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WKDN Is All Music Today!

J

John1

WKDN has been playing all music today - the style of soft hymns and sacred music they normally play between the preaching and teaching shows. They cut in to the music on the hour for a simple 'WKDN Camden' ID. They did run a recorded promotion for a banquet they are having in May, but no other promotions.

Anyone know what's happening? A format tweak, or a problem in Oakland, Ca. or with the satellite feed? I was thinking it reminds me of listening to shortwave years ago - during the days of the Soviet Union, when Radio Moscow would go to all music when a Communist leader died. Has anyone seen Harold Camping today?
 
UPDATE: At 5:30 pm WKDN cut in with live Family Radio news, but then went back to music - right in the middle of a piece of music.
 
I'm up here in North Jersey and 94.7 WFME is playing music right now....However, I don't know if that's normal since I never listen to the station....I did also turn on 29 WFME-DT which is offered on Cable/Sat/Fios up here and as usual Harold Camping with his very large ears is sitting in that chair talking while putting whatever viewers he has to sleep.
 
Perhaps some of the same people who don't listen to what you like and consider that a waste of a station. Just a possibility. Hard to believe there are some folks who find religious programming of value?
 
WKDN might pull in an even larger audience if they simply played the music without Harold Camping's teaching as their musical format is a quiet worshipful sound that would appeal to many Christians of all denominations, granted an older demo as the younger demo prefers CCM over hymns and orchestra arrangements. Campings teachings limit the appeal considerable, but even so, his listeners are financially supporting their local station.

Remember, unlike the commercial station you may prefer, these folks who listen to a religious non-comm station as well as NPR and college stations also vote with their wallets by personally supporting the station with their own cash. How boring the radio dial would be if only the music of the #1 station (being the most popular) was forced to be played by all the stations. Of course then each market would then only need one station. So if your favorite type of music wasn't the most popular, or #1, then you too would be out of luck. Just remember, cool marches on, today you may be liking the most popular music, tomorrow your music will be played on an oldies station and some younger listener will be saying what a waste of a radio station your music is. So Viva la difference on the radio dial.
 
Family Radio has useless translators all over the country clogging up the FM dial, even kicking out locally run LPFMs. Why just Christian religious stations? How come no Jewish stations? Or any other religion? Ever seen WKDN in the Arbitron ratings? Thought so.
I'm not against a religious station run by a local church. I don't like the syndicated god-casters that run useless translators just to spew out their preachings in hopes of getting some people to donate to them instead of their local church or charity.

I happen to like dance music, and it is played on only seven stations in the entire country. And in another post on this message board, people are saying that "filly doesn't need a danz stayshun".
We're getting closer to the #1 format being played on all stations. I can get 7 CHR stations where I live.
 
Perhaps the reason dance music is on seven stations is related to its commercial viability, and the reason so many 'useless' translators exist for Family Radio is that its audience finds it to offer them something they value. Likewise, no one is stopping any church or faith from getting its own station, at least not any more than any group would face regardless of religious persuasion.

Not everyone can have their personal preference on the radio dial. Such is life.
 
I'm not sure. You could go to the family radio web site and look at the schedule of programs. I'm not sure if any stations in the Trenton/Philly/Wilmington area still air Unshackled. It still is on the air, see the Pacific Garden Misson web site for photos and history, etc for the show (maybe they offer a webcast of the show). If I remember correctly Unshackled is the longest running radio program still on the air, starting in 1950. It is an excellently produced radio drama for those who've not heard the program before.

It's not only Christian radio stations that have translators, NPR and college stations have them too. WRTI from Temple Univ in Philly at 90.1 is one example as they have a bunch of translators in PA, NJ, and even two in Delaware (one in Wilmington and one in Dover) so that all those underserved areas that do not have either Classical Music or Jazz can now hear that wonderful music in their regions. Sure, they also get donations from people in the cities where the translators are located, because again, those listeners really appreciate having that station's programming available to them and are voting with their hard earned cash, just as what happens with those Christian radio stations and their translators. Like or dislike Family Radio, there isn't any other station in the Delaware Valley that plays the type of music WKDN offers. WVCH and WXHL are unique in their own way as they each offer a different style of Christian music and preaching shows than WKDN. So all three have their loyal listeners who support their favorite station. Even if they never show on the Arbitron ratings, enough listeners are ponying up the cash to keep these stations and their preachers on the air so someone is listening and willing to pay the price to hear such programming, and as this is America, that is their right. One man's music is another man's noise, but each has the freedom to listen to the music of their choice. If their choice in music isn't commercially viable then they might have to financially support that station so it can stay on the air playing that special type of music, be it religious or secular.
 
Nick said:
Family Radio has useless translators all over the country clogging up the FM dial, even kicking out locally run LPFMs. Why just Christian religious stations? How come no Jewish stations? Or any other religion? Ever seen WKDN in the Arbitron ratings? Thought so.
I'm not against a religious station run by a local church. I don't like the syndicated god-casters that run useless translators just to spew out their preachings in hopes of getting some people to donate to them instead of their local church or charity.

I happen to like dance music, and it is played on only seven stations in the entire country. And in another post on this message board, people are saying that "filly doesn't need a danz stayshun".
We're getting closer to the #1 format being played on all stations. I can get 7 CHR stations where I live.
Click to expand...
Not just Family Radio, but also CSN International and Bible Broadcasting Network, all 3 that have thousands of translators all over the country. Family Radio has one huge translator in Roseburg, OR (90 miles north of Ca. border) that is 199W and 2800 feet above average terrain.
 
Now for my thoughts:

Although I may not have Family Radio, I was able to listen to their Birmingham Alabama station a few years back.  Loved some the songs they played, since I was familiar with them.  Like Mike said, one man's music may be another's noise.

Just because I may be close to 40, doesn't mean I always listen to the louder songs.  It's true that I like loud music but over the past few years, I've developed a love for the more softer and relaxing type of music too.  If we had Family Radio, I'd listen for the music but I'd reject some of their unbiblical teachings they're known for promoting. 

Although Family Radio may not be a ratings dominator in most places, they may be experiencing the most success.  Despite the fact they may not be popular and entertaining, there are some that are being fed by their presentation and see a need to help keep them on the air.

B.T.W. As I stated some time ago, if it wasn't for people like Family Radio, BBN, CSN and/or these Godcasters many places would still be without Christian Radio. 

R.D.P. <><

P.S. Enjoyed your fine posts Mr. Mike from Deleware.  I learned so much from them.
 
Nick said:
Family Radio has useless translators all over the country clogging up the FM dial, even kicking out locally run LPFMs. Why just Christian religious stations? How come no Jewish stations? Or any other religion? Ever seen WKDN in the Arbitron ratings? Thought so.
I'm not against a religious station run by a local church. I don't like the syndicated god-casters that run useless translators just to spew out their preachings in hopes of getting some people to donate to them instead of their local church or charity.

I happen to like dance music, and it is played on only seven stations in the entire country. And in another post on this message board, people are saying that "filly doesn't need a danz stayshun".
We're getting closer to the #1 format being played on all stations. I can get 7 CHR stations where I live.
Click to expand...

Not every radio station is concerned about arbitron. Philly has a dance station and two stations that are rhythmic leaning. Get over your hatred of religious programming.
 
I know that Family Radio is not the only thing on the radio dial up there. If you tune in to 98.5 you will get K-Love from a station in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Secondly, there are times that you can pick up Family Radio on Short Wave since Family Radio goes Around the world via a Transmitter in Florida and is on several stations overseas on Shortwave.
 
....And the 89.5(correct frequency)was WSJI, WVCH's sister station till sold to the K-Love folks.I was the one who shut it down for the last time....
 
WKDN is back to their regular programming - as someone said, must have been a glitch somewhere so they have backup music to play just in case. I don't care for their non-music programming, so I wouldn't have minded the all 'easy-listening Christian music' format, but I guess that's not what brings in the donations that pays their bills. Oh well, it's not the end of the world - only Harold Camping can predict That!
 
I have to admit that I do sometimes enjoy listening to Family Radio's music. I've had such a steady diet of Contemporary Christian music over the past twenty years, that it's soothing to listen to some of the older "standards of the faith." In fact, my wife and I recently switched to our church's traditional service from the contemporary service for the same reason.

Special note to Dave Gardiner....I also like a lot of WVCH's teaching programs. Sshhhhh! Don't tell anyone I work with. ;D
 
Thanks RDP for the kind words.

If I were running Family Radio, during the dayparts I'd put Mr. Camping's "on air preaching, commentaries and anything else he says on air" out to pasture (of course he runs Family Radio so I guess that's not going to happen until he goes home to be with the Lord). I would feature the unique music they play inserting short Bible readings, commentaries, Bible Trivia's with prizes for callers in to the network 1-800 number, and features like the Creation Minute, and other short Christian based featurettes, etc, plus a news update every couple of hours with local breaks for traffic and weather and local news or local community bulletin board stuff for local station breakaways. The late Dr. Robert Cook's broadcasts "Walk with the King" are about 10 minutes in length, and are a real positive Christ centered message, I'd use those also, but in the evening. This would be, in my opinion, a far better day time format that would work well for people at work too. It's hard to listen to preachers as you are working and possibly moving about, in and out of your office, lab, workspace, or busy typing on the computer, etc, so trying to focus on a long message is not real practical so as they are listener supported and not preacher dollar per holler based as, WVCH is, I'd air the longer formated preachers in evening or at night where folks can sit back and focus on what's being said.

I see the music as being Family Radio's strength, they are unique in their musical format. Most Christian stations that play music for the most part of their broadcast day are CCM, so Family's music would pull in the audience that wants a quieter type of background music that happens to be the great music of the church. With short featurettes, even some non-believers won't feel hammered by some preacher and doesn't want to hear it for 10-30 minutes and flip stations, they'll see the featurette as a sort of commerical and who knows, maybe even hear what is being said and only the Lord knows how he can use that. This would make Family Radio more oriented as a "seeker" station during the day and more for the solid believer at night. It's not only young people, who'd prefer CCM over hymns and orchestra music that are seekers. Many older people can fit the seeker catagory, Family Radio could take real advantage of that with this sort of format, in my opinion.
 
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