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Commercial CCM 24/7

M

MightyFrenchman

Here is a very simple question for which I honestly do not know the answer. I know that K-Love is a satellite network that provides a noncommercial contemporary Christian music format 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They try as hard as they can to sound like a local station and they are very professional but we in radio know that they're a satellite feed.

Is there a single commercial FM radio station in the entire country that plays adult contemporary Christian music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? And I mean 7 days a week. No programs on Sunday whatsoever. No programs at anytime during the week. No programs at anytime on Saturday.
A pre-recorded music program such as the commercial version of "Twenty" would be fine. The longest spoken word segment might be a :90 vignette but other than that, all music except for thirty-second & sixty-second spots.
Does such a radio station exist? And not one of these low-power FMs that no one can hear...a station that has at least 3000 watts.

And a commercial station where people can support the advertisers that provide a product or service that the listeners are going to buy anyway. Then instead of sending contributions to the radio station, they can give more to their local church or another local ministry like Crisis Pregnancy Center, or an overseas missionary their church supports, etc.

Is there such a station?
 
Actually even K-LOVE isn't CCM 24/7. They have a half hour program called A Closer Look on Sunday nights that is probably to fill their public service requirements. It airs on Air 1 as well.
 
WDJC 93.7 FM from Birmingham Alabama and the all new WVRV 101.5 FM/97.5 FM Montgomery/Pine Level Alabama would have to qualify.

Since WJDC went all music in 2000, they've carved out a nice niche for themselves. 

Glad that WVRV is all music.  Hope they can keep it that way and continue to have success with it.

R.D.P. <><
 
Salem Radio Network has three satellite formats, CCM, Praise and Gospel, that are available nationwide in a commercial format. The breaks are filled with commercials for commercial stations. They are 100% music or music showcase programming (CCM Radio Magazine, Gaither Homecoming, etc.) No half hour/hour talk blocks.

They are more of a source for local stations more than a national network of stations, but the closest I can think of.

IIRC there are up to 16 minutes per hour of commercials/local content with one minute of network required commercials per hour.
 
Unless things have gone awry due to the economy, KLTY in Dallas in 24/7 CCM, as is the Fish stations in Atlanta and Nashville. All are owned by Salem.
 
Way-Fm bought two commerical stations in the Louisville metro (105.9 and 104.3) and do that basic concept with a mix of listener support and commercial support and I think only run Dobson a half hour a day...
 
104.9 The River "WCVO" in Columbus OH is commerical, they do have some listenership support but also run car dealer ads, walmart, kroger's and sound very commerical and do not run any long form relgious programming at this moment.
 
WAY-FM was also carrying Dawson Mcallister Live on Sunday nights. I don't know if they still do or not. I don't get to hear them as often now since they've sold their translator in Union City, TN and the translator in Dyersburg, TN is off the air. Whether this is permanent or not is the big question. In any case I don't get to hear them on Sunday nights very often now and I don't know if it's still on or not.

On the stations that I've heard carry Salem's CCM feed, I don't know of any that are 24/7 music except for possibly The Fish in Nashville, which is its flagship station. Most still have some local programming at least on weekends.
 
WBZT/96.7 in Greenville, SC is owned by Clear Channel and does CCM 24/7, but has Dawson McAlister from 7-12 weeknights.

Ratings are really bad though and they have strong competition from His Radio (http://www.hisradio.com) and 106.9 The Light, Billy Graham's flamethower. Both are heritage stations. I don't see it working much longer, given the heritage of the competition and the handicapped signal.
 
skippertthomas said:
Way-Fm bought two commerical stations in the Louisville metro (105.9 and 104.3) and do that basic concept with a mix of listener support and commercial support and I think only run Dobson a half hour a day...
Click to expand...

Asking the listeners to send the station money is not commercial radio.
Running a thirty-minute program, even once a day, is not 24/7 music radio.
 
carolinaradio said:
WBZT/96.7 in Greenville, SC is owned by Clear Channel and does CCM 24/7, but has Dawson McAlister from 7-12 weeknights.

Ratings are really bad though and they have strong competition from His Radio (http://www.hisradio.com) and 106.9 The Light, Billy Graham's flamethower. Both are heritage stations. I don't see it working much longer, given the heritage of the competition and the handicapped signal.
Click to expand...

If WBZT has a program from 7p to 12 weeknights, they're certainly not CCM 24/7!
If listeners can't count on punching up 96.7 and hearing contemporary Christian music no matter what time it is, no matter what day it is, it's no wonder they don't have many listeners.
 
I have no problem with commercial CCM stations, in fact - they are more sensitive to the needs of listeners than church run stations. It is radio evolution - survival of the fittest (station) - and if your financial bottom line depends on ratings, you will be much more attuned to the latest musical trends.
 
...Then most radio stations of ALL formats of music are NOT 24/7 music.. News, Public Affairs, etc... We do run some of those for those purposes on our licenses.... Technically....
 
Maybe the Fish in Cleveland? My lady friend up that way listens and at least when I've been with her I haven't heard any preaching/teaching.
 
skippertthomas said:
...Then most radio stations of ALL formats of music are NOT 24/7 music.. News, Public Affairs, etc... We do run some of those for those purposes on our licenses.... Technically....
Click to expand...

Extending that out it seems that we have reached an impossibility ... are commercials music? How could a station be 24/7 music and play commercials? It seems that there must be allowable non-music content. You couldn't even label an non-comm as 24/7 music unless you allowed for station promotional breaks and legal IDs.

Where I would draw the line would be if the programming is primarily music. If the listener can reasonably expect to hear a song whenever they tune in 24/7 the station can reasonably be considered 24/7 music. Although some "music" formats seem to have their share of gabby announcers and a high level of commercials.

I realize that my definition of music programming would also allow in packaged music programs such as countdown shows with interviews and teaching programs that mixed some teaching/discussion in with a primarily music format during that half hour or hour but there ARE Christian music shifts that are not just song after song time fillers ... I would not want to eliminate an entire DJ's shift from the "music" category just because they were skilled at doing more than reading title/artists and pressing play.

I'll stick with the "reasonably expect to hear a song" definition and forgive the moments when a commercial, promo, news or other content makes it on the air.
 
It would seem to me like a station only playing 24/7 CCM would never have an opportunity to explain the feelings and emotions [and hopefully theological considerations] the music evokes. It seems like you'd need some kind of teaching/preaching time to do that.....
 
104.9 WCVO in Columbus is 24/7 CCM, they do run short features but no long form programming. They are licensed comm but do ask for listener support (owned by a non profit corp I think).

((A former progressive talk AM station here in town before their LMA ended with the station being sold did something similar.. ran commericals but asked for listener donations)).
 
gr8oldies said:
Maybe the Fish in Cleveland? My lady friend up that way listens and at least when I've been with her I haven't heard any preaching/teaching.
Click to expand...

95.5 The Fish...

They do run a two hour 'family matters' show on Sunday mornings early... but otherwise they are what one would consider 24/7 CCM.
 
We were always allowed to invoke thought on lyrics and what the music was saying or dealing with, and we had :60 to 2 minute vinettes in our stop sets throughout the 24 hour clock... We've phone bit with listeners and never shyed away from comment at Way-FM Fort Myers-Cape Coral-Naples and Way-FM Nashville....
 
Just a side note om my earlier comment on WAY-FM's translator in Dyersburg, TN. I was in Dyersburg yesterday and they were back on after close to a year of being off, which is good news.
 
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