What is research?

[brian_stevens]

That's an interesting paradigm -- you believe listeners keep songs off the air. I believe listeners put songs on the air! See the difference? It's a big one!

Well said.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Christian radio is unique in that it attracts dogmatists to positions of authority. When it comes to serving the audience - focus groups that ask the audience what THEY want are often in direct opposition to a church dominated board of directors. In the case of HOT AC or Christian rock, the older authority figures populating those boards don't like and don't want hotter music programmed on their stations, and will actively suppress it. Remember the "raid" on WCIE 17 years ago carried out by church officials? Creative, younger oriented programming and announcers were purged by men "under the leading of the Holy Spirit" - or so they thought. It is like pulling teeth to convince older, more conservative station owners to do anything to reach younger listeners, even when that exact same demographic is being actively marketed by every secular station in town - due to their large purchasing power. It is a problem that is slowly mitigating as old fogies die off, but what sort of stodgy old men are replacing them? Are they any better in terms of creativity, or will they resist every single movement of God into new styles of music, the same as their precursors.

There is nothing unique in all of this to Christian radio. I remember hearing about how, in the early years of First Baptist Houston - church members raided the church and took out the organ - throwing it into the bayou because they were convinced the instrument was of the devil. Lunacy - complete lunacy - yet that is the mentality most of us programmers have to put up with when we suggest programming anything for an audience under 50.

 

[JimmyJames]

Bruce, while some on this board may say that Christian radio with edge simply isn't done for financial reasons, I do believe there is a slant towards the safer ground of serving the middle age female audience, or at least the segment that is more AC in their tastes. Yet there is more texture and variety in the sound of my local secular AC outlet than the Christian AC station. The only explanation of this is either a bias against the music, or at least being willing to test it, or simply fear of risk taking. Or a combination of all the above. Just as in the problems secular radio faces in their narrowing variety and caution in music, the same problem exists in Christian radio although compounded perhaps by bias against younger skewing music or at least the willingness to try it out. Most outlets take the approach "what you don't play can't hurt you." My belief is, I'd rather take the chance and play something I believe in and people will respect that honesty and giving it a chance, even if it's not their particular taste. I know I admire stations and talent who get behind something they believe in. We need more conviction and passion in the sound of our stations.

 

[jackd]

Why would I base the music decisions on my station on someone's opinion of a few seconds of a song?

This is why you ask the question...familiar or not familiar. Then sort your responses by familiarity. If they're FAMILIAR with the song, they'll only need the hook.

 

[neutralobserver]

Bruce, while some on this board may say that Christian radio with edge simply isn't done for financial reasons,...

It's done.

...I do believe there is a slant towards the safer ground of serving the middle age female audience, or at least the segment that is more AC in their tastes.

It's not just the "safer" ground, it's the available ground! It's the place where the largest number can come together and be served. If AC is available, making other choices is taking a broadcast outlet and choosing to narrowcast!

Yet there is more texture and variety in the sound of my local secular AC outlet than the Christian AC station. The only explanation of this is either a bias against the music, or at least being willing to test it, or simply fear of risk taking.

I'm not in position to comment on the reason, but the observation is true and concerns me.

I'm thinking of a pretty well-known station in the format. It reached its highest ratings going on three years ago when it was heavy on the younger and more aggresive-sounding artists like Matthew West, Todd Agnew, Jeremy Camp, Building 429, Third Day, and so on. A couple years later, it was heavy on, as some may remember me saying before, Mark Schultz, Mark Schultz, Mark Schultz, Natalie Grant, Mark Schultz, Selah, Mark Schultz, Newsong, Twila Paris, and Mark Schultz, and ratings were no longer what they were. Revenue, some might suggest? Nope...the station was healthy and on steady growth then and is healthy and on steady growth now. No change there, so that's not the cause. In the meantime, AC -- not Modern AC, not Hot AC -- has seen the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Rob Thomas, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Journey, Natasha Bedingfield, and, in some cases, even Nickelback become core artists.

I must admit to not fully understanding this. I can make some educated guesses, but I don't understand it.

I must admit to being really confused about something else: mainstream AC's are getting a whole lot more out of The Fray, Mat Kearney, Sixpence, and Lifehouse -- our artists, for crying out loud -- than we are. When Bob Carlisle and MercyMe crossed, the format took full advantage of it; with the four mentioned, not much at all.

My belief is, I'd rather take the chance and play something I believe in and people will respect that honesty and giving it a chance, even if it's not their particular taste.

No...no, they won't. No normal person sits there and thinks, "Wow, I really respect that person for playing that song he believes in and wants to give a chance even though I don't know it and hated every single second it was on the same way I hate each vibration of a set of fingernails being slowly dragged down a chalkboard!"

Nope...it's, "Ugh! Change it now!" And that's it. You had your chance.

I know I admire stations and talent who get behind something they believe in.

Ah....just like the difference between "keep off" and "put in" mentioned in an above post, we have a big difference here.

You say, "I know I admire stations and talent who get behind something they believe in."
I say, "I know listeners admire stations and talent who get behind something the listener believes in!"

Just like the first line in the second-biggest-selling nonfiction book of all time, "it's not about you!"

We need more conviction and passion in the sound of our stations.

Absolutely true, but, like I just said, it's gotta be more coviction and passion about what the listener has conviction and passion!