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Catholic Formats

C

ChiefEngineer

Hey all,

Have been working with several Christian broadcasters and one is looking at either EWTN or Relevant Radio.

Is listener support good for both? The programming varies. EWTN does a LOT of Mass and Relevant has a Mass schedule but not as many times a day. The other end has Catholic answers live on EWTN (a great show) while relevant doesn't carry this now.

I rarely see Catholic posts here but this IS the Christian board. Any information is appreciated.
 
ChiefEngineer said:
Is listener support good for both? The programming varies. EWTN does a LOT of Mass and Relevant has a Mass schedule but not as many times a day. The other end has Catholic answers live on
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They have been buying up stations all over the country. My personal view - it is where AMs with crummy urban footprints go to die a slow death. They have the most uncreative, boring formats I have ever heard. Minutes and minutes of people shuffling around attending mass. I could put a microphone in the middle of a mall and it would get more listeners. In an era when Christian broadcasting needs to compete with secular for listeners, be creative and up to date - the two Catholic stations here are neither. I know several Catholics, they are listening to the local Christian rock and CCM stations, and have either never heard of the AMs, or think of them as so boring that they would never listen.

You said it yourself - this is the Christian board - and Catholics are Christians and therefore adequately served by existing Christian stations in most markets. Except those markets without CCM or Christian rock. Then almost NO Christians are served - Catholics included, and the stations might as well shutter the doors because the inevitable end of preaching and praise and worship is bankruptcy.
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
They have been buying up stations all over the country. My personal view - it is where AMs with crummy urban footprints go to die a slow death. They have the most uncreative, boring formats I have ever heard. Minutes and minutes of people shuffling around attending mass. I could put a microphone in the middle of a mall and it would get more listeners. In an era when Christian broadcasting needs to compete with secular for listeners, be creative and up to date - the two Catholic stations here are neither. I know several Catholics, they are listening to the local Christian rock and CCM stations, and have either never heard of the AMs, or think of them as so boring that they would never listen.

You said it yourself - this is the Christian board - and Catholics are Christians and therefore adequately served by existing Christian stations in most markets. Except those markets without CCM or Christian rock. Then almost NO Christians are served - Catholics included, and the stations might as well shutter the doors because the inevitable end of preaching and praise and worship is bankruptcy.
Click to expand...

Remember, Catholic radio is at least 20 years behind their Christian radio brethren in the evolution of getting on radio and creating a better radio product - so it is but a youngster in comparison to its' older siblings.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and similarly Catholic radio will take some time to build. The Catholic radio "product" could definitely use some improvement - and will eventually - just give it some time.

The past decade or so has seen the rise of several Catholic radio networks throughout the country (EWTN, Relevant Radio, Ave Maria, Immaculate Heart, Guadalupe, Sacred Heart, Covenant, etc.): they've set up/acquired some stations, learned ins/outs of the radio industry, and worked on sustainable fundraising - and eventually, these networks will have evolved to a point where they focus more on putting out a "better produced radio product" that hopefully will someday be comparable to what you hear on Christian radio.

I readily admit that I regularly listen to Catholic talk radio (in my area it is Relevant Radio) - and, yes, I'm Catholic.

ChiefEngineer said:
Hey all,

Have been working with several Christian broadcasters and one is looking at either EWTN or Relevant Radio.

Is listener support good for both? The programming varies. EWTN does a LOT of Mass and Relevant has a Mass schedule but not as many times a day. The other end has Catholic answers live on EWTN (a great show) while relevant doesn't carry this now.

I rarely see Catholic posts here but this IS the Christian board. Any information is appreciated.
Click to expand...

I believe Relevant Radio aired Catholic Answers up till 2004 or 2005 (although I could be wrong) - but then replaced it in the daily line-up.

Having listened to both - I prefer Relevant Radio (which is the dominant Catholic talker up here). I think the morning (Morning Air) and evening (Drew) drive-time shows are more entertaining and interesting on RR (not to take anything away from EWTN's line-up - just if given the choice - I'd choose RR).
 
Relevent Radio has not yet reached Ohio but Catholic radio is finally making its presence known in the buckeye state after being overdue for way too many years.


EWTN (and Mother Angelica its founder) must be credited for this after being inspired by CBN (and yes even PTL years before the scandal.) WUCO in Marysville(EWTN Radio's Central Ohio station) moved its studio to Columbus to be closer to its local diocesan base and a potentially larger volunteer base as well.

In Cincinatti, WNOP (across the river in Newport,KY) became "Sacred Heart Radio" for the Cincinnati Archdiocese and Covington,KY Diocese after many years withg a jazz format. Former top 40 turned C&W WLYV in Fort Wayne,IN became "Reedeemer Radio" and Radio Maria's USA operations based in Alexandria,LA are slowly gaining momentum with an FM grant in Pennsylvania and purchasing an AM outlet in Springfield,Ohio outside of Dayton along with an FM licensed to Anna located between Sidney and Lima which has been on the air now since 2006.
 
While I don't think it is offered on a network/syndication basis, there is a Christian music station run by a Catholic group: http://www.spiritfm905.com/

I agree, though, that while the Catholic talk & teaching networks have their place, that place is primarily serving existing Catholics, not as an outreach. And as long as the stations who want to carry those networks have a heart and a mission to serve the church, not an outreach project, that's fine. On the other hand, those who want to do more of an outreach would be well served to consider a format similar to that of Spirit FM 90.5, above.
 
Johnathan said:
While I don't think it is offered on a network/syndication basis, there is a Christian music station run by a Catholic group: http://www.spiritfm905.com/
Click to expand...

I remember the station from when I lived in Florida. God bless them for stepping up to the plate after the shameful destruction of WCIE by the owners deprived Tampa Bay of a CCM station. Many young people were probably saved through the ministry of Spirit FM as well as the weaker signal of the Joy-FM - young people who were abandoned by Carpenter's Home Church.

This is an example of Catholic radio done right - not emphasizing sectarian differences, but reaching out to the lost.
 
Spirit FM was developed by Tom Derzypolski, who also happened to be my very first radio boss
in Tallahassee back in 1979. It is the best Catholic format I have heard.

I'm not Catholic myself, but I do have Catholic friends. None of them are listening to, or supporting, the EWTN station in our market. Most of the time, they don't even know it exists. They do no advertising, no promotion, and let their website expire. There's no outreach to anyone. (Yet, they wonder why they are not in the Arbitron ratings!)

Bruce: WCIE was great! We used to exchange playlists with them when I worked at Tallahassee's first Christian station. If THEY played it, we knew it was probably a good song.

To the original poster: I don't feel qualified to answer your question, because I really don't listen to any kind of "talk" format at all. They just don't appeal to me.
 
Alan McCall said:
Bruce: WCIE was great! We used to exchange playlists with them when I worked at Tallahassee's first Christian station. If THEY played it, we knew it was probably a good song.
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I did a show in Daytona Beach and did the same thing. I used to run down to Orlando to that big Christian music store (now I forget what is was called), and buy up stuff that I heard on WCIE - it was guaranteed to be popular on my show! Spent a lot of money that way - sadly my air staff held onto the vast CD library after Z-88 came on the air and we were superfluous in Daytona. I don't even know where our CD library is now. Probably about the same place the WCIE music collection is - lost, unrecoverable, and not being used to win people to Christ.
 
Johnathan said:
While I don't think it is offered on a network/syndication basis, there is a Christian music station run by a Catholic group: http://www.spiritfm905.com/

I agree, though, that while the Catholic talk & teaching networks have their place, that place is primarily serving existing Catholics, not as an outreach. And as long as the stations who want to carry those networks have a heart and a mission to serve the church, not an outreach project, that's fine. On the other hand, those who want to do more of an outreach would be well served to consider a format similar to that of Spirit FM 90.5, above.
Click to expand...


Here are the Catholic music sites that I'm aware of:

http://www.spiritfm905.com/

http://www.ewtn.com/radio/jukebox.htm

http://wovmfm.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

http://omegarock.com/

http://www.catholicjukebox.com/radio.aspx?buster=0.47954940698349

http://www.catholicjukebox.com/catholicrockers.aspx

http://www.catholicmusicnetwork.com/

http://www.spiritandsong.com/

http://www.catholicmusicexpress.com/

http://www.gvonline.net/
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There is a local AM in need of a nryworl. Being Catholic and Christian I am trying to find a relevant life changing format for the station.

I work with music stations now and these are fine. I am looking for something other than the current 300 songs.

I have enjoyed Relevant. Still looking for a Unity 4000.

I love Catholic Answers live but Mass so many times a day doesn't translate to radio well.

Programming versus support are 2 things. All EWTN stations have super support. Doesn't mean they are listened to. Av Age of supporters over 60.

Thanks for the input.
 
Since you don't like the audiences of EWTN or Relevant Radio, you would not like Radio Maria either.

If you still want to go Catholic, perhaps Catholic contemporary Christian music would be of interest. The association of Catholic musicians have a website at http://www.cammusic.com/

Catholic musicians tell me they have a problem of getting airplay on Protestant stations, I suppose for theological reasons. They are anxious to have their music played-- and some of it is good-- and you might want to try this line of programming. They'll be happy to help with discs, etc. if you get in touch with them. Lynn Geyer is president and a very agreeable person. It's worth the thought.

Mike
 
I didn't mean to say I didn't like audiences of either. If you have Evangelism as a goal why wait until late in life? Both have older audiences which is where support money is.

I have looked at the website you provided and have been listening to such music lately. Until a few weeks ago didn't know it existed.

Since I am a scoundrel for "defecting" to Catholicism:

Having grown up protestant and having become Catholic and catholic I see so many of the noted differences or walls between the two as : non issues.

Many have always said that being Catholic means following rituals and not having a relationship with Christ. I find this wrong to the core. In our town we found the Catholic church as a result of looking for a good Christian School. We took RCIA classes to discover the false teachings of the Church we were aware of as a result of this theological, cultural wall. We didn't find the false teachings. We joined the Church.

We discovered the people who had a relationship with Christ and their daily and weekly work to be Christ to those in need. We found the works being done selflessly were less about new buildings and more about helping people. If we had moved to another town maybe we wouldn't have joined the Catholic Church, it might have been another movement. As it is we are not called to a denominationbut to the Great Commission. However that floats for you - GREAT!

If you ever attend a Protestant : Walk to Emmaus or a Catholic : Christ renews his Parish (CHIRP) you might look at an observation.

I have been to both 6 months apart. The Emmaus Walk has more Catholic ritual (prayers, reconciliation) than the Catholic CHIRP.

At Emmaus many wondered how I knew the prayers, etc. The Apostles Creed is used weekly in Catholic servicesm as are many of the prayers used at Emmaus.

The bottom line is that these life changing weekends have many of the same elements. Both events are designed to help you develop a closer relationship with our Saviour Jesus Christ. If you have never had this experience, please find a way to take time out to DO IT. Now rather than later. You will not be the same.

Off my soap box.
 
Has any progress been made on trying to get a Catholic station on the air in the Toledo area? Met an individual last summer from this Toledo group trying to do the same when I was in Carey, Ohio at Our Lady of Consolation Shrine....didn't get his name. Also heard of a fundraiser to buy a station in Toledo by means of Google...what's the station?
 
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