One size doesn't fit all

[MightyFrenchman]

I read with a smile & a soft chuckle, posts on this board about charts and ratings. Honestly now, what are CCM charts based on? Secondly, how many CCM stations subscribe to the ratings service?

When it comes to programming a contemporary Christian music station, you should be concerned about what the listeners in YOUR city want to hear. Doesn't sound like rocket science, does it? And yet for years consultants have been telling CCM stations that what flys in Atlanta is what'll fly in Dallas & is what'll fly in Phoenix & is what'll fly in Chicago & is what'll fly in Indianapolis & is what'll fly in San Bernardino, etc. NO, IT ISN'T and it has never been that way.

If your station is still relevant by NOT being hooked up to a satellite and instead is being programmed by a local staff, serve your local community with the mix of white & black artists, worship & praise or soul/r & b that will show the community-at-large that the Body of Christ is one. One format style/size doesn't fit all simply by calling itself CCM. Make your station format community-specific with your music mix.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

If your station is still relevant by NOT being hooked up to a satellite and instead is being programmed by a local staff, serve your local community with the mix of white & black artists, worship & praise or soul/r & b that will show the community-at-large that the Body of Christ is one. One format style/size doesn't fit all simply by calling itself CCM. Make your station format community-specific with your music mix.

Fine in theory, but we should take a lesson from secular radio when it comes to attracting and keeping a certain demographic. I'll ignore the white and black artists comment, because it is best to be color blind. Artists of any race can produce good music. You imply mixing styles - and the only time secular radio gets away with it is hip-hop on top-40, a good example is Dallas's 106.1. But many are of the opinion that format is a train wreck - highly rated or not. Personally - when I listened to that station - when top-40 songs were on, I listened. When they played hip-hop, I pushed the button - particularly if the lyrics were racist or sexually oriented. Applying the concept to Christian radio, I can absolutely tell you that the pushbutton rules. You take a Christian rock fan like me, and put on a praise and worship clunker after a rock song - and the pushbutton will be on the next station no matter how spiritually oriented the artist or lyric is. The praise and worship song, or a Southern gospel song, or whatever it is - it is just plain irritating. I'd compare the situation the Platinum 96.7 discussion on the Dallas board, with oldies rock fans complaining about Carpenter's re-mixes.

Secular radio targets a demographic, and goes for it with all they got. You don't find ANY rock and country hybrid stations. You don't find any classical and country hybrid stations. You don't find any alternative rock and beautiful music hybrid stations. For that matter you don't find any news talk / music hybrid stations, which is the primary model for most Christian stations. When putting on a new station, we need to look at who is not served by existing stations, is that a salable group (or one that will send donations), and do a focus group with them to find out what type of music they want, contact some potential sponsors and see if they will support it - then develop a business plan and sell it to large donors or banks. Then program to the target group, which is probably going to match secular demographics (so secular businessmen can relate). If you want to reach 18 to 34 male, you won't do it with traditional CCM / praise and worship / Southern gospel. That is a Christian rock demographic. If you want to reach kids 12 and up, you won't do it with preaching / CCM. That is a HOT-AC demograpic. I would say Christian hip-hop in predominantly African American areas, but the lack of support by the church has strangled that type of music to the point there isn't enough material to make a format work.

Lest anybody think I'm selling out to a for profit model that ignores integrity to the gospel / leading of the Holy Spirit, etc. I'll repeat my equation here: Ratings = donations / revenue = potential salvations. If nobody listens, nobody will get saved - no matter what you are programming. A good example is WAPN that I was on in Daytona Beach. The moment my show hit the air, the switchboard lit up and stayed jammed until I went off the air. Thousands of salvation, rededications, prayer requests, etc. I turned the automation back on, the switchboard went silent. Occasionally, a preacher would show up with his cassette tape with a check rubber banded to it. One of them stinking of cigarettes so bad it made one of our staff throw up. Another preacher convicted of beating his wife. But - their checks were keeping the electric bill paid to run the station. Too bad they ignored our ratings, and decided to go with the other business model.

 

[MightyFrenchman]

I am colorblind, rbrucecarter5. Judging from the length & content of your response, you didn't get my point.

The reason why radio in general, no matter what the format, is becoming a thing of the past is because it micro-formatted so much. (in my humble opinion, of course.) If the CCM station in a local community would be more relevant & successful by having a mix of artists like The Newsboys & Toby Mac along with a combination of oldies that included BB & CC Winans and Rich Mullins, I say go for it. A CCM station should be what its community wants. Period.

 

[gr8oldies]

What community did you find that will support a mix like that? People don't live in isolated enclaves...they're in constant contact with friends and relatives everywhere and they share musical tastes
accross the U.S.

 

[Field_strength]

Rock and Country hybrids DO exist! 1059thebar.com

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Rock and Country hybrids DO exist! 1059thebar.com

They tried it in Dallas with Lonestar 92.5. You would think that if it was going to work anywhere it would be in Dallas, TX. Not so - wrecked a classic rock station and PO'd so many people it finally flipped back to classic rock.

 

[jh]

Rock and Country hybrids DO exist! 1059thebar.com

Yes, "The Bar" exists in Billings, Montana, but it doesn't do very well. The mainstream country station there is number 1 with a 15.2 share, the bar (KPBR) is near the bottom with a 1.8 share.

 

[scanman1809]

WJLZ-FM (The Current FM) in the Hampton Roads, VA area is a Christian CHR that plays a mix of Christian Rock, Christian Hip Hop and Christian Pop. especially in the evenings They also have a separate Friday night Christian Hip Hop show and a Saturday night Christian Rock show. There livestream can be found at www.currentfm.com. I enjoy listening to the different genres of Christian music because I am not impressed with what the world is offering in today's modern music with the sexual and broken relationship lyrics. Sadyly, this filth is feeding into the ears of youth today which makes a station like The Current FM and others vital in today's society. Also, I believe the hip-hop attracting mostly Black-Americans is a misconception. I am noticing the wide appeal of Christian Hip Hop artists LeCrae and Flame from all shades of skin tone. Also, since Top 40 stations are heavily playing hip hop music, it must have a strong appeal to many non-black Americans as well.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Also, I believe the hip-hop attracting mostly Black-Americans is a misconception. I am noticing the wide appeal of Christian Hip Hop artists LeCrae and Flame from all shades of skin tone. Also, since Top 40 stations are heavily playing hip hop music, it must have a strong appeal to many non-black Americans as well.

I've noticed that as well, Dallas Ft. Worth's KHKS is a mixture of the two and does quite well. You either love it, or think it is a train wreck. But it rates well.

I am glad a Christian station has the vision to reach young people. "Safe for the whole family" CCM stations exclude the age range from about 11 to 21, and those young people seldom come back to Christian radio - or the church. I've always said if we don't reach the church of tomorrow with music they want today - we won't have a church tomorrow.

 

[R.D.P.]

To Bruce Carter, you're spot on!  Like your wonderful post(s) again. 

Personally I tend to see things like you do.  The youth need to have a Christian outlet too.  There is way too much Adult oriented Christian radio station(s) on the dial anyway.  I'm getting sick and tired of it and find myself now wanting to avoid those stations completely.  Way too much yapping on AFR and still too much on Moody and WLBF from Montgomery.  Wish we had something like WVRV from Montgomery and/or WDJC from Birmingham minus the Praise and Worship nonsense, in my hometown. 

After many months of Praying and working, I've decided to pursue something for the younger crowds after all. (40 years or less in age and The Jesus Freak Crowd will be my target audience) The adults already get all the airtime on AFR and Moody and those Secular stations that bother to do Gospel music anyway and that's not cool with me. 

If my dream works out, I'm going to lean Hot AC/CHR and leave out the Praise songs on purpose.  I see a hole and want to fill it, if God allows it.  Hope He'll soon open the door and allow me to do this.  The youth need something after all and I'm getting sick and tired of those "Other Christian and/or Secular" outlets avoiding them and/or playing stuff that's not healthy for them anyway. 

B.T.W. I'm no longer wishing for Moody, AFR, WDXX, WBFZ, WJUS, WJAM and WHBB to do a Christian program for the youth crowds.  They already have their audiences targeted out and there's no need for me "To Rock Their Boats" anyway.  If playing it real safe is working out, then more power to them.  They can keep their presentations as is.  I don't wish for them to block out time for me anyway.  My musical mix would so disturb their listeners anyway. And they would run me off, after catching so much flack from those who already tune in and support these stations.  It would be better for me to build something from the ground up and do a presentation of CCM on my own. 

R.D.P. <><

P.S. I may be on a fixed income but I still believe that if God wants this to happen, He'll see it through. 

 

[rbrucecarter5]

To Bruce Carter, you're spot on! Like your wonderful post(s) again.

I'll be praying for your vision --- and hope it comes to pass soon.

I lay the blame right at the leadership of churches. Their view of young people is to quarantine them in a youth room somewhere, lest their music and enthusiasm infect the rest of the church with creative new ideas for worship. Then when they get out of college, they are expected to forget their youthful enthusiasm for worship, and dutifully populate pews and drop checks into the plate once a week. Christian radio expects pretty much the same thing, except there are far fewer frequencies available in a community than there are churches. So the chance of finding something really creative on Christian radio is nil, especially when the predominant donors are old fogies who think choirs and hymns when they think Christian music.

 

[audiophile.]

RDP and Rbrucecarter5 why are you so hard P&W?

A believe a modern P&W can resonate with the younger crowds.

Delirious, Fusebox, Lincoln Brewster, 7:22 band, Third Day, Tree63, Sonic Flood plus many more.

Now I can somewhat understand passing on Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace" with piano only for a young crowd.

 

[R.D.P.]

I tell you one thing that makes me mad.  When you're sitting in the Church's Nursery trying to find something exciting on the radio and all you can get is Talk, Southern Gospel, Mass Choirs, A Country Countdown Show, Classic Hits, Funeral Home Announcements and Gansta Rap.  

It's so sad when those examples are the only choices a "Real Christian" has to chose from, on an average Sunday morning.  I would rock the boat of those radio stations and get something exciting going but their "Listeners" would be ticked off and demand that I be ran off and never be heard from again.

I know that my hometown has less than 50,000 people and that these "So-Called" radio stations know what they're doing.  However they could give my idea a chance and run with it.  Oh well, I went down that road already and won't travel it again.  Still, R.D.P., you may as well fish for your own radio station.  You want to reach the youth, then stop bugging these other people and leave them alone.  They could careless about the youth anyway.  All they care about is Almighty Dollar and personally I'm ticked off by it.  

R.D.P. <><








 

 

[radioboy]

R.D.P.,

Perhaps the best way to realize your dream would be through an LPFM. That way you are
free to program locally to your community. That's the intent of LPFM although many simply pick
up a satellite feed. If you can find a frequency in Selma, the time to get things in order would be now.
Then, when/if the FCC ever opens another filing window, you'll be ready to file for a station.

We did get both Way-FM and K-Love which filled the void somewhat in our area. We are over-radioed
for the most part with overlapping formats. My wife listens to K-Love in the car a good bit of the time
so that's about all I hear. At home I'm usually working on my own station so seldom turn on anything
else these days.

 

[R.D.P.]

One issue, I'm on a fixed income and won't be able to do this alone. That's why I've contacted WAY FM, K-Love and WVRV from Montgomery Alabama.

If I had the resources to pull it off, I would have done this long time ago. Since I don't, all I can do know is Pray and let God take care of the rest.

Thanks for your wonderful response though.

R.D.P. <><

P.S. If K-Love and/or WAY FM are able to help, then I'll see if we can do a 100 Watt LPFM station and set it up at 93.3 FM.

 

[gr8oldies]

R.D.P., I might suggest getting ahold of the Radio U people in Columbus, OH. They are in expansion mode.

 

[audiophile.]

Way-FM does give LPFM's a price break on the sat feed.

K-love / Air doesn't allow it so cross that one off.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

RDP and Rbrucecarter5 why are you so hard P&W?

A believe a modern P&W can resonate with the younger crowds.

Delirious, Fusebox, Lincoln Brewster, 7:22 band, Third Day, Tree63, Sonic Flood plus many more.

Now I can somewhat understand passing on Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace" with piano only for a young crowd.

There are a few PW songs that can cross over. But a plodding 4:4 beat PW station, no matter how sincere the artists walk and delivery, will not resonate with anybody under 50 or 60. Like it or not, we all grew up with secular music in one form or another. It is fun - and since when can't Christian music be fun? We have the talent, all we need is the on-air venue. Yet the default mode for most Christian radio is to follow one real PW clunker with another and another, maybe throwing in something exciting once an hour, instead of taking the tempo of the songs back up and leaving it there for several songs. It is normal radio to "crash and burn" after a run of upbeat songs - you hear it on secular when the play Lady Gaga followed by Taylor Swift followed by Black Eyed Peas and Katy Perry - where do you go after a rocking up tempo set like that? You crash and burn with Miley Cyrus "The Climb" - essentially a ballad and the equivalent of PW music. But you don't do another ballad after it, you go right back in to Cold Play or something else up tempo. After another 5 songs, play Beyonce's Halo or something as the next crash and burn. No more than 20% ballads or you end up with the kiss of death "easy listening" or "soft rock" label. The same with Christian radio. PW has a place, AC CCM has a place, but the vast majority of the songs need to be upbeat and current popular Hot AC, Christian rock, Christian hip-hop if you have any hope of holding a youthful audience - who, by the way, have a large discretionary income and can support you or your advertisers.

 

[R.D.P.]

My sentiments exactly. I want to attract an audience and not lose them. Thanks for your insightful post again Mr. Bruce. I learned so much from it.

To gr8oldies, I just contacted Radio U. Liked what I saw on their web site. Even liked the music they catered to. It would be a perfect fit for my hometown, since Hip-Hop and Rock are so popular anyway.

R.D.P. <><

 

[rbrucecarter5]

My sentiments exactly. I want to attract an audience and not lose them. Thanks for your insightful post again Mr. Bruce. I learned so much from it.

To gr8oldies, I just contacted Radio U. Liked what I saw on their web site. Even liked the music they catered to. It would be a perfect fit for my hometown, since Hip-Hop and Rock are so popular anyway.

R.D.P. <><

I've noticed a bit of a shift in your assumptions about your area diagnostics. In past years, you didn't think there was much of an audience for Christian rock in your area, that it was better suited to gospel / traditional Christian radio. I'm curious what prompted your shift, was it a lack of sponsorship / audience for Moody among younger listeners? Or have you recently become involved in youth ministry and discovered that kids are kids, even in a relatively rural area?

The reason I am asking - if anybody was pre-disposed for country music, it would have been me - growing up in relative isolation from cities in redneck central Midland, TX. But I was influenced by cousins in Houston, and soon discovered DX'ing to get that same music even in Midland. And I never did fit in the mold of country music. And my parents pushed hard for me to like classical - but I seem to have had an almost instinctual bent towards more exciting, fun, rock music. If this is a fundamental characteristic of youth - then they never will be reached by PW no matter how hard the church and Christian radio push it.