguing about the meaning of terms like AC and CHR within the context of Christian music. Your listeners don’t care, so why do you? The Country music to CCM comparison is fitting… when’s the last time you heard of a Country CHR station?

There are only two types of music among Christian music fans. 1. Popular 2. Everything else. You are either playing the most popular songs for your target demo or you aren’t. So, in my personal opinion, there’s really only one set of truly mass appeal songs inside the Christian music genre.

However, if we must still fragment our target audiences because of mission statements that involve reaching youth specifically, we should at least define chart headers with something measurable… (Women 18-34) and (Women 25-54)… after all most stations are trying to reach people in one of those two categories. The only way to program a station for growth is to judge songs on their popularity within a target demographic.

Popularity is measurable, but the discussions I see often seem to center around ideas and agendas that are subjective… Like, “such and such song” doesn’t sound “such and such” enough… what? Is that really a good way to make a decision? Personal opinion?

Why isn’t Christian CHR growing? First (repeating from above), targeting teens that don’t represent the bulk of CCM fans is a self-limiting proposition to begin with, and second, because donors are much more forgiving than stock holders.

For a general market owner, the formula is simple. Ears=Advertisers=revenue=stock price goes up for investors. The end game is to make money and everything leads to that. The minute revenues decline the investors dry up and things come to a stop.

It’s always questionable to me that our investors (donors) don’t really have an objective way to measure the return on their investment. Perhaps that’s an overstatement. After all, there are concerts full of cheering kids and plenty of community events promoted or held by CCM stations that are evidence of how donations are being used. But at the end of the day, the medium of radio is about mass reach. To do radio well you need to win the numbers game.

What if all along, CCM radio donors, like investors, had required CCM stations to present them with data proving that their investment was actually bringing more listeners to the station each year? I suspect this article would be seen as somewhat irrelevant and out of touch since we’d have all moved beyond discussing the real meaning of CHR years ago in pursuit of something measurable.


Dave’s career began 12 years ago as producer for the Fred Winston show in Chicago. From there he produced several other shows and was on the air in several formats before heading to Salem’s Chicago talk and teaching format as Creative Director. While there, the promotion to PD provided him the opportunity to help launch 106.7 The Fish in Chicago along side John Frost and Tommy Kramer. After leaving Salem, Dave headed for warmer weather and spent two years at WAY-FM in Ft. Myers, FL before coming to Nashville to serve as Network Program Director for WAY-FM Media Group’s CHRSN.

What Are You Waiting For?

By Ken Farley
Hit Music Research
Nashville


You’ve probably heard the statement “If you aim for nothing that’s probably what you’ll get”. The Bible says “Without a vision the people will perish”. As you go about your day to day activities do you have a clear cut vision of what God has planned for you to do with your life?

Does it include yourself, your family, and whatever your personal vocation may be? I believe that God put us all here for a purpose and a reason… it’s not an accident that you’re here. But what are you here for and how are you supposed to go about fulfilling and accomplishing what God has planned for you?

In many instances people will say they haven’t gotten a clear cut word or picture of what direction their path and purpose is supposed to be, and that they’re “waiting to hear from God”. Probably the first image that comes to mind is someone being still and quiet, waiting for confirmation on what God has in store for them. There are certainly many instances in those quiet, intimate moments with God that He reveals Himself and His plan for our lives. But, if that’s your situation right now, I would also encourage you to think of “waiting” along the same terms of being a waiter. When a waiter is waiting on his/her customers they’re not taking it easy doing nothing. They’re going about their day, serving their customers and waiting on them through deed and service. I think it’s the same thing sometimes when you’re “waiting on God”. You just go about your business doing your best to take care of whatever is set before you to accomplish that day.

But don’t be discouraged that because you don’t feel like you have a clear cut directive for your life, that you’re not making a difference. The Bible says that when you’re faithful with the little things God will make you faithful of much and that with whom much is given, much is required. God has given us all some huge opportunities to make an impact in the lives of our families, friends, co-workers, and the potential countless thousands of people you connect with each day through radio. So make the most of each day that God blesses you with and be expectant that He will provide you with the answers to the questions you may have right now!

Ken Farley spent fourteen years at KOKF/OKC, twelve of them as PD, before moving to Nashville in 2000 to work as Director of Promotions for ForeFront Records. Two years later, when EMI CMG went through a round of mandatory cutbacks, he was let go from the company and it was at that time that he went through his own “waiting period” of discovering what God had for him next. It was during that season in his life where he founded Hit Music Research and also partnered with Jeremy Gonzalez to get AmpedCreative off the ground, a company that he bought out two years later. Hit Music Research provides online music research services exclusively for the Christian music industry and AmpedCreative produces station imaging and is also the home of several nationally syndicated programs including The Weekend 22 (CHR), The Weekend Top 20 Countdown (AC), The ZRock Radio Revolution (Rock), Music News, (60 daily news feature) The Hype Radio Network (Hip-Hop & R&B) and their newest partnership with The Real –“Inside The Music-Outside The Norm”. Ken resides in Brentwood, TN with his wife and three children. (his youngest, Kayla, pictured)

What is CHR?

By Alan Mason
Change Agent
Goodratings Strategic Services


Alan is a regular contributor to The Christian Radio Feedback Room


There's been a lot of discussion on the forums lately about Christian CHR, much of it inspired by the R&R Article in the 21 March issue.
Interestingly, I¹m having a hard time telling what Christian CHR is. Is it a target? An attitude?

You may recall the research study Paragon Research and Goodratings did about three years ago. There were many conclusions, but one of the most important was the large size of the footprint of the CCM format. It covers all demos, and most musical styles. Far and away the most popular second choice for Christian CHR listeners was Christian AC. The song montages used to determine people who listen to CHR vs. AC contained artists that are now mainstreamed on AC. So what is CHR, and more importantly, what does successful CHR look like?

Just because you say you¹re CHR doesn¹t mean you are. Secular CHR has some specific criteria that might be helpful in determining where you are:

1. Do you have a larger proportion of 12-24¹s than you do 25-44¹s in your cume? How well does that cume ratio match up with AQH, which should show the demo most favorable to the station?
2. How do you rank in the teens, 18-24, and 25-34 demos? In secular radio I¹ve seen people lower their demo, but at the same time they lowered their overall audience too, fighting their ³natural² audience. If you¹re ranking in the bottom third of the market it¹s difficult to say you¹re successful, irrespective of demo target.
3. Two of the major Christian CHR companies we work with have seen they have a greater proportion of 35-44¹s than they do 18-24¹s. Does that make them non-CHR¹s? In fact, they¹ve increased their teen levels only when they played tested music, which leaned more AC. Do the analysis on your own station, and see how your demos line up.
4. What is the average age of your donors? It¹s not unusual for us to see a target audience that¹s 10 years or more less than the donor. That could mean trouble down the road, because our research clearly shows a donor is a superfan of your station.
5. What¹s the energy of your station? In the secular world we¹d be looking at specific song sound code and tempo issues to help determine if a station is CHR or Hot AC.
6. Who are you talking to, and who¹s doing the talking? I seem to have created a little controversy with my statement in the R&R article, but the simple fact is if you¹re talking to a ³generic² audience, and not the 18-34¹s, you¹re neither CHR or AC. You¹re generic. The CHR audience is very aware of authenticity, and that means you¹d better be able to speak their language in their way, and really understand it.

Yes, there are considerations like the level of new music you¹re playing, but more importantly it has to do with how many times you play the songs your playing, and whether your audience really cares about those songs. You can tell that by the size of your audience.

To me, the answer is simple. If you¹re achieving success with 18-34¹s you¹re CHR. If not you¹re Hot AC or AC. But the bottom line is, who really cares?
If you¹re doing what God wants, and not what you think you should do, it doesn¹t matter if your CHR or AC. What really matters in our context is whether you¹re making impact on the largest number of people possible. Are more people hearing God¹s word in music, or fewer?

It seems to me if we threw out the format labels and do what¹s right, we¹ll be successful. If we cling to some sort of made-up format title and never crack a two share, you¹re probably doing the wrong thing, not matter the format. It has to do with filling a need.


Alan Mason has been consulting successful CCM and mainstream stations for decades. He has been married to his wife Becki for 39 years, and they currently live in Lincoln, California. His other interests include genealogy and political strategy. He was the recipient of the 2007 Rob Campbell Award, and the Radio & Retail Echo Award for industry impact.

The Audacity of Christian CHR

By Mike Couchman
Program & Music Director
WAYG/Grand Rapids
WAYK/Kalamazoo-Battle Creek



Here we are, staring another precarious year in the face. So far, Christian CHR does not appear poised for growth. Survival, hopefully, but don’t ask to thrive. A recent Radio and Records article summed up our challenges well, so I won’t bore you with a long rehash. To sum it up, we’ve got 1) Coverage area obstacles. 2) An identity crisis. And, 3) A lack of faith in our format from both within and outside.

All the industry jargon of targets and listener profiles aside, this is what I believe to be true. Christians and non-Christians alike choose Christian radio stations for different reasons than they choose secular stations. Those reasons have more to do with their inner faith than their music style choices. Yet invariably, those music preferences also lead them away from Christian radio, or, are why they visit our stations only in spiritual crisis.

What if a format existed to help them avoid a crisis in the first place? This is where Christian CHR can be most effective.

We can be the format that helps “train a child when he is young, so that when he grows old he will not depart.” We can be the one that prevents young women from living promiscuously, the one that talks those who’ve made mistakes early in life OUT of making even bigger ones later. We can be the format that provides the foundation for strong marriages that last lifetimes, instead of the format that tells youth it’s important to live together first to kind of “try each other out.” We can be the format that points someone towards serving their world for Christ, instead of serving themselves with dreams of cash and parties.

Has Christian radio already done this? Certainly! But I contend we have only scratched the surface. Teenagers and young adults across the country who profess to be Christians are filling their minds with songs about casual sex, tunes about the appeal of wearing revealing clothes, and music that glorifies solving problems with drugs, alcohol, and self mutilation.

Yet we Christians are often shocked when people in our own churches and Christian schools get pregnant, drop out, run away, or become sullen and distant. Then later in life, we lament about how the divorce rate in the church is just as high as outside those walls. About how we can’t believe so-and-so did that with, or to, so-and-so.
Since I arrived into Christian CHR from Mainstream CHR eight years ago, the constant debate has been about tactics, strategy, and targets. I believe those are important discussions, but we’ve become sidetracked from our potentially powerful purpose.

While we go ‘round and ‘round those issues, committed Christians are inhaling lyrics like “Shorty was hot like a toaster, Sorry but I had to fold her, Like a pornography poster;” and, “Let me wrap my thighs…All around your waist…Just a little taste?” (current Mainstream CHR chart toppers).

Lyrics are only part of the problem. You’ve got role model issues galore, from men who treat women as toys to women who don’t treat themselves much better, and an obscene amount of materialism mixed with substance abuse. The media outlets that serve up this unwholesome mix of music create their own events and partnerships with even less tact and class than the lyrics you read above.

All while Christian CHR throws its hands up by refusing to acknowledge these gaping music holes CHRISTIANS (!) fill with trash. We say our target doesn’t want their modern, mainstream music itch scratched when they come to Christian radio. Or, that it’s simply not possible for us to scratch that itch, so why bother? We claim we want to serve the needs of Christian youth, but continue to be less adventurous than their own parent’s iPod playlists.

I’m not suggesting that you throw caution to the wind and embrace “risk” as your new strategy. Nor am I proposing that Christian CHR should be an exact replica (aka copycat) of Mainstream CHR. I agree with the WAY FM Network’s Matt Austin when he says that’s a failed strategy. I don’t think your station should become more experimental with music on the fringe of mass appeal. Frankly, much of the current
Christian CHR chart is fringe to mass appeal music lovers.

Instead, I am pleading with you to focus on this generation’s dire need, and your station’s unique position to minister. Putting on promotions, events, air talent, and songs that appeal to their parents won’t lure them over. They may respect it, and find things they enjoy, but it won’t replace their desire for lyrics, genres, and content that’s uniquely their own.

Today’s modern, young Christians are deluged daily with evil messages about relationships, self image, and priorities in life. The movies they watch assure them that a little sexual exploration can’t hurt. The websites they visit treat modesty like it’s the plague. They can’t walk down the halls at school, even Christian schools, without hearing unthinkable conversations. The innocent people who pull up iTunes to download their favorite Christian song can’t escape images and messages contrary to their core principles. When they have spiritual discussions, plenty of Christian teens and young adults are open to the idea that Jesus Christ might NOT be the only way to Heaven.

What’s crazy is that today’s teens and young adults could easily be persuaded differently. Unlike the generations I and probably you come from, the ones that rebelled at the notion of parental authority and involvement, today’s youth don’t mind telling you they actually crave informed opinions from their elders. They sincerely want to spend time with Mom and Dad, and have a nearly insatiable curiosity about spiritual matters. Their parents are working, and sometimes too self involved, leaving schools and secular culture to give them incorrect notions about eternity.

This is where Christian CHR can shine. We can’t prevent every teen pregnancy or stop every young girl’s eating disorder, but we can certainly do a lot more damage to Satan’s agenda than we have been. But not if we continue failing at some programming basics, or master the wrong ones for our format.

Even done well and effective, this format may never garner the 12+ numbers Christian AC has become known for. Funding it is definitely more challenging. Those topics, as important as our discussions about target audiences and listener profiles, again distract us from what Christian CHR can accomplish in greater numbers: changed lives of today’s youth, and changed destinies for tomorrow’s Christian AC listener. As long as more Christian teens and young adults are consuming Rihanna, Buckcherry, and Flo Rida than anything Christian CHR offers, we have work to do.

Who’s ready to approach things differently? I am, although I admit I don’t entirely know what that means. I have some ideas, and I am guessing you do too. Let’s talk about them, collaborate, and make history. E-mail mike@way.fm, and leave a comment, PLEASE. Thank you for your time.

Radio Is About Passion

By Stace Whitmire
Air Personality/Network MD
CHRSN

Once upon a time, there was a nine year old curly haired girl, who found refuge from the pain in her life by turning to her radio. Her family life was in turmoil, as her father was seemingly trapped in the clutches of alcoholism, her mom was simply trying to hold the family unit together, and poverty was really all she ever knew. God was something she heard about on TV shows; Church was something she saw beautifully dressed people come out of on Sundays, but nothing more. But radio…that was where her friends were. The songs spoke to her heart. The DJ’s were always there. It was the one stable force in a world full of chaos. It seemed so cool. Permanent. She knew that was something she wanted to do with her life.

In case you haven’t guessed, the curly haired girl was me.

Radio is all about passion. Every day when I walk into my station, I flash back to those memories, and that’s what fuels me. Because being an on air personality and music director is so much more than just a job to me. It’s like air. Not just because we truly have the coolest jobs on the planet, but because there are so many people who turn on that button to hang out with their friends…US. And we owe it to them to be ON. To give them everything—“the show.” The passion. To be that friend.

As Christian broadcasters, we have an even more unique opportunity. We get to be a part of something so much bigger than just entertainment. This is where the music director side of me really gets to “geek out!” There’s nothing I love more than hanging out with our artists, listening to what they’re working on, talking about what artists they’re loving, and what’s on their hearts.

I feel like my life has come full circle. I am happy to say that my father was able to conquer his demons, and I have been blessed to live out my dreams. But along the way, I’ve learned a few important things that I’d like to share. First, I try to always remember that I really am so blessed to do what I do. Second, I try to keep in mind that the people on the other end of the radio aren’t “listeners” they are “friends.” Third, I sing along with my radio station!! It’s all about having fun! I love my station! I think WAY-FM and CHRSN ROCKS. And no, I don’t think I’m biased at all!!

But if there’s one really important piece of advice I can give you, it would be the simple words of my friend, Jayar Reed…”Live Passionately.” It doesn’t get better than that!

Hope to see you all at GMA!



Stace is the Network Co-host of the award winning Jeff & Stace in the Morning, heard on WAY-FM via CHRSN, as well as the Network Music Director for CHRSN...a radio vet of 21 years, she's worked in every format, and is even in a couple music videos! Stace's husband Brent is a concert photographer, and they have 1 furry daughter, Penny The Wonder Dacshund. They all live just outside of Nashville, Tennessee