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So...why are there not more Christian rock stations? And why aren't the existing ones more successful?
Here's a reason: Christian rock targets young Christian men. Can you think of a smaller demographic among Christians than that? Ok...maybe 90+. =) Men, especially young men, don't typically make faith a priority.
Christian rock stations are wonderful, and I'd love to see more of them pop up. However, something has to change in order for them to survive. So...what is it? What could Christian rock stations do to be more highly rated? Discuss..
Secular rock radio (especially Alternative) has taken such a beating in the past few years.
I do hear a fair number of complaints from teens (mainly guys) about stations like Radio U playing Rap-you might get away with rap-rock (POD, Benjiman, etc.), but it probably would be a good idea to stay away from Grits, Pettidee, etc. (I guess stations like ChargeRadio.com, WNAZ, etc. are just a bit ahead of their time). Also, it would behoove a lot of Christian rockers to cut the pop-leaning material (Krystal Meyers, BarlowGirl, etc.); I'm not going to hear Avril Lavigne on WLRS; why should I hear Krystal Meyers on a Christian rock station?
I think Field_strength hit the nail on the head: churches must do a better job of reaching young men. There have been many articles written about what happens to churches when they don't reach men (especially married men). Let's just say it isn't pretty.
Secular rock radio (especially Alternative) has taken such a beating in the past few years.
I do hear a fair number of complaints from teens (mainly guys) about stations like Radio U playing Rap-you might get away with rap-rock (POD, Benjiman, etc.), but it probably would be a good idea to stay away from Grits, Pettidee, etc. (I guess stations like ChargeRadio.com, WNAZ, etc. are just a bit ahead of their time). Also, it would behoove a lot of Christian rockers to cut the pop-leaning material (Krystal Meyers, BarlowGirl, etc.); I'm not going to hear Avril Lavigne on WLRS; why should I hear Krystal Meyers on a Christian rock station?
Problem is, Christian Rock is still growing like Christian CHR is.. One could argue that Christian CHR plays too much AC or AC Artists including some of the Praise and Worship stuff many folks complain about on message boards and that instead they should sound more like a mainstream CHR (with Rap etc..)
I really dont think there is enough folks doing Christian Rock right now out there to give Christian Rock formated stations that sound simular to mainstream rock. Plus with radio it's a business and who is going to $$$ support a Christian Rock station that sounds like the Mainstream rocker?
Problem is, Christian Rock is still growing like Christian CHR is..
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As a music genre, Christian rock has been around since the late '60s. It has had over 30 years to grow. There just aren't enough people who like it to build an entire format around it, commercial or non-commercial. A one or two-hour weekend program is about the best as that type of Christian music will do.
The ministry aspect of the music is better suited for a concert setting.
Skip....Skip. "Nuff said"? Let me say it again; Christian rock has been around since the late '60s in connection with the Jesus People movement and the evangelism & growth of CCM in the Calvary Chapel fellowships in California. If there ever were going to be a successful Christian rock radio station it would've happened a long time ago. Another 2 to 4 years isn't going to make a difference. And yet, the lack of Christian rock radio certainly hasn't quelled the continuation of that type of music.
skippertthomas said:
Guys....
It's the old problem of Christian Radio always being two to four years behind the mainstream of their secular counterparts...
I have a problem with the idea that Christian CHR stations need to sound more like mainstream CHRs and less like Christian ACs. The problem is that this notion has absolutley no strategy to it. Christian CHR is its own format, with its own artists and goals. We don't need to follow another format blindly. We can stand on our own.
Christian CHRs sound the way they do today because the play lists of the successful stations are based heavily on research of the 18-34 (give or take) female age group. These stations are PLAYING WHAT THEIR LISTENER WHATS TO HEAR! And anyone with the slightest programming sense knows that as the most important thing in running a successful radio station. Turning our back on research and just playing a bunch of non-hit songs just to achieve a certain sound makes no sense.
As a not-particularly-devout Christian, I still used to listen to 88.7 Way FM here in Nashville from time to time - it had a button on the car radio. The music was pretty good (WNAZ's is even better, by my tastes) and you knew you weren't going to have to wade through a "morning zoo" full of lame jokes trying to ride the line between legality and an indecency fine.
Problem is, Way FM started feeling they needed to run talk shows with the likes of Falwell. I don't listen to radio to hear someone blast my values. When I heard Falwell the second time, I replaced Way FM's button with the new heavy metal station up in Hopkinsville. Now, I get the mysogenistic (sp?) crap, but while 97.5 may not share my values, they don't blast me for having them.
While you wouldn't know it by listening to radio, there *is* such a thing as a liberal Christian. Can't Christian music stations serve us by playing *music*, and laying off the separationist talk?
As far as radio is concerned I think this is an example of poor programming. Does the Way FM station want to be a talk station or a music station? Mixing the two no longer works. If a music station would like to advocate Christian values by means of "talk", look for a creative writer in a local church or para-church ministry who can do it in a 60 second spot. Lifeline Productions does a fantastic job of doing those types of announcements, with humor.
w9wi said:
As a not-particularly-devout Christian, I still used to listen to 88.7 Way FM here in Nashville from time to time - it had a button on the car radio. The music was pretty good (WNAZ's is even better, by my tastes) and you knew you weren't going to have to wade through a "morning zoo" full of lame jokes trying to ride the line between legality and an indecency fine.
Problem is, Way FM started feeling they needed to run talk shows with the likes of Falwell.
Not like the local FM station that ran "standards" until noon then country until 7 then "pop" until sign off.
WLW brought this dead commodity back when I worked there. Many had gotten away from it but found that if you blend things people like it works.
Today the difference is choices. How many places can you get Christian music including Ipod?
lets in general talk about numbers not to get the post pulled because I mention exact numbers.
WGNR Anderson runs lots of talk programs but has the highest ratings of any Christian station here. Very few 'divicive" programs though. No Falwell that I know of. They also run music but this is not the core of what they do.
At the same time WISG ran an all music format and at the same time had the highest numbers of any "Indy" commercial CCM station. Higher numbers than WXIR with a 20 year heritage had before they sold it for $5mil. With WGNR's numbers not published in the Arbitron report.
EACH STATION HAD HIGHER NUMBERS THAN SEVERAL 50 KW CLASS B FM STATIONS IN INDY PROPER. See WENS WZPL WJJKor whatever calls are on "the track" .
Why did The Song change format? Arbitron isn't publishing Non Com numbers yet but is set to. Arbitron is getting ready to add Non Com WGNR to the Arb list. Even though Moody doesn't sell commercials it might make WISG look bad that it's numbers are less than another Christian station.
Then there are those (who haven't read accounts of David or The New Testament) who claim music isn't spirit filled. Or the stations that are or aren't owned by Christians and run talk to run cash flow up because talkers generally pay.
Yes you can minister with Christian Music alone and people are brought to Christ through the Holy Spirit this way.
Most generally agree that some talk works on any CCM station (except klove (prounounced like glove)). New Christians or those who listen without wanting to be beat up by Jesus can be offended easily. Jerry Falwell is up there.
Just like every other format there are 10 places to find Christian music even in the hills of Kentucky. God Bless the Commonwealth.
Would Oprah work on the radio? Probably. Anyone putting this on radio these days? Mostly positive and sometime uplifting.
Preachers like Joel Osteen are few and far between. People might listen to Joel.
Unfortunately scaring the Hell out of people (literally) is the only way to increase revenue for some ministries, so here we are.
The reasons people change channels are many but finding a station that is positive all the time is difficult. This may be why EMF is doing well. But playing only music and leaving out select truths because it isn't uplifting? This disregards much of the text of the Bible.
Using this method let's publish a new Bible and leave out Judges for example. What does this do?
Fine line to make everyone happy. We might start by not passing judgement when discussing sin. This is how Christ did it, generally. Love the sinner not the sin.
I listen to WAY-FM on a semi-regular basis when I get in range of one of one of their stations in my area, and the only talk programs I have heard on there are Dr. James Dobson, which I believe is very early in the morning, and Dawson McAllister Live, which is a youth oriented call-in show on Sunday nights. Anything else on there is a minute or two from some ministries between songs. I have NEVER heard Falwell, or any other long form programs on WAY-FM other than the two I mentioned. The rest of the time is music with some short "ministry moments" mixed in. Falwell may have been a guest on Dobson's program at some time, but he doesn't have a regular program there.
Most Way's (in the Way family and not independents with the Way moniker) run Dobson at 10:am local time in the midday and then the rest are vinettes... We did that from day one when we signed on in October of 1987 in FortMyers-Naples-CapeCoral, FL .... "Skipper T." An original Way guy from Florida and Tennessee.....
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