Opinions: Christian radio BLEW IT!!!
Oct 21st, 2007 by Gary
Hi ya, I found this really interesting article from a chrisitian radio blogger. You may not necessarily agree with all that is written, however, worth a read. Be interested in your comments.
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A bloggers opinion : Christian radio BLEW IT!!!
It pains me to say this but Christian radio BLEW IT!!!
Yep, they had their chance and they completely dropped the ball. Remember a few years ago when Mercy Me came out with “I can only imagine” and “Word of God Speak”?
Great songs… huge hits… millions of records sold. “I can only imagine” was being played on Top 40 radio!!! People by the scores were tuning in to Christian radio to get more, more, more… People were hungry for the Word through music and Christian radio didn’t deliver.
Why? Money.
Christian radio refuses to put quality programming on their stations because they have to pay for it!
Nothing against the local guys here… I love Cleve Walker to death and think he is one of the most talented and dependable people I have ever worked with. I’m talking about radio on a national level. Have you ever heard Howard Stern?
Ok Ok Ok don’t faint. I’m not a regular listener nor do I advocate anyone listening to his show, but, Stern is an incredible talent… yes he is vulgar, yes he is crude, yes his bits are disgusting… but in between that it is compelling radio. It’s radio that draws the listener in… no matter the content you are compelled to keep listening!
What does Christian radio have to compare?
Didn’t think so.
We have the likes of “Way of the Master” radio. A radio show that takes great pride in blasting preachers, belittling non believers and making Christians doubt their salvation. Sometimes it sounds like they think the only people that are going to be in Heaven are them and Jesus and they’re not real sure about Jesus. Honestly I would rather listen to Howard Stern than than these guys.
Actually it doesn’t matter whether I listen to Stern or Way of the Master Radio, in both cases I feel like I’m going to hell.
Radio is a huge medium that the Christian world has failed to capitalize on! Think about it, what non believer would listen to 99% of what’s on the air today?
According to a Barna study only 16% of adults in the United States listen to Christian radio on a daily basis, and that’s in a nation where 86% of people say they are Christian!!! Sadly 46% say they never listen. Ever.
Radio is the most widely used medium in the world and we are failing to use it to its fullest potential so we can save a tax free dollar.
Wake up Christian Radio…the world needs you.
(link to the original blog site click here)
Christian radio will always have a lesser listenership mainly because people hate God. However, compounding the problem is how we present it. The Christian recording and radio industries are marketing daily a message that is unworldly. We expect people to be attracted to the product thru all the cultural glitz we can muster and then spring on them the counter-culturalness of the Christian message. This can leave people feeling confused or, perhaps, deceived. I think that people see thru the facade and respond with indifference. Christian broadcasters who are making a big impact are the Dave Ramseys of the world. He is a reformed spendthrift who applied biblical principles to earning and saving money, got himself out of debt and is now making a living helping others do the same. He repented, he obeyed, was blessed for it, is still being blessed and is a blessing to many others. He is an unabashed Christian (just read his books) and the interesting thing is more secular stations carry his show than Christian stations. The world is quite capable of recognizing something genuine and people like Dave Ramsey are the real thing, not the rock star wannabes who sing about Jesus and look so much like the world.
It’s an interesting and relevant and pertinant point. Years ago we used to do “Christian Radio”. It was about as much quality radio as access/public/student radio because it was peopled by amateurs with a heart to reach people through the airwaves. Then we went to professionals. Jox who had been saved and were prepared (in some cases) to take a huge pay cut to work for God.
Some where in the middle of that we lost track of why we are doing. Not what we are doing, we know that, but WHY we are doing. I think we need to get back to doing Christian radio as opposed to Christians doing radio. How? I’ll get back to you on that.
Hello rockers….Not sure if I agree with all Al says in regards to ‘fewer listeners’ ….I suspect that in this ‘many sliced pie’ radio age, Chrisitan radio actually gets a good share…..the field has come back to us!…..and whilst not downplaying in any way the fact that some people ‘ hate God’ I also recognise that people ‘hate’ other formats as well..
I am very interested in hearing from Rob as to his thoughts re: ‘WHY’ we do Christian radio….this could open up a hornets nest!
Let me start it off…I believe radio is first and foremost an entertainment/information medium….I want to know what is happening, to whom,when and how, how it will impact my ‘ day to day’ life…..and I’d like it delivered thru the lens of my Christian faith and belief system ….it started off as a delivery mechanism for progaganda machines ‘owned’ by governments but quickly morphed into a fantasic source of ‘ entertainment!’ …..love to get your thoughts!
Gaz
Hi all,
Well, with our team here in France, we try to broadcast christian professionnal radio into cities of a secular, french resistant culture to Christ.
I do agree with Gary when he states that radio is foremost an entertainement/information medium… That’s hard to say for a pastor like me… I liked the Word preached, the hymns sung and the prayers prayed… on air. All the church things… on air… And we did here, for years. With very little success…
Finally we had to come to a point where we had to ask : What are we doing? What is the radio medium for? And then arrived on our way people like Ian Mackie making statements like “don’t do church at radio” and vice versa… And we went this road.
Results: after 6 years of maturing a format adapted to our culture, we see people coming to Christ, getting saved through christian radio. Why? I think because we provide the best christian music we can, with entertainement through the presenters and inject slices of Bread of Life, snapshots from 30s to 3mn. And it works…
Wanted just to encourage you all to go new ways of doing christian radio without diluting the message. The lost are worth our efforts to become culturally incarnated.
Claude GREDER, president of PHARE FM, CEO of UDC France
Cultural, and moreso, spiritual sensitivity I believe is the key. Here in the Philippines I was blessed to be associated with Christian broadcasting for the past 15 years, my last 3 being with UCB Philippines. Yes, I’m almost as old as Gaz…
give or take 20 years!
What I can share to the group is that different areas/cultures define what will work best in our evangelism work. Radio and it’s programming is a great tool, we must remember IT IS A TOOL. Use a hammer to lift a screw or screw drivers to a nail and you know that house will be built in a decade or more.
My experience in Christian broadcasting in the Philippines has shown me that “churchy” programs has its effective place, and so does “contemporary” programs too. The usual saying “we cannot please everyone” also morphes to “we cannot program for everyone too”. We all need to reach deep inside to ask God for sensitivity/discernment as we program our respective formats.
Ultimately it is God who tells us what and how to use the tool we have.
I think Jim has a valid point. Who are we programming to? Are we trying to be all things to all people? If so, most (secular) radio programmers, and probably most pastors these days, would say that was programming suicide. Some of us have multiple stations in the market and still try to do a scatter program. What’s the old saying? “When you aim for everything you hit nothing”. (And if it’s not an old saying it will be by the time I’m as old as Gary and Jim!)
a crushing blow to my heart!..but sadly true…at least for me! (Smile)
Curious, do we have a “Programming Manual/Policy”? Or pieces of a programming guide? Doesn’t matter if it is station specific or format specific. I would be very interested to have a read if there be one. Kindly email me if there are any.
thank you.
Funny, i just watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and even pirates have a “manual” they call “The Code”!