How do you image Southern Gospel radio?

[jimmyfish]

Hello all,

I just bought a 5000 watt AM Station in a small market. The station is heritage and has been gospel for about 20 years. It is doing well and is rooted in the community doing the local high school sports. There are several preaching programs, both local and national (like Focus On The Family). It is a pretty good balance of programs and music. The music is kind of tricky to describe, it is mostly southern gospel (not what I would call twangy or country but almost like a contemp s/g if there is such a thing) and some inspirational/ac gospel.

So I want it to sound pro and all the things us radio guys like, big liner voice, jingles, slick production ect. I am a prod. guy myself and have imaged several formats, but this has got me. I mean you could go sort of a news/talk direction or like the soft ac. I am going to use both a male/female combo. The best jingles I have found that seem like they would work are oldies jingles (no guitar, lots of brass and the classic 7 voice sound). Southern gospel is based on a lot of accapella i.m.h.o. so it seems like a good fit. I want the imaging to be friendly and a little down home, but still pro, and big sounding, slick, but not too slick. Sounds complicated huh? Maybe I am over complicating it. I guess most of all I want to communicate, family safe, local and postive. Any feedback or ideas would be great. Thanks.

 

[MrJoey]

Hey...good work on buying a station!! I bet your pretty excited!

 

[jimmyfish]

Yeah MrJoey I am, if I could get the deal done. Waiting for fianl FCC grant anytime. Now if I could figure out what to do with it lol. Goes to show anybody with decent credit can go in debt and get pretty much anything they want if they keep at it. This is the first station I worked at when I was 14 back in 1986. Funny thing is back then I went in to talk to the owner about buying it, I thought maybe a few thousand dollars lol. He was a good old guy (may he rest in piece) He laughed and said, "why don't you just come to work here". i started doing weekends and within about a month or 2 I was afternoon drive.

 

[radioboy]

Jimmy,

I can empathize with you somewhat. From 2002 to 2004 I was operations manager for
a station that had once been contemporary Christian mixed with programs, somewhat
like you describe.

Unfortunately, this particular owner believed that anything the station earned should go to his
pocket. There was 0 budget for imaging. Matter of fact, I had to bring in my own SG collection
to run the format!!

There was a singing legal ID that First Call, the singing group, had recorded, and I ended up using
it in rotation with a couple of others I found tucked away.

We also aired a program called Dynamite Christian Country that played some of the type music
you describe.

For this station, I ended up with a local voice guy doing liners, a singing legal ID and one jingle.
And got it to work, with audience and billing, until the same owner took it in a new direction..
ultimately silent.

I worked in Christian radio from 1983 to 2004..but there are no gigs here now. It's all brokered
or satellite.

 

[hammondo]

I wonder why you don't get the Gospel artists you play to do some imaging for you and mix it with the jingles? See if they'd write a short sung promo for the CITY where your stationi is.

(example; city of Blahoo)

Blahoo is a lessing to the Blackwoods.

My experience is that Gospel artisits are mostly not the big egoed blowhards that don't give a rip. Call Jimmy Blackwood or even Bill Gaither, both have cooperated with a project or 2 of mine. Who knows??

Go down the list. How about LOCAL GOSPEL artists doing that?

Your welcome!

Blessings

 

[Preacherdude]

Hello all,

I just bought a 5000 watt AM Station in a small market. The station is heritage and has been gospel for about 20 years. It is doing well and is rooted in the community doing the local high school sports. There are several preaching programs, both local and national (like Focus On The Family). It is a pretty good balance of programs and music. The music is kind of tricky to describe, it is mostly southern gospel (not what I would call twangy or country but almost like a contemp s/g if there is such a thing) and some inspirational/ac gospel.

So I want it to sound pro and all the things us radio guys like, big liner voice, jingles, slick production ect. I am a prod. guy myself and have imaged several formats, but this has got me. I mean you could go sort of a news/talk direction or like the soft ac. I am going to use both a male/female combo. The best jingles I have found that seem like they would work are oldies jingles (no guitar, lots of brass and the classic 7 voice sound). Southern gospel is based on a lot of accapella i.m.h.o. so it seems like a good fit. I want the imaging to be friendly and a little down home, but still pro, and big sounding, slick, but not too slick. Sounds complicated huh? Maybe I am over complicating it. I guess most of all I want to communicate, family safe, local and postive. Any feedback or ideas would be great. Thanks.

Jimmy,

I had the opportunity to put together a SG format for a 50,000 watt AM in the early 90s. We had a very successful run with good ratings, great personalities, and tremendous support from the owners. The station had been simulcasting their FM for about 15 years or more, and they had let the AM equipment fall away. They made the decision in early 90s to rebuild, add some nighttime power, and make a real go of it. I was allowed to start the programming side from scratch. In our run we had some of the best known voices in our market at one time or another. For a pd it was a dream come true! Build your own station with someone else's money, and make it a winner. Now the money that we had to work with was not huge , but we did a lot of innovative and creative things to make it work. Management changed later and finally they killed the format for automated talk, or as I like to say "dollar a holler!" I have been out of radio for a few years, but would love to talk with you about how we made it work. Maybe some of our stuff would work for you.

My advice: keep it real, and remember God's music (be it hymns, contemporary, praise, or gospel) deserves excellent presentation. Too many sorry Christian stations out there. Be professional!

 

[jimmyfish]

Allen, Hammondo, Preacher dude, Mr. Joey, You guys are all great! Thanks. They do have some national artist ids and 2 very bad sung jingles that sound like a local group in a very bad studio, they have about 7 or 8 liners with Paul Hile (sp?) that hosts the Gospel Greats, a very good shopw btw that they run on the weekends. I am planning on mixing the national ids in and a lot of real local listeners comments as I gather them from the many events I plan to be on hand for. I might do a comment line as well, but on location stuff with a good mic sounds better, but I want to build donuts aorund this stuff with a big voice guy to make it sound professinal. I do thank you for all the ideas and will put them to work.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Hello all,

I just bought a 5000 watt AM Station in a small market. The station is heritage and has been gospel for about 20 years. It is doing well and is rooted in the community doing the local high school sports. There are several preaching programs, both local and national (like Focus On The Family). It is a pretty good balance of programs and music. The music is kind of tricky to describe, it is mostly southern gospel (not what I would call twangy or country but almost like a contemp s/g if there is such a thing) and some inspirational/ac gospel.

So I want it to sound pro and all the things us radio guys like, big liner voice, jingles, slick production ect. I am a prod. guy myself and have imaged several formats, but this has got me. I mean you could go sort of a news/talk direction or like the soft ac. I am going to use both a male/female combo. The best jingles I have found that seem like they would work are oldies jingles (no guitar, lots of brass and the classic 7 voice sound). Southern gospel is based on a lot of accapella i.m.h.o. so it seems like a good fit. I want the imaging to be friendly and a little down home, but still pro, and big sounding, slick, but not too slick. Sounds complicated huh? Maybe I am over complicating it. I guess most of all I want to communicate, family safe, local and postive. Any feedback or ideas would be great. Thanks.

I would image to an older demographic - 50's and 60's, based on the format. You have an interesting dilemma, because the only time kids will ever tune in is during the football games - so I definitely wouldn't bill yourself as a station for teens or young marrieds. You might get the parents of the kids during football games, but Southern gospel is mainly an old fogie format.

Personally, I'd flip it immediately because I have a heart for reaching young people. Because it is AM, it is commercial so I would like to go for ratings among younger listeners with disposable income - that businesses desire. Ratings = advertising revenue, but also ratings = potential salvations. I absolutely hate what IBOC is doing to the AM band, but I would also convert the station to IBOC and hope it takes off - so the music will sound better.

 

[Matt]

You have an interesting dilemma, because the only time kids will ever tune in is during the football games - so I definitely wouldn't bill yourself as a station for teens or young marrieds.

You don't do high school football for the kids...they're either at the game or out cruisin' on Friday nights and listening to the hippest station in town. You air the games for two reasons...1) They're a BIG revenue producer, and 2) Mom, dad and granny don't want to fight the crowd or the elements, and they WILL listen to it.

As for targeting young-marrieds with Southern Gospel music, why not? Every other Christian radio format is built with a demographic target in mind, and as such tells some Christians "...we don't care if you listen or not..." based on a particular age or sex statistic. Southern Gospel never got into such "discriminatory practices", and thus has a wide-spectrum appeal. A "family-based" demographic isn't something an advertising agency will readily understand, but every Christian knows what it is, and if a station's programming appeals to families it doesn't have to worry about aging demographics. There is no better music to appeal to families than Southern Gospel, especially in areas where the music has a strong, traditional following.

Southern Gospel is not for everyone, but it IS something that all members of the Christian family can enjoy.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV

 

[anotherguyTN]

As for targeting young-marrieds with Southern Gospel music, why not? Every other Christian radio format is built with a demographic target in mind, and as such tells some Christians "...we don't care if you listen or not..." based on a particular age or sex statistic. Southern Gospel never got into such "discriminatory practices", and thus has a wide-spectrum appeal. A "family-based" demographic isn't something an advertising agency will readily understand, but every Christian knows what it is, and if a station's programming appeals to families it doesn't have to worry about aging demographics. There is no better music to appeal to families than Southern Gospel, especially in areas where the music has a strong, traditional following.

Southern Gospel is not for everyone, but it IS something that all members of the Christian family can enjoy.

I'd think that if the format is going to be SG it would be best to gear the station toward middle aged and older listeners, and pick up what younger listeners might actually like SG in the process. But I wouldn't try to gear it toward younger listeners who for the most part won't be interested anyway. Most under 30 Christians I know either listen to some form of CCM, secular music, or a combination of both, not SG.

I'm not against a Christian station doing a full time SG format assuming that CCM is already being done in the area. However many SG stations have been very guilty of "discriminatory practices" when there is no CCM in an area and they won't give it a chance, either because of being afraid of offending listeners or sponsors, or because of being against it themselves. And some do come across with the attitude of "We don't care if you listen or not ", especially from the ones who are anti-CCM.

I'll admit that there are younger listeners who like SG, but most of them were brought up listening to it with their families and in church. Also, a large part of the younger SG listeners have either never heard CCM or have been brought up thinking that CCM is at least inferior to SG or worse, either by their family, in their church, or both. However I'd think that the number of younger Christians who have this type of attitude is getting smaller as CCM is more widely known in rural areas now, and churches that are anti-CCM are getting to be fewer.

However if your calling is to do SG and CCM is already being done, go for it.

 

[hammondo]

Anotherguy said; I'm not against a Christian station doing a full time SG format assuming that CCM is already being done in the area.
_____
WELL SIR, I believe that the guy who pay the bills gets to pick the format. SOUNDS FAIR TO ME.

Maybe the owner should just get on a bird - or do PAID religion, and drop the music all-together(saving on the music license fee). Paid religion is a lot less work.
______________
Anotherguy said; However many SG stations have been very guilty of "discriminatory practices" when there is no CCM in an area and they won't give it a chance, either because of being afraid of offending listeners or sponsors, or because of being against it themselves.
_________________
Maybe you anotherguy, should BUY a station.

Then YOU can play CCM or Christian polka music. WHY is it "discriminatory" to have SG - when there is no CCM?

You sound like you're 25 years old. Maybe the owner is older? Good for him.

In my view, Christian adults deserve a music station, as much as younger Christians. This is a free country, isn't it?

Blessings. Either format serves the Lord.

 

[jimmyfish]

The owner again lol. The deal is, there is a very good FM CCM, so that is out. They have been doing this thing with the SG/talk/local for many years and have a good following and tons of sponsors. I don't want to change what is working. I am 36, so not real old or young. I am not a big fan of sg, would rather do CCM. As for SG being for the old people, actually there are a lot of younger hip sg groups like that Crabb Famuily that are generating some interest amoung the younger crowd. Some of these guys look cool and seem to market to the younger crowd and as I have said before, have almost a contemp sound, just with the traditional harmony. I by no stretch of the imaginination am an expert, as I have not done sg for about 18 years or so. Kind of funny to go from playing snoop Dog to Gold City, well I did do country most recently (nice buffer).

Oh What about some of the country songs that are more positive, like Me and God by Josh Turner and watching You, by Rodney Adkins or jesus Take The Wheel, Carrie Underwood? Do you think working those in would tick off the loyal hard core fans or if there is any benefit to working in some of those? I really have not researched it, but it might bring some of those secular listeners in. I have also heard, you can not be hurt by what you don't play.

I do want to do things that will bring secular listeners in, like the swap shop, radio auction, birthday list, local news, and ofcourse the high school sports . I can atleast get some of the sponsors that may use the old, well it's AM or it's only Christian people and I want the mainstreem. I could offer them slots on the mass appeal shows. I will also run bumpers during the high school sports (which will have a lot of people who would otherwise not listen) that will be short :10 promos for things like the birthday club, swap shop, ect. We have a theme park a couple hours away, when I even mention tickets on the country station I am on right now, the lines go crazy, so I would assume I cold run a promo during the games that would say win tickets all day tomorrow ect. Might make somebody tune over the next day, don't think it could hurt. I think if you put things on there that affect people emotionally, connect with them, something they can use(swap shop, calander) or something for the family, you will atleast thrive.

Hokey, local, small town, small time whatever you want to call it is fine with me. That is what it takes to make AM work in a small town. I have the prog. idea down. It is the imaging, the sound of it and how to make hokey sound professional if that makes sense. If your still with me, thanks for reading this book lol.

 

[Preacherdude]

Jimmy,
No doubt in my mind you know what you are doing. "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" CCM on AM is a bad idea, especially if it is already being done well on FM. SG/hometown radio is perfect for AM, and I'd be happy with aiming for a more mature audience. Some sg does appeal to a younger crowd, but sell that hometown/sg and let the mature folks eat it up!

We used to mix country artist crossover gospel songs all the time. People loved them. Josh Turner and Carrie Underwood's Christian songs should be well received. One of our most requested artists was Elvis! The older folks ate his gospel cuts up!

My only problem with the sg world is the industry itself. It is treated by many in the business as a religion in itself! (If it ain't southern, it ain't gospel.) SG purists hate mixing anything with SG. Try things with your audience, and see what they embrace. Don't be pushed around by the sg industry or you'll be broke and surviving with dollar-a-hollar before you know it! Look to Bill Gaither as an example. He mixes light ccm, country, black, traditional, and sg on his homecomings and it sells like hotcakes! To me, well-presented programming with simple liners and clear identity is the best imaging for this format.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

listen or not..." based on a particular age or sex statistic. Southern Gospel never got into such "discriminatory practices", and thus has a wide-spectrum appeal. A "family-based" demographic isn't something an advertising agency will readily understand, but every Christian knows what it is, and if a station's programming appeals to families it doesn't have to worry about aging demographics. There is no better music to appeal to families than Southern Gospel, especially in areas where the music has a strong, traditional following.

Southern Gospel is not for everyone, but it IS something that all members of the Christian family can enjoy.

????? I know hundreds of kids in my church youth group - not a single one that I know of preferentially listens to Southern gospel music. Those that know about it think of it as an unsophisticated country bumpkin rural type of format their grandparents used to like. It is a constant struggle on my part to persuade them to give Christian rock and Hot-AC CCM a chance - most of them listen to the hip-hop / rap/ top-40 secular stations in the format.

As for "discriminatory practices" - I know of a church that hated their MAJOR CCM station so much that they once RAIDED it with a group of elders to tone down the music - and finally crushed it by selling out to Moody and putting on an AM Southern gospel station, leaving tens of thousands of kids in the are with NO CCM. The church, by the way, was rocked with scandal and is a mere shell of its former glory. Ichabod.

I sense a bit of a sectarianism discrimination on the part of some Southern gospel advocates, who think their format should be THE format acceptable to ALL Christians. Hey - if there are enough listeners in your area to support the station - go for it. Don't foist it on me as the only "acceptable" Christian music. It doesn't minister to me, it doesn't draw me closer to the Lord, instead it grates on my nerves and irritates me. I am a Christian rock and CCM fan - and a Southern gospel station is a dead spot on the dial as far as I am concerned, and as far as most people I know in the church are concerned. I'd no more listen to it than I would the local hip-hop, Spanish, or country stations because they are not to my musical liking. Regardless of lyrical content which may or may not be "on target" spriritually. If you don't like the musical style, you aren't going to listen. And that isn't about to change - any more than you are going to suddenly start liking Christian rock.

Southern gospel - at least in this market - is a niche format with too few listeners to make a go of it. Maybe in rural areas of the South where operating expenses are low, and fans of the format are many. But not in Dallas ----

 

[radioboy]

Jimmy,

After reading the additions to this post, I'd just add that since there IS an FM CCM station, you are much
better off keeping the SG. I HAVE been in the position of having to make sure the bills are paid (as a manager, not an owner). The station where I worked had been CCM for years, but when WAY-FM and K-Love came in
along with two local Christian FMs, the AM just couldn't compete. That's when we went to SG. The CCM advertisers defected to the other stations. It became time for a format change.

I mixed in songs like "Long Black Train" and added some other positive country and it did just fine. It had
a more loyal audience overall than the CCM did.

While I understand Bruce's heart for the younger crowd, if you already have CCM in your market, you
will KILL yourself trying to compete against an FM with your AM. It sounds like the station is doing
well in terms of audience and sponsors. I wouldn't change too much..

Your competing FM should be doing what Bruce suggests.

I've been in these trenches before, Jimmy. Feel free to email me if I can be of any help to you.
God bless you with your station.

 

[Matt]

rbrucecarter and anotherguy...

From your comments, it appears that some of my brothers and sisters who enjoy Southern Gospel Music may have offended you by their actions. Even though I don't know them, or you, personally, I know that they are people whom Jesus loves. Because of this, and because we are His, we do not need such things to separate us from one another.

On their behalf, I ask forgiveness from both of you...and anyone who has been offended in this way.

Blessings,
Matt Smith

 

[rbrucecarter5]

rbrucecarter and anotherguy...

From your comments, it appears that some of my brothers and sisters who enjoy Southern Gospel Music may have offended you by their actions. Even though I don't know them, or you, personally, I know that they are people whom Jesus loves. Because of this, and because we are His, we do not need such things to separate us from one another.

On their behalf, I ask forgiveness from both of you...and anyone who has been offended in this way.

Blessings,
Matt Smith

Why - thank you! My past experience with the SG crowd has been less than gracious - usually it is linked with King James only'ism, anti-CCM'ism, etc. And that crowd has not only been ungracious, but has actually threatened me. I have nothing against SG - I just don't listen. Because I don't enjoy and don't know the music, I wouldn't even attempt to program it were I to acquire a station. Given the market described, it seems it would be wise to not "rock the boat". I'm glad the SG station is there for folks that are drawn closer to the Lord by it. And that, friends, is ALL that matters if you consider Christian radio to be any semblance of a ministry. The presence of a SG station, or hard Christian Industrial rock station, Christian hip-hop, Christian CCM, Praise and Worship - any Christian format you can dredge up - should be NO THREAT to anybody except the forces of satan. But for the local praise and worship station to air programs that criticize other Christian stations in the market and / or their format is reprehensible. That is a secular tactic and we ought to be above that sort of dirty competition.

In answer to Carrie Underwood and other secular country songs that openly glorify the Lord - Carrie's song is on KLTY, a CCM station - so if its audience is not offended, I do not see why a SG station couldn't play it. On the other hand - musically, from what little I hear, SG sounds most like "classic country" secular formats. If that is true - then Carrie Underwood and modern artists might not work on a SG station, because the style would be as dissimilar as "new country" is to "old country". And - given the fanatical nature of SG fans - you might get a few pharsitical types who would nitpick Carrie's life or clothing style. It happens with CCM artists, why should the pharasitical types be different in the country equivalent?

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

You know, for all those SG haters out there (you know who you secretly are), I have a tidbit of information you may fancy:

1. Remember the movie, "The Apostle"? At one time, it was the #1 soundtrack in America. Same with "O Brother, where art thou"
2. Ricky Skaggs, famed in country at one time, rediscovered his love in bluegrass - to the common listener, SG.
3. Allison Krauss, who has the pipes to do anything in music, is known for SG.
4. Gaithers, anyone? Even in LA, they get media coverage.
5. SG folk (and I have produced 3 SG exclusive shows in my day) despise crossover music. Although they will ride a headliner like Carrie Underwood to the bank, they don't play her music on "their" shows. She sings stuff with a beat, not "At the Cross" in Acapulco style. ;D

In short, I would like to offer that SG, albeit has a remote but faithful following, is not in the major food groups of radio. But it ain't that bad either.

But what do I know, I'm just an ol' Texas boy like Bruce.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Matt,
Thanks for your comments. I wasn't offended by anything you've said, and I apologize if I said anything that offended anyone. Since there is a CCM station in the area I don't think that it's necessary for Jimmy to do anything with it. I'm not against Southern Gospel and I can see the need for a radio station to do it for the people who want to hear it. However my preference happens to be CCM.

I guess my comments were rooted in what has happened in the past with trying to get CCM radio in my area in West TN. I realize that the people who love SG are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and not everyone I've met who preferred SG were of the KJV only anti-CCM type, but I have run into them and they are VERY vocal even if they're in the minority. Now even here there is room for both SG and CCM on their own stations. It's just a shame that it took so long for it to happen.

 

[jimmyfish]

You guys may be right about the Carrie Underwood, but I love that Me and God song. I do understand about the deep SG fans maybe not embracing the secular crossovers. I was wanting to get a little creative with my sound, but again, it is working and they are making the bills doing what they are doing. The simple clean imaging is pretty much what they are doing, and is probably what I need to do as well. Thanks again for all the ideas and even differing opinions. Always good to hear peoples takes on things in the industry. I think if I listen to the listeners right here in the market, I will succeed. It is just easy to get excited and try to play radio, especially after doing secular radio for the last 20 years.