Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Why We Play Christian Hits

We are different. But, structuring a fined tuned, mass-appealing blend of music in a radio format isn't as easy it may appear.

Bottom line this is a business with a marketable product. The main goal across the board from the artists, songwriters, record companies, station and reps is to make a profit.

Granted not only is there the right audience to target to in the effort of gaining the greatest share, but the retention of those that have made the effort to allowing our unique programming to be received. That mass appeal in the sheer millions have made mega-stars of many in the music rotation that you hear on GUS.FM. Or, anywhere else as that matters. You could just have easily have tuned into a terrestrial Jack-FM or, Bob-FM, or Pandora to get exactly what your taste associates with at a certain, precise moment.

All well and good for the secular hits. But there is this matter of Christian Contemporary music that leeched in there somehow. What gives?

I've been in and around the broadcasting industry for over 30 years and to claim that there is no personal tastes injected at the control of the programmer at the helm, is not true. I've seen it, and have done it myself. It's simply human nature. And it's an art. (Albeit, a dying art.) This is a behavioral pattern with the audience, and whether you know it or not, the programmer is part of the audience as well.

In our personal and professional lives we strive to live by Christian principals, values and most certainly motivation. The music here is the core. The motivation is the result. That motivation has blended into a mission. And the mission of Christ is to tell all the world.

I went through a personal crisis 20 years ago that the Lord saved me from. During that time period, I was emmursed in the Word and became acquainted with a new and fresh approach to gospel music. Christian Contemporary. Rich Mullins, Amy Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman had the ability to un-intrusively pull off getting the message to my "radio" ears and through to my spirit. It was healing. I have never forgotten that. So I continue to pay that forward. If one of our listeners can be blessed in a hectic course of the day while working at the pc, then it's worth the one listener that is offended and just didn't get it. But I will still pray for that one.

To include that into the remaining secular tunes to create a 'Classic Hit Combo' has never been a problem for me, nor, obviously, to many of our continuing fans. I often reminded of the fellowship of Jesus and the social riff-raff at the time, much to the scorn of the scribes and pharises. What it told me was, it's the Message that will find it's way, even if it has to enter the back door. It's proven that the most subtle approahches are the most effective.

Hopefully, you have discovered your own personal reasons at to how the blend of the hits at this station affects you.

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