Steven Curtis Chapman on Christian AC stations

[collegeDJ86]

Hey all,

Just a little something different for the board... I came back to my room and felt an urge to listen to Chris Tomlin's song "Unfailing Love" from his Arriving album. For those of you well acquainted with this great album, you know that Steven Curtis Chapman sings accompanying vocals on the track (the two blend well in my opinion by the way).

That got me to thinking though... I don't know that I've heard much of Chapman on the radio lately. I mean, I don't have a Christian AC station around me currently, but I spend lots of time in the listening range of a K-Love translator and 95.5 The Fish in Cleveland. Is Chapman still receiving significant airplay on stations across the nation? If not, I think he should be, simply because of all the great songs the man has put out over the years.

Begin discussion here.

 

[74WIXYGrad]

CollegeDJ,

You know my tastes in local radio pretty much are in the playlist of WCRF 103.3. Steven Curtis Chapman receives some airplay there. I do like alot of his songs, as a matter of fact, I have sung Fingerprints of God as a special.

 

[MrJoey]

That's interesting. Our station play SCC quite a bit. Including the older one's including Dancing with the Dinosaurs. (Mullet days) I've learned each Christian station adds a little bit of their own thing to their playlist, and I guess SCC isn't in that "thing" as much where you are. He's a great talent.

 

[brian.marchand]

I have never liked Steven Curtis Chapman's music. If he is not being played as much it is a very good thing.

 

[ToddStach]

I'm not sure that he's just not testing well in call out or auditorium music tests. Stations are playing what the majority of listener's want to hear.

 

[smashedcd]

That's interesting. Our station play SCC quite a bit. Including the older one's including Dancing with the Dinosaurs. (Mullet days) I've learned each Christian station adds a little bit of their own thing to their playlist, and I guess SCC isn't in that "thing" as much where you are. He's a great talent.

dinasaur was from 96. that was after his mullet days of the late 80s.

 

[smashedcd]

I'm not sure that he's just not testing well in call out or auditorium music tests. Stations are playing what the majority of listener's want to hear.

??? : CON sultants :


ps xm and sirius both play scc a lot!!

 

[neutralobserver]

I'm not sure that he's just not testing well in call out or auditorium music tests. Stations are playing what the majority of listeners want to hear.

??? : CON sultants :

Well, Smashed has seen something new on the internet he thinks is cute.... : ;D


Read it again. "...callout or auditorium music tests." That means "real people." Real listeners. Telling us exactly what they think about the songs. Consultants and programmers not in the sample, not in the equation.

And you know that. Or you should. We've told you that before. Why post and perpetuate that misconception? Because you have a new, "cute" way to do it you think is funny?

Help spread the truth, Smashed.

 

[JimmyJames]

There's flaws in that process too, neutral. There is absolutely no substitute for a good MD with a good ear (or two.)

 

[neutralobserver]

...but we're talking about SCC gold titles and gold titles in general, here. With long-familiar gold titles, I'll go with the people if I'm pleased with the process ("tired" simply must be separate from the overall scoring, for example).

 

[radioelizabeth]

There's flaws in that process too, neutral. There is absolutely no substitute for a good MD with a good ear (or two.)

a good MD will use the research available and know not to trust their "good ear" too much.

Especially if that MD is not in tune with the target.

 

[smashedcd]

well i actually thought this day would never come. an industry that once woshipped an artist like steven curtis chapman now basically has told him to get lost? in another time (1993) anything he did bad or good was a #1 hit just because he was steven curtis chapman. now if only the industry would turn its back on point of grace then i would be ok with it : at what point did this research thing take off btw? 12 years ago i never even heard of it. the station i was at didnt do it. they just followed the charts.

 

[JimmyJames]

If he or she is not in tune with their target then why are they MD there in the first place?

 

[neutralobserver]

Because one is perfectly capable of doing the job even when one is not in tune with the target if one keeps that in mind and then discounts or excludes one's own "feel" for songs in the decision-making process.

Think of other consumer products. Why do men work in designing and marketing feminine hygiene products? Why do women work in designing and marketing...uh, well, male-targeted products? Or a bald person on a shampoo? Or a person in a wheelchair on a running shoe? Or any human on dog food? Evidently, it's because they're capable, can, and maybe even really good at it! Same thing.

 

[JimmyJames]

While I understand your point of view, I wouldn't want anyone handling the programming on my stations who didn't relate to and understand the audience and in general, I find that those are the people IN the audience I'm trying to reach. I don't hire a middle aged soccer mom to program an urban station.

 

[neutralobserver]

And I, too, understand your point of view, but I simply must ask -- why not? If someone can do the job, then he or she can do the job. Why do we think radio is so unusual or so special? It's not.

If I'm thinking correctly, the nation's two biggest CHRs are being programmed by 50-something white guys. And I'm thinking of some big-name CHR talents who are in their mid-to-late-40s (though, if his web bio is any indication, one seems to have apparently fooled some people into thinking he's more than a decade younger than that ).

 

[ToddStach]

I think it's interesting that someone is using "XM and Sirius" stations playing Chapman as the industry standard. Just look at the ratings of stations who use music research as tools. That's the standard.

 

[passafistwastaken]

Actually Steven Curtis Chapman was the lone holdover that could still chart new songs up until about a year and a half ago. "All Things New" cracked the top 5 on the billboard chart, even as his contemporary's couldn't chart at all. Take a look at FFH, Caedmon's Call, Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St James, Avalon, Jaci Velasquez, or Point of Grace? These artists defined CCM music through most of the 90's, and none of them can break a song. The landscape of the music has changed, the bar has been lifted and the artists that once ruled the charts are being replaced with Mercy Me, Aaron Shust, Jeremy Camp, andCasting Crowns.

 

[brian.marchand]

I am just giving my opinion as 1 person but that explains why I do not like most contemporary christian music. I hate the music of Mercy Me and Casting Crowns. I do not like the sound of their voices. Is there any station in the country I could listen to and not have to hear them. Because of the internet I can listen to most stations. That is a serious question but I do not like the arrogance some people in the radio industry have. A simple answer that there is not one Christian AC, CHR or inspirational station in the United states does not play them would be all that is necessary. Or there is this or that specific station like perhaps WNAZ. But a person would really have to keep up with every station in the country to know and most station are just copies of others now. I hate them so bad that I stopped listening to christian music because they are played so much.

I stopped listening to any music for 6 weeks until the Xmas music was over also. I have tried listening to WNAZ in Nashville and have not heard Casting Crowns or Mercy Me. I may just have not listened long enough though. Air1 has had one of them on about every 20 minutes making the station impossible for me to listen to. Or if it is not them it is a old DC talk song I do not like. FFH and Avalon have always been terrible. I really do not understand people's music tastes. Caedmon's Call, Rebecca St James, Micheal W Smith, Jaci Velasquez and point of Grace are ok. But I would probably not be listening to a station anymore with them as core artists because I like new things and the chr format much better than the AC format. Steven Curtis Chapman had so many odd songs I did not like. But turnover is good if the new artists are good.

 

[neutralobserver]

well i actually thought this day would never come. an industry that once woshipped an artist like steven curtis chapman now basically has told him to get lost?

Noooo....the audience decides, Smashed! Come on!

now if only the industry would turn its back on point of grace then i would be ok with it :

That's already pretty much the case. If I had to take a guess (meaning I'm just not feeling like taking a look right now), I'd say only the Salems, the Salem formats, and a couple of others are giving PoG any real airplay.

Of course, this is where things get a little weird. Why would one company's stations' audience apparently like PoG while the audiences of almost all others don't? Think about it a while....

at what point did this research thing take off btw? 12 years ago i never even heard of it.

Depending on how you want to define "research" and "take off," 20-30 years ago.

the station i was at didnt do it. they just followed the charts.

It used to cost a pretty good chunk of change. It still does, but centralized call centers made possible by long distance rates that approach zero, cluster ownership and computer-based scripts and jumps increasing the likelihood of a successful incident with each call, and extensive use of internet-based methods have helped keep the cost reasonable or even significantly go down. :

Charts are bull. Unless they're airplay-based. Even then, they're still half-bull. Check into the "rules" various charts have. Some are so ridiculous that it's possible that the number-one, most-played song in the country could be completely off the chart. I once noted an MD dropped entirely the number one song..."it stiffed," he explained.

"It stiffed?!!? The number-one song stiffed?? How can a number-one song stiff??"

"I don't know, but it did...stiffed so bad that it fell clear off the chart."

(I thought everybody knew how the charts worked these days....)

"Go get the chart, read the fine print at the bottom, run a nationwide monitor, and get back to me with what you find out."

Would you believe he came back and told me the same thing? He...never...got...it!