Christian Radio

I'm MOVING to WordPress.com

2006-03-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

This will be my last post on Blogger. I've had too many technical issues with this site. You can now find all these posts at http://christianradio.wordpress.com/

Follow me.....

Greg

FCC nomination

2006-03-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

I just received information that the Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing on March 9 for telecommunications lawyer Robert McDowell to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. If confirmed, McDowell would give FCC Chairman Kevin Martin a Republican majority and allow him to proceed on controversial issues such as rewriting media ownership rules.

What will this mean for Christian radio? Who knows. In a time when large media companies are buying radio stations left and right and more and more local programming is going away, regulation may just be the ticket for a a local radio come-back. Some believe FCC is expected to prevent a company from owning a newspaper and a radio or television station that serve the same market.

This may be what's needed to bring back local ownership of radio stations in many markets. We'll see.

We were right all along

2006-02-25T09:32:00.000-05:00

I recently read a posting from a Christian radio consultant. In the last few years these consultants have been saying that we (as Christian broadcasters) need to have a single listener profile of who we're trying to reach. The majority of Christian radio programmers have used 'Becky' - a 40 year old married mother of two. She's a busy person who's probably a soccer mom.I've always objected to this. While this works really well for secular radio, it doesn't work so well with Christian radio (IMHO). The funny thing is, the consultants aren't so sure radio stations should do that any more.

According to consultant Alan Mason, "Consider the AC station trying to focus on a 40 year old woman. That single person could wind up being a mother of two, divorced, a woman who has chosen to be without children, or even a young grandmother.

Go ahead, build a profile for that!

If you look at the makeup of your Arbitron, chances are you’ll see two, three, or even four different kinds of listeners. You don’t have a single target these days; you have a family of target."

This has been the point of us news people all along. While we know that women make up 55 to 60 percent of our audience, we also know that men make up to other 40 to 45 percent. When you consider that men are 'called' to be the spiritual leaders of the home, why are men being ignored? Don't you think that women would listen to programming targeted to the male listener, knowing that what he's hearing will have an impact on their families?

I think this could be a turning point for Christian radio. We have long seen a major segment of our Christian radio audience ignored and now because the consultants say it's okay to have four or five different types of listeners, we may see radio stations meeting the needs of people, not broadcasting to one person.

Now if we can just get the consultants to admit that God Word is the most important thing about Christian radio, we'll be in good shape. More on that in another post.

Greg

Back from NRB, everything I expected

2006-02-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

It was a busy three days in Dallas, Texas, the site of the 2006 National Religious Broadcasters convention. The week was pretty much what I expected. It was fully of encouragement and full of disappointment.

Let me highlight the encouragement parts. Sunday was by far the best day.

I attended the Moody Broadcasting breakfast. What a wonderful time of encouragement and worship. It featured the wonderful music of Nichol Sponburg, formerly of Salah. It was so worshipful. Every song pointed us to the Savior. Then, we heard a message from the former Vice President for Broadcasting Bob Neff. He's suffering from ALS. He was forced to resign because of his illness. While it was sad he missed his 35 NRB in a row, it was encouraging to see his commitment to Christian radio continue. And even more importantly was seeing his courage and faith in Christ continue.

Then, Sunday's worship service was awesome. We had an incredible choir. It was huge and man could they sing. Then, Charles Billingsley lead us in corporate worship. And then, Dr. RC Sproul spoke. His text was Genesis 28. The way he applied it was great. He says so many people say, "Church is boring. Boring? How can a place was God comes to meet with us be boring? It's impossible to meet with God and be bored." If church is boring, you're not meeting with God. Another thing he said was, "The Kingdom of God isn't Mr. Rogers neighborhood. There are conditions tied to God's saving love. You can't experience that love without confession of sin."

As broadcasters we have a responsibility to take people to a place where people CAN meet with God. While radio needs to be something that draws someone's attention, it can't forget about God's Word because that's how people can meet face to face with God and that's where people can come to Him.

The bad part of NRB? I saw the following:

People following Man, not God. It was so frustrating to see men preaching another gospel. Paul talk very clearly about this.

Galatians 1:6-10 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

It was hard listening to Christian radio people who were more interested in ratings, advertising dollars, and audience numbers than they were ministry.
Because music radio stations have cut news from their formats, it was also sad to see fewer Christian radio news people in the business.

I could go on about the bad things, but that will do it for now.

I was able to talk to dozens of affiliate and non-affiliate radio stations. It appears we have added six new stations and have developed relationships with three mission agencies. All in all it was a good conference.

Getting ready for Texas

2006-02-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

I love and hate the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. When I attended my first NRB in 1988 I was in awe of everything. First, it was held in Washington DC, which was really cool. I could believe I was walking and talking with all the broadcasters I grew up listening to. Uncle Charlie, Chuck Swindoll, Jim Dobson, Bob Bowman. It was great. I attended EVERY session and talked to as many people as I could. And, since I was with the press and covered some really great stories.

Being young, I took in everything and listened intently to every speaker. I remember that NRB like it was yesterday. I kept thinking to myself, "I would love to do this every year…I would learn so much." That year, I learned a lot and took a lot back with me, both spiritually and professionally.

However, over the years I have not only watched the great things that Christian radio and television has to offer, I've also seen the negatives. I've seen false teachers, cults, relativists, platonic thinkers and the list seems to be getting longer and longer infiltrate the NRB. I struggle at times why I continue to be involved with NRB, especially when my good friend was ousted from the leadership role. That had to have been the low point -- watching Christians lie about someone I have so much respect for.

But then I remember it only takes one to make a difference. I'm not suggestion that I'M the one…but I am suggesting I can help that 'one' make a difference.

Christian Radio, especially, is at a crossroads. They can do what the world wants them to do and forget about the basics of the faith. Forget things like, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." They can forget that ministry is the most important thing and focus on ratings. They can forget that many people listen to Christian radio because it IS different. Or, they can redouble their efforts to have an effective ministry. They can play music that 'speaks' truth, infused with God's Word, that's more powerful than any two-edged sword -- or any Arbitron book.

As I post here, I realize that I may be biting the hand that feeds me. That's not my intention at all. I consider it a privilege to be on each and every radio station that grants us air time. But, I hope they will remember that God called us (as believers) to proclaim the Gospel. Being an entertainer is fine and God calls people to be do that, but does He do that at the expense of the Gospel?

Romania/Moldova Christian radio

2006-02-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a trip to Moldova and Romania. What a wonderful trip. I can't begin to tell you how exciting it is to see the birth of Christian radio in two former communist nations.

While there I was able to visit with Little Samaritan Mission. They own 12 radio stations in Moldova and 22 stations Romania. The ministry in Moldova is made up of music and programs. Their programming is made up of music, programs and news. The music is made up of both Romanian, Russian and English songs. Most of the programming is in Romanian, but it also features Russian and English programming, too. Mission Network News is featured on Radio Little Samaritan. The programming in Romania is similar.

What's exciting is the number of people who are responding. Little Samaritan's Florin Pindicblaj was on the air for an hour on Sunday evening. I eventually joined him, but during that time there were more than 5,000 people people attempt to call the radio station. We also heard that the radio station was responsible for 90-percent of the church growth at one of the churches in the area.

Because Christian radio isn't common in either nation, they're programming to a wide audience and seeing a possitive response.

They could use a little bit of training and help with some aspects of programming, they're making an eternal difference in the lives of many people in the region. I can only pray that God would use Christian radio in the United States in the same way. Many souls need to be saved here in the states, but how likely is that?

Greg

Going to Rromania

2006-01-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

I'm on my way to Romania to visit one of our partners, Little Samaritan Mission. They broadcast Mission Network News in Romania on 21 radio station, and 13 in Moldova. They also translate MNN into Romaniana and Russian. I'm looking forward to meeting them.

Greg

"End of The Spear"

2006-01-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the "Christian" response to Chad Allen's casting in the movie "End of the Spear." I can't help but think who Jesus would be hanging out with if he were here among us today. If you remember, he was criticized for hanging out with sinners. In one case it was a prostitute. In another, tax collectors.

As Jesus was getting more and more popular, do you think He asked the question, "Wow, if I take an interest in 'those' people, will I give them a platform to express their views?" I truly believe he would take in big interest in those practicing homosexuality. I also think HIV/AIDS would be high on his radar.

We as Christians have the ability to come across as being unloving, uncaring, bigots, who only believe in 'what's right and wrong' and not show compassion to those who have been led down the wrong road of sin and unbelief (which is what all of us want apart from Christ). Or, we can choose to show a compassionate heart. To pray for someone who obviously needs Christ as much as we do. Let's face it ladies and gentlemen, we're all beggars looking for bread. As believers, we found it. Let's not be afraid to share a little with everyone who needs it.

I'm not endorsing Chad Allen's casting in the film, nor am I against Allen's role. What I am praying is that God's uses his role and this character to work a miracle in His heart and lead Allen to Himself. What a testimony that would be, don't you think? I hope you all will pray with me.

While I haven't seen the film yet, I do plan to see it.

2005 in Review

2005-12-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

It was an incredible year in Christian radio in 2005. We saw so much happen. We saw more growth in network radio stations (Salem, KLove, etc). A few long time radio stastions sold to these folks. We saw even more long form programs cut from more music oriented radio stations, but we also noticed more people podcasting these same programs. We also saw Satellite Radio and wireless radio become more popular.

The question we'll need to answer is; which technology will win in the battle for consumers?

In the year ahead, we will see both of these technologies grow. The impact on radio will vary. For radio stations that have local programming, news, weather, announcers, etc, the impact (in my opinion) will be minimal. However, local stations will have to work very hard to keep quality high. For national networks with little local programming, these stations will see (in my opinion) a significant impact. As the technology grows (either way), many people listening to 'network' programming will listen to these technologies more and more.

But, God is in control and if local Christian radio sticks to what they do best (local radio), they will be fine.

Christmas on the air

2005-11-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

My family and I were traveling for the holiday and we were listening to a Christian radio station. My wife and I were enjoying the wide variety of Christmas music. It was quite relaxing and reflective, until the announcer came on and said, "...when your relationship with God is in line, the presents will take care of themselves." What does that mean , exactly? I thought perhaps the announcer could have said, "Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because we want to celebrate the relationship we have in Christ, and you can have that relationship, too. That's the greatest gift of all...call us to find out how..." Or, call Need Him, or something like that. It was almost like the announcer was trying NOT to talk about salvation or the Gospel. I wonder why?

When I was an announcer, I constantly tried to encourge people to look at the true meaning of the season. They were listening to Christian radio for a reason. I wanted to make sure they knew why we were different and why we were different. By listening yesterday, I couldn't tell you why the radio station was different...in fact...it's wasn't different at all. I later turned over to a secular radio station and heard the same kind of music there. The only difference was the announcer didn't get in the way.

My prayer this Christmas is that Christian radio stations will use the most depressing time of the year (for some), to be the happiest time of year by pointing them to the One who can turn their tears to laughter, their anger into happiness, and depression into joy.

God bless you all as you get ready for the season that God gave us to celebrate His Son's birth, so we can have life.

Sister station (WCSG) sharathon

2005-11-11T22:50:00.000-05:00

The goal was 1.2 million dollars. It ended at $912,215.24. They didn't count 'Faithful Friends' from last year (til further notice givers), which amounts to about $150,000. Add that...you've got $1.07 million. So, pretty close.

Why didn't they reach their goal for the third year in a row? It's just like the economy. If you ask two economists about the state of the economy you'll get three different answers. Everyone's speculating.

Been thinking about this lately

2005-10-24T19:49:00.000-04:00

Seeker churches. What are they? Is there such a thing?

The Bible clearly says in Romans 3:10, 11 "As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." I would think that the Bible is the final authority on that, wouldn't you?

But, on the other hand, God is the one that draws people to Himself. So, are these the poeple for which these churches have been created?

Sometimes I wonder if these churches have been created for people who have no desire to go deeper in their faith, or for people who just want to get lost in church. What's the purpose of "Seeker Churches?" If seeker churches are really for people who are 'seeking' what happens to them once they 'find' what they're seeking?

What does this have to do with Christian radio? Well, I think there's a place for 'seeker' radio stations. Afterall, Trans World Radio, HCJB World Radio, Far East Broadcasting Company and others use radio to reach those who have never heard the message of the Gospel before. Then, once they come to Christ they establish community fellowships to help them grow. Perhaps that's what 'seeker' churches are doing. I certainly hope that's what's happening.

There is a great article that takes this a little further at http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/1354535.html by John Piper. It's pretty interesting.

What's does it mean?

2005-10-20T17:15:00.000-04:00

I had this conversation with a good friend today. The question was; is the Gospel offensive? If the answer is yes (and, I think it is) how can a Christian radio station NOT be offensive?

I think that's why Christian radio isn't as popular as main-stream radio. If we're faithful to the true Gospel, we'll be talking about sin. Sin is offensive. It offends me (or, should I say...I'm an offense). But, understanding we're all sinners is an 'offense' we MUST not disregard. Also, knowing there's no good in man (or me) could also be viewed as offensive by those who are unbelievers. Does, this mean we don't talk about it? Would someone get the wrong view of Christianity if we failed to mention this on the air? I'm all for having a lot of listeners.

I'm all for making Christian radio attractive, but where do we draw the line at compromising the Gospel?

Consultants; good, bad, ignored?

2005-10-12T23:17:00.000-04:00

Last month I celebrated my 10th year at Mission Network News. In December, I'll be celebrating 22 years in broadcasting. It's hard to believe, really. When I got into radio we were spinning records, using cart machines and reel-to-reel machines. The over nights and weekend shift were training grounds for radio stations. It's not like that any more.

The thing that puzzles me about Christian radio these days is the large number of Christian radio stations using consultants. First, it's amazing they have that kind of money to invest (or waste...depending on who you talk to). While I don't have a problem with hiring consultants, it seems to me stations would want to hire consultants with a similar world view. I'm amazed at the number of Christian radio stations that aren't only hiring consultants with no Christian worldview, but they're listening to them and making major programming shifts.

Please don't blog me and say, "Greg, consultants are only consultants...they don't change programming." That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why would you hire a consultant and then NOT listen to them? If you're hiring a consultant, spending a lot ministry dollars, and you're not listening to them, you ought to be committed. Why would you waste God's money? That's like saying you're paying for Arbitron ratings even though you don't trust their numbers. Or, hiring a meteorologist when you know his forecasts are wrong a majority of the time.

Too much to do

2005-10-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm overwhelmed with things to do.

I've got to develop a marketing strategy. I've got to follow up with churches that subscribed to our monthly church bulletin inserts service. Most of our subscribers expire in November. Even though NRB is in February, I have to prepare a strategy for that as we'll be in our 15th year. That should be a huge celebration. I have to get the web site ready to handle giving away our 2006 calendars. I've got to figure out what new things to put on our new web site, which needs a redesign. We were built before our sister ministries and yet we're last to be redesigned (I don't understand that). Agency relations is falling in my lap this month since our guy is out of the country. Members of my staff are dealing with heavy issues and aren't focused (to no fault of their own). I have to call our donors, call news advertisers, set up interviews, write stories, post stories.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I can't do it all. I have a great team, but there's just too much to do.

What is ministry in Radio

2005-10-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

I have a question for you and I need a response. What is ministry, when it comes to radio? Is it just playing Christian music? What makes that 'ministry?' There are so many ministries that claim they're 'ministering' when in reality it's only entertainment.

I struggle with that at Mission Network News. We claim to be ministry. What part of 'news' is 'ministry?' Is telling people about the needs and accomplishments of missionaries ministry? Is telling people they should get involved in missions ministry?

I guess when you read the definition of ministry in the dictionary it does fit. But, it seems like CHRISTIAN ministry should be more than just serving others. I think it should be more linked to evangelism, discipleship, church planting, etc

How many different kinds of radio are there?

2005-09-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to think of all the different kinds of radio formats in the U-S today. With all the different formats out there, why is Christian radio trying to focus on just a few formats? You have AC, CHR, INSPO and Talk as the most popular formats. With 82 percent of Americans who 'favor' Christianity over all other religions, why are we so myopic?

Church response great

2005-09-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has proven a couple of things.

1. Christians care. The evangelical church has really stepped to the plate to help people. God protected many of them. Naturally, these churches became centers for relief and outreach. Many Christians stopped everything to help. Many churches sent teams of people to help with relief and rescue efforts. Now churches are collecting money and sending teams to rebuild churches, homes and communities. What a testamony this is to non-believers. Where are the Muslim groups? Where are the Hindu groups? Where are other religious organizations? They're not around. Christians love people...all people.

2. Despite these acts of God, Americans still ignore the need for Christ. I'm amazed at how when times of trouble hit, they blame everyone...they get angry...they grieve...but they fail to understand that Christ is the only answer to their problems.

While the church has responded, the question is 'how' have they responded? Yes, they've provided food, water, and other physical needs. But, have they shared the most important need -- the Gospel? What has Christian radio done to inspire people to share the Gospel, along with the aid their providing? I think everyone's so focused on physical need that they think the Gospel will be the end result. But, unless the Gospel is intentional, it will never be shared.

What do you think?

We're getting close

2005-09-26T23:47:00.000-04:00

I had a very busy day today. Got to work at 6:00 am and got some paperwork done. I only go some of it done as I had to play racquetball. (I lost my first match this fall...that's another story).

I got back to the office about 8:15 and finished my paper work. I started making calls to get my our lead for today and it just didn't happen. Sometimes it's tough being in the news business.

Last week I receive a message from one of our major networks overseas and they asked if we could stop talking about Hirricane Katrina. They told me that it was just like any other disaster in the world. It's all 'perspective' isn't it?

We didn't get deadline done until 4:00 pm, which is kind of late for us. But, we got everything done.

I'm trying to make some minor changes to the web site. I've got some things to think about, but I'm excited about the direction we're heading.

Daily post

2005-09-22T07:46:00.000-04:00

I have gotten away from posting on my blog. I've been really busy. But, I'm going to make it a priority.

Here's an update on what's up with MNN these days.
1. MNN Spanish is getting ready to launch October 3rd. Transcripts on the web first and then the radio broadcast in 2006.
2. We got a call from Italy. A man with a news organization wants to translate MNN into Italian.
3. We've added 12 new stations to our broadcast network in the last two months.
4. Hurricane Katrina has taken up a lot of our airtime and our stations overseas aren't very happy about that.
5. I hired Laurie Link to help us in Public Relations. I'm really excited about this.

All in all, things are going well. Bottom line, we're seeing more and more people get involved in missions. It's exciting!

Social Gospel vs The Gospel

2005-09-07T20:03:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some thinking about what strategies Christians are using in their evangelism quest. I'm talking 'social gospel' vs the 'real Gospel.'

Have you heard this? "People won't listen to the Gospel if they have an empty belly." I've heard that, too, but I'm not so sure I agree with it. If you feed someone before you share the Gospel, you still have a sinner who needs Christ...but now he or she is now full and ready to move on.

The danger of the 'social gospel' is you spend so much time trying to figure out how to 'lure' people in, that many times groups forget about sharing the gospel. I've talked with agencies that proport to be a Christian ministry, but when asked about how they share the Gospel as they help, they say things like, "We don't do that...we just try to feed or clothe them and IF the ask, we point them to the local church." What kind of evangelism is that?

I think there's something to be said for 'breaking ground' in evangelism...a friendship evangelism initiative. However, the goal isn't to cloud the Gospel initially. The goal is to win trust with the individual so that over time you can begin dropping 'nuggets' of the Gospel, earning the right to talk about Christ.

In the Hurricane Katrina disaster there are many groups helping with relief, but there are only a few groups that are using this opportunity to share the REAL Gospel, the only Gospel that gives real hope. Any other gospel is what Paul calls, 'another gospel.'

Radio vs Internet - what's better ministry

2005-08-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

Recently Gospelcom (our website host) went through a major changeover (which I don't understand). What I do understand is that it caused major problems. It caused internal server errors, broken links, and more. Our webmaster asked me, "If you had to choose one over the other, which would you chose radio or internet?"

I thought for a minute and said, 'hmmmm, it depends on what you're talking about.' And, it really does. Radio is a great communication tool. It's something that can immediately communicate a need. That's the number 1 place people gets their news. I think it a great immediate information tool. You can hear it any where; car, home, business, farm, you name it.

However, the internet seems to be more ministry focused (for us, at least). Here's why I say this:
1. People use Mission Network News e-mail updates as a daily prayer guide.
a. Very few people use radio that way (in the U-S at least).
2. People download our podcast to play it at church
a. Most people don't record the radio and play it at church
3. The web site distributes literature that helps Christians focus on missions.
a. Radio can help with this, but much of our resource ordering comes from on-line users.
Is radio ministry focused? It can be, but mostly radio is entertainment. That's just the nature of the beast. Radio is a great tool to communicate with people. Yes, people are ministered through a song or a program, but what usually happens? They call or write for more information or they use what they've heard to dig deeper. I guess you could say that's 'ministry', but how many of the people who use radio use it that way? Very few.

The Internet is different. Almost everyone coming to our web site is looking for something specific. They heard about a resource, a prayer guide, an event, etc that grabbed their attention and they want to pursue something further.

I haven't given this a lot of thought, but for Mission Network News, radio announces the ministry and the web site powers the ministry. While most of our funding come through the radio, those who want to be behind the scenes prayer warriors, researchers, etc use the web site.

Interesting, not surprising -- we've been saying this all along

2005-08-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

A MICHIGAN research project conducted by the COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CRI) of EAST LANSING, MI shows listeners strongly prefer the ability of local radio stations to keep them in touch with their communities.

"The research confirms what we suspected all along," said BRUCE GOLDSEN, Chairman of the Radio Issues Committee of the MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (MAB). GOLDSEN is also owner of JACKSON RADIO WORKS. "Listeners in MICHIGAN place a high value on what we do best, which is keeping citizens in touch with their local communities through news, community service, music that is preferred by local citizens, and personalities that become part of the extended family."

The MAB hired CRI to test MICHIGAN listeners' attitudes about local radio and emerging competitors, including satellite radio and personal audio devices such as iPods. The CRI team consisted of MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY communications research experts DR. WILLIAM A. DONOHUE, DR. CHARLES ATKIN, and DR. BRADLEY GREENBERG.

CRI conducted the research during APRIL and MAY 2005. The firm utilized a statewide telephone survey of 300 MICHIGAN residents and seven focus groups to compile data. Key findings in the telephone survey include:

-- 79% of respondents said they had spent as much or more time listening to local radio compared to one year ago

-- 95% said they expected to listen to local radio as much or more in the coming year

-- 88% felt their local radio station provides a valuable service to the community

-- Only 8% had access to satellite radio

-- 50% of satellite radio customers indicated they did not receive good reception when driving

-- 83% of satellite customers indicated they would not continue to pay for the service if satellite stations start carrying commercials

-- Only 20% listen regularly to personal players (typically 45 minutes per day)

"Most adults still feel close ties to their local radio stations, which satisfy listener needs for information about the community as well as their preferred type of music," said DR. ATKIN. "Even young adults under age 30 are regular radio listeners, despite their increased use of personal players and other new technologies."

75 individuals were involved in the focus group sessions. Key findings include:

-- Virtually every research participant could name their favorite local radio station

-- People become attached to a specific local radio station and find when moving to another geographic location, they "miss" their old station

-- When asked why they like listening to local radio, respondents mentioned local news, weather and sports reports

-- Listeners become attached to various local radio personalities and enjoy listening to them on their way to work or school

-- Many respondents liked hearing about local events and concerts which they feel keeps them in touch with their communities

-- People recalled their favorite stations often promote community causes and raise money for charities

-- Listeners said in contrast to satellite radio that local radio stations reveal the "sounds of a city" and reflect the unique culture of the community

"We felt we had a good story to tell, but we wanted hard, unbiased data to demonstrate what we suspected to be true," said MAB Pres. and CEO KAROLE WHITE. "The facts show that the hype being put forth by emerging technologies doesn't align with the reality that local radio is uniquely positioned to provide the local touch listeners value."

The MAB plans to use the data from the CRI research to develop a campaign to promote the strengths of local radio throughout MICHIGAN. The local radio campaign will be launched in late summer 2005

Don't get me wrong...

2005-08-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

I love my job. I don't really consider it work, although I do appreciate the pay check. Really, I love tell the world about news that makes a difference. I consider what I do 'a call' from God. I hope because of what we're doing at MNN that we're making a difference for eternity.

But, at the same time I would love to manage a Christian radio station today. While I'm not saying I know everything there is to know about Christian radio, I think it would be fun to buck 'the trends' and show the industry that there isn't a 'set in stone' way to program a station today and be successful (what God considers successful). Yes, yes, I know, it's got to be worth listening to. It has to be 'packaged well' and it has to be compelling. But, one thing is certain, the station I run would have ministry as it's focus. There would be events, but these events would be geared toward spiritual growth and evangelism. It would have a full-service news department, great music (but not just what the CRW tells me to play), but most importantly, it would make God's Word the center of its mission.

Why am I posting this? I don't know, really. I guess it's because I'm tired of hearing Christian radio that says nothing. So many stations are so interested in the 'mechanics' that they totally lose the heart, soul and passion that drives them. I miss the days when I could turn on the radio and have someone minister to me where I live. Where's the talk about sin in our lives? Where's the talk about the cross? Where's the message of the Gospel...the reminder many of us need to get through a difficult time in our lives.

Yes, I guess that's 'preaching to the choir' to a degree. But, as you're talking about what matters, there will always be a few who are listening because they're searching for truth.

Some day...maybe.

NOT! I like what i do too much to give it up right now. :)

It's been a while...

2005-07-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry, It's been so long since I've posted anything. I've been kind of busy and kind of out of the country.

As many of you know, I traveled to India to see, first-hand, the work of Gospel for Asia. What an incredible organization. It's empowering the nationals to do evangelism, church planting and missions work, not only in India, but in surrounding countries as well. While I understood in my head that nationals need to do the work, now I know they are doing the work and it's very effective. But, American Christians are needed. No, not to do the work, but to help with financial support. For as little as $1 a day you can begin supporting a pastor, evangelist or church planter in India. Within a year of receiving the training they need, they'll start at least one church. What an investment. Go to GospelForAsia.org to help them.

On another subject, I've been talking with some of the national program producers and it looks like we're going to be starting a Christian Program Producers Association. The goal of this organization will be to talk about trends in our industry and talk about the consultants, who are having a major impact on Christian radio ministry today. Many consultants have advised to move long form programming to time nobody's listening, or drop them altogether. This is having an impact on everyone, even the short features. I was recently told the reason MNN was dropped from a radio station's program schedule was because a :10 sample didn't test well. How can a :10 sample of a news broadcast be enough to test well? At any rate, we're hoping to have our first meeting at National NRB. So far, Focus on the Family, Insight for Living, Truths for Life, Moody Broadcasting, Gospel for Asia, have said they will participate. More to come later.

That's it for now. If you'd like to see pictures and hear a wrap I did for Moody about my trip to India, go to MNNonline.org/special.

A great Midwest NRB

2005-07-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a wonderful Midwest NRB Chapter meeting. Over 100 people attended on the campus of Moody Bible Institute. It was great seeing people that have become good friends through the industry.

The week started Wednesday with the new president of Moody, Michael Esley talking about broadcasters sticking to the word and not preaching another Gospel. He even gave some examples and even talked about a major network that was guilty of allowing someone to broadcast on the air, even though the person was preaching another Gospel.

Crawford Loritts also spoke on a similar topic, saying if you care more about ratings than you care about souls you were in the wrong business. He also told us that the Gospel doesn't change, we only need to communicate in clearly and stop taking verses out of context to fit 'our' purposes.

We also got Christian Worldview training from two guys at Cornerstone University, Dr. Michael Witmer and Dr. Mark Blocher. We were told many Christians forget that Christian worldview thinking must keep in mind creation, the fall and the resurection. Many Christians think creation was bad so we should hate this world. In reality, creation was good (God said so seven times), but man fell creating a fallen world, which makes life bad.

It was a great three days. I needed to recharge my batteries and I'm ready to continue serving God. Have a great week. I'll be in India July 18-25. I'll try to post as I'm able.

Have you ever written about nothing?

2005-07-10T22:35:00.000-04:00

I feel like posting tonight, but I really don't have much to talk about. I guess I'll talk about my Sunday.

I went to church this morning and was on the 'worship' team. It went pretty well, but I did blow it. After the solo, I was going to ready a few verses that went along with the soloists song, which I did. But, then, I was supposed to say something like, "Now let's listen to Chris sing the firs verse of an old hymn of the faith....as the children go to 'promise land' (children's church). But, I totally forgot about Chris. Since Chris was supposed to sing by himself...there were no words on the overhead screen...so...we all sang with him...since I never said what I was supposed to say.

Then, in the evening my family went to Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference Center to hear Joe Stowell. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed. I've always enjoyed, doctor Stowell, but I didn't this time. He talked about the sovereignty of God. He says God IS sovereign and has a providential plan, but he allows people to make their own choices...own decisions.

While many people believe this is true, I don't. The Bible clearly teaches He's sovereign over ALL things, not just most things. If He's not soveriegn over all, he's not God. I have a hard time believing that God is sitting on His hands hoping and praying that we make the right decisions. I truly believe he gives us our very next breath and that's He's even sovereign over the fact that He ordered this e-mail to take place.

But, I'm sure there are others who disagree with me. But, that's okay. You'll see I'm righ when we get to heaven. That is...if you made the right choices, decisions, etc, in order to get there. ;)

It's July already

2005-07-06T19:23:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's hard to believe it's July already.

We continue to see more and more radio stations add MNN, despite the trend with music stations to cut programming. I'm glad we increasingly being viewed as a news product (which we are). I'm amazed at how far we've come in the 10 years I've been here.

We've added stations in a couple of good sized markets, Atlanta and Tulsa in the last couple of weeks.

Explain this to me. Is it that we're 'packaging' it right, or are we just presenting the news and God's work that's selling itself?

"Radio World" does Cooke have it right?

2005-06-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a friend (Gordon Govier) I was alerted to an article in Radio World. The Headline reads; News Is Better Here On Earth, Research suggests satellite subscribers come back to AM/FM Stations for News, Weather and Traffic, written by Holland Cooke. It's a great article.

Here are some interesting points he made based on some 1,200 + interviews of people 18 +, 50/50 male/female ratio. The top three 'likes' of their AM/FM radio station; Music, Information and It's local.

What did they hate? Number one, was too many blasted commercials. But, then Cooke writes, "Radio's two most injurious self-inflicted wounds post-consolidation were draconian cutbacks in local programming, while we were torturing listeners with intolerable commercial loads." To me that screams…'why are Christian radio stations cutting back on local news all over the country? We would own almost every market if we did it right!"

Here are some other interesting thoughts of his. His research indicates that "The music selection is annoyingly repetitive." They also hated repetitive newscasts. Because some huge companies own almost all of some markets, listeners also hate hearing the same people in a market doing the weather, traffic and news.

Satellite radio users were also asked the question; why do you return to local AM/FM radio? 54-percent said to hear local news, 40-percent said to hear the weather, 38-percent said traffic and 28-percent said to hear a local host or DJ. The article was then summed up with this; "Do the top four things, local news, weather, traffic and local hosts, as well as you possibly can.

Is non-com Christian radio following this example? Are we playing or reading more "underwriter spots", playing the same old 50 to 100 songs, have we dumped or cut back local news in favor of national headlines or nothing at all, and who's covering the weather. If Christian radio stations aren't doing all these things, plus sharing a true Gospel message, why are we doing it at all?

A trend in the western world

2005-06-28T22:03:00.000-04:00

There has been a trend that is just months away here in the United States. Racial and Religious Tolerence legislation. In Australia, the state of Victoria passed legislation that that makes it illegal to talk negatively about other races or religions. Case in point; two pastors who lecture on how to reach Muslims with the Gospel were convicted of 'vilifying Islam.'

In the United Kingdom, they're considering similar legislation. In fact, second reading was approved last week and is now in committee. Most everyone agrees the bill will be approved and more religious freedom will be eroded in a country with much religious history.

In Canada, similar legislation was approved. Their law in essence makes portions of Scripture 'hate speech' because it condemns homosexuality.

It's obvious that the desire to have peace is only causing more divisiveness in the world. Since pluralism is running rampant around the world and there are no absolutes (in the minds of many) it's opened the door for religious oppression and it's only a matter of time until it hits the US.

Actually, it already has. No more school prayer. Religious symbols are being removed left and right from the public square and Christians are being labeled as extremists and intolerant. What does this mean? It's only a matter of time until the Lord returns. I can hardly wait.

In the mean time, let's be strong and courageous in proclaiming the Gospel.

Haven't posted in a while

2005-06-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a few days since I posted anything, so I thought I'd write 'something'.

I wrote a story today about the Muslim vilification case in Victoria, Australia. That's the story about two men who lecture about Islam who were convicted of saying things against Islam. The funny thing is they were only quoting things in the Koran. One such statement says claims jinn (or demons) came to Mohammed making him a Muslim. In court, an attorney for the Islamic Council of Victoria claims the men called Muslims demons.

The law in Australia that they violated was the Racial and Religious Tolerence Act of 2001. Everyone said it would only protect minorities. But, that's not the case. It's been the first attack on Christians. There are two more cases that could go to court as we speak.

A similar law is being proposed in the United Kingdom. I'm guessing it's only a matter of time until it's attempted in the United States.

Oh Lord come quickly.

I'm wondering something

2005-06-19T14:44:00.000-04:00

I have posted something on our news forum this weekend that has me a bit concerned. I get the feeling some Christian broadcasters think they're above it all. The last thing I posted was a long well-thought out opinion of Christian radio. I thought it was worth looking into. But, I received several e-mails complaining about the message. I even had one person suggest that we dismiss this altogether because his comments are in the minority. Why?? I don't get it. Why wouldn't you want to consider all views of something before you dismiss it?

I have a few listeners that I know have agendas. Many times I know what they're after when they call, write or leave message. I think we all have these types of people. But, there are those who call, share their heart, concerns and let me know they're praying for us. Those are the poeple are respect and seriously consider their complaints and comments.

The more I think about Jeremy's comments, the more I wonder if much of Christian radio is on the wrong track, including program producers. I know we're all after more listeners. We need listeners! No question, but as my friend points out, "are we trying to buy listeners" with these big ticket give-aways? And, as Jeremy suggests, are we "encouraging covetousness?"

I really think these are good questions.

I found this blog post...great thoughts

2005-06-17T22:23:00.000-04:00

I was made aware of this post by a guy named Jeremy Wise. He's not a broadcaster, just very perceptive. I asked him if I could post this and he said yes. I think it's a interesting view from a Christian, who's viewing Christian radio from the outside. Here's his post…

“Christian” American Idols

I’ve been increasingly amazed, as an avid “Christian Radio” listener, at how worldly things are becoming. As an example, one of my favorite stations, which I’ll not name, has had a contest for the past several weeks to give away a new hot tub. Now this in and of itself isn’t that big a deal. Radio stations all over the country give things away to try and increase listener attentiveness.

So, Jeremy, what’s the tie between that hot tub and idolatry? I’m so glad you asked. I’m stunned at how frequently the tub is mentioned. It’s no longer Christian radio; it’s Hot Tub radio with watered down contemporary Christian music thrown in every now and then. Music break, hot tub advertisement. News, hot tub advertisement. Another song, hot tub advertisement. Radio station on the road… Come share what the Lord’s doing in your life? Nah, just register for the hot tub!

And then there was the caller who said “I hope we win the hot tub! We already have the room built for it; we’re just waiting for the tub now!” My first thought was, “We’ve got our temple built! We just need our god so we can usher him into his temple and we can worship him day and night! We’ll have a great god… better than all the other gods on the street! And people will beg to come over and worship our god with us!” Like the Corinthians all over again.

And another station takes calls from those who have big screen TVs and surround sound, and everyone lusts after one another! “Thou shalt not covet”, right? Yet here’s Christian Radio — “Call and share with us how big your TV god is.. Let’s stir up a craving among our listeners to go get themselves a TV god that’s as big and cool as yours!”

Again, is there anything wrong with having a TV? Certainly not. But Americans worship TVs. I don’t want my radio station to awaken lusts for worldly things, I want my radio station to remind me how our Lord provides all we need. I want my radio station to remind me how faithful my Lord is, day in and day out. I don’t want my appetite for worldly things to be aroused, I want to be reminded that I already have everything I need for life and godliness!

Why are we making such a big deal out of giving away a $3500 hot tub to someone who most likely doesn’t NEED it, when all around us, yes, even in Grand Rapids, people would give their right arm just to have a $0.35 bowl of soup to warm their hands a little! Come on, Christian Radio. Let’s get our focus away from what the world says is wonderful and return it to the God who alone is all we ever need. Need I remind you that this world and its desires are passing away? But praise God, the one who does the will of the Father will live forever. Let’s hear a lot less about American gods, and a lot more about the one living God!

It's coming to the US

2005-06-16T20:54:00.000-04:00

I did an interview with Peter Stokes. He's the Executive Officer of Australia's Salt Shaker ministry. They're a 'watchdog' group, tracking issues effecting Christian in that country.

In 2001 in Victoria, Australia the legislature passed legislation called, 2001 Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. It makes it illegal to vilify any race or religion. In other words, you can't say Muslims and those practicing Witchcraft are bound for hell, that's not nice...it vilifies people...creating hate.

I'm told Australia doesn't have anything like the American's 1st Amendment. Well, this bill passed with only a few groups like Salt Shakers opposing the bill.

Well, their worst fears are coming to reality. Last year two pastors were convicted of religious vilification of Muslims because they were teaching about Islam. They were convicted based on the words they read from the Koran. They're still waiting to find out their punishment under the law.

Then it got worse. A convicted sex offender has taken the Salvation Army to court for vilifying his religion, witchcraft. Obviously the Bible condemns that.

The question I have is; how long is it going to take for the unwise politicians of the United States to come up with similar legislation that will limit God's word. The Bible 'vilifies' many groups of people. The Gospel is offensive. That's its nature to convict people of sin so sinners can come to repentance. I fear it's only a matter of time.

I love my job

2005-06-13T22:28:00.000-04:00

Today we had a Mission Network News staff meeting. Even though I hate meetings, I'm finding they're really the only way to communicate with staff...effectively. I used to think that a passing meeting in the hallway was all that was needed, but I'm finding people remember more when you make it official.

But, that's not the reason for this post. We were sitting in our meeting thinking about our past lives as local news writers and we came to the conclusion that we love what we do. We talked a lot about the drive to be the first with the best breaking news story. The 'rush' it gave you to feed network stations with 'the story' of a life time. But, in the end, the question was, "Why did we do that? What was the purpose?"

"Vanity" was the word that came to mind. But, MNN is making an eternal difference in the lives of people. As we encourage people to get involved in ministry either at home or abroad, they're reaching out with God's word -- the gospel. That's why I get up in the morning.

Don't get me wrong, there's a need for local news in Christian radio. In fact, it's a desperate need. But, for me, I'm right where I want to be and right where I need to be. I can hardly wait until I'm in heaven to find out just what an impact MNN has had on people's lives.

Excited about Christian radio, overseas

2005-06-09T22:59:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Mission Network News is heard on more than 900 radio stations, mostly in the United States and Canada. But, what you may not realize it that MNN is also by people in 29 other countries.

We have two networks that deserve attention today. Little Samaritan owns radio stations in Romania and Moldova. 19 stations in Romania and 13 stations in Moldova. But, this relationship goes even further -- they translate and produce MNN into Romanian and Russia (the language they speak in Moldova). These radio stations are encouraging their friends and neighbors to be more actively involved in missions.

We're currently working through a couple of other partnerships that will allow us to be the voice of missions to two mega languages in the western hemispher and in a part of east Asia. We're excited about the possibilities. I'm almost more excited about our international broadcasts than I am our American broadcasts.

Observations from someone listening

2005-06-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

1. I've really been enjoying Moody Broadcasting's Prime Time America. A good mix of news, information, etc.
2. Sean Hanity is sounding a lot like Dr. James Dobson these days.
3. Some Christian radio stations sound like they're still in the 1980's.
4. Some Christian music stations don't sound much different than secular stations, why is that?
5. I've been asked by a number of people why I'm not doing local news any more. I've told them I am doing local news. :)
6. Could a Christian radio talk format work today?
7. Radio is still fun and it's not as complicated as it used to be.

That's it. I'll write more of these 'observations' later.

So much for vacation

2005-06-03T23:41:00.000-04:00

This really has nothing to do with Christian radio. Actually, it does. How many of you Christian radio people have ever taken a vacation just to forget about work?

That's what I did this week. I took a week off just to be home, fix what was broken, paint what needed to be painted and spruce up the un-spruced. I had planned to play a little golf and fish a little. Did I? NO!!! I spent my entire vacation WORKING. Not only was I doing 'manual labor' (and not liking it), but then I got email and phone calls from my office wanting me to think about work, which I didn't want to think about at all.

All this to say; I took a week off for vacation. Now I need a vacation to recover. Next time I need to plan better.

Fox is expanding

2005-06-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

You've probably noticed I haven't posted much this week. I'm on vacation this week. But, I did run across this article that is pretty encouraging.

At a time in which many radio stations are making cuts in news Fox News is expanding. Here's a story from Radio Ink:

Fox News Radio Launches Five-Minute Newscasts

Fox News Radio this week launched five-minute newscasts. Fox News CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new studios, which were used for the first newscast.

The five-minute newscast service consists of five minutes at the top of the hour and one minute at the bottom of the hour, with Fox News Alerts as needed as well as live anchored coverage of breaking news.

Bible vs Quran

2005-05-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

I have been contemplating the desecration of the Quran, alleged in Newsweek. Obviously, they have retracted their story and yet Muslims continue to riot. It's amazing to me. I just read an article today that says, "there were five incidents in which the Quran appears to have been mishandled." Do you know what they're calling "mishandling"? Simple TOUCHING it, or placing it on a television. Not flushing it down a toilet. Not shredding it, but touching it…just moving it from point a to point b.

I wish the world would have the same outcry when we heard this week that Saudi Arabia shreds Bibles when they're found in luggage as people go through customs. I wish the world would get upset when they hear that Bibles are being burned by Muslims in Iran. I wish the world would get angry when we hear Christians are being imprisoned, why??? For worshipping Christ in their own home with family and friends.

What a double standard. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The Bible says this will happen. But, this simply means we as Christians need to be more vocal about God's word and Christians need to fight Biblical illiteracy that's rampant through the church, especially here in the United States.

What do you think?

Politics anyone?

2005-05-25T20:46:00.000-04:00

I don't think I've ever gotten political on this blog, but I'm going to this time. I think most people know my political bent. I've never been very quiet about my conservative views. So, you'll probably won't be surprised at what I'm about to say.

I can not understand what the moderate mindless Republicans were thinking when they bowed to the pressure of the minority Democrats and brokered an agreement that would yield to the Democratic party. One Senator, who said filibustering the judicial nominees was unconstitutional, was one of the few that brokered the deal. These people have no convictions. They ought to be ousted from the Republican party. I can almost guarantee that those Republicans will face a stiff challenge in the next primary. I steal a line from a well known political commentator, "They found defeat out of the hands of victory." They're the majority. Why would they do this? I just don't understand it.

The other thing I don't understand is why the Republican lead house voted to relax the rules on stem cell research. They have a president the was elected with a clear mandate (receiving the most votes ever in a presidential election) and then they deal him a bill like this?? I can't believe it. This will be the first time the President will veto a bill. Thank God for a man who has a spine.

Getting ready for summer

2005-05-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

With summer approaching, MNN is gearing up for coverage of some pretty important stories. In July, I'll be heading to India with Gospel for Asia to look at the affects Christians have had on tsunami victims there. I'll be providing coverage on MNN, but I also hope to provide MP3's of my reports for use by other stations. Write it down, the trip begins July 17th.

Then in early September, I'll be traveling to Beslan, Russia for the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the school in Beslan. I'll be traveling with Russian Ministries to get reaction from the people there, but also get an update from Christians on how this tragedy has given them more opportunities to share the Gospel.

Midwest National Religious Broadcaster will be July 13-15 and I'm taking my entire staff. I'm looking forward to that.

Interesting survey

2005-05-23T07:46:00.000-04:00

http://www.radioink.com/headlineentry.asp?hid=128845&pt=inkheadlines

The above link has some interesting information about listening habbits. I'm not sure what this means for Christian radio. I wish there was someone out there that could do a survey on Christian radio listening habbits. Focus in on the P1, P2 and P3 listener. I think Christian radio listeners are different that your typical radio listener.

Christian radio getting better?

2005-05-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from Barna Rearch that made me wonder a number of things. I was reminded of it today when I came in today. A friend e-mailed me, wondering if I had seen this.

He writes:

"If Christian radio is getting better, why aren't more people listening? This is from a Barna report dated March 14, 2005. Have you seen it? http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=184

The total audience for Christian radio, however, has declined from 56% of the adult population in 1992 to its current 46%. While population growth has muted the effect of that decline, the bottom line is a net loss in listeners over the past 13 years. The research shows that the loss has been mostly among the non-Christian audience, which has dropped from 42% of the listening base in 1992 to just 28% today."

If this is true, then non-Christian Christian radio listeners aren't listening as much as they have been. Why? Is it because we're now sounding more like everyone else that they don't stop and listen? Is it because the vast majority of non-believers just don't want to hear Christian radio and they shun it completely?

This is only an opinion, but my guess is because the Gospel has been watered down by so many Christian radio stations that the power of God's Word isn't as visible, thus it doesn't attract people. They just stay away because there's nothing special to keep them listening. What do you think?

I wonder about who's coaching

2005-05-19T01:45:00.000-04:00

I've received a couple of e-mail invitations recently about announcer coaching. One conference is having one-on-one critique sessions. Midwest NRB will having talent coaching by Christian Music Broadcasters. What type of coaching will they be receiving?

I'm not saying announcers don't need coaching. While Christian radio is getting better, I think we all need coaching. But, my question is, are they getting the coaching they need to be better CHRISTIAN broadcasters (which I consider a higher calling).

Yes, there are some people that just attract people to them. You know the personalities. For me, it was JP McCarthy at WJR in Detoit. He was the most well read, informed, involved, communicator I knew. At least that's what you believed. I've always tried to emulate him. Obviously, News-Talk is a format that doesn't 'fly' in Christian Music Radio these days. But, that type of announcing is needed in Christian radio today. Someone who's well read, involved in the community, that can communicate the Gospel in a way people can clearly understand.

The nuts and bolts are good, but what you do with them is what's important.

"Working" radio

2005-05-17T21:51:00.000-04:00

By the title, I bet you're thinking that I'm going to talk about working for a station station or network. Well, that's not really what I'm talking about. I'm talk about other's 'using' radio to further their mission.

I truly believe we as Christian broadcasters have a responsibility to make air-time available to groups who really need it. I'm not talking about the groups who can afford to pay for it. I think if they can afford it (even for non-commercial stations) they should contribute to keeping the station on the air. But, I'm talking about organizations that are doing great work, but are so small paying for air time would mean not able to keep a radio station on the air, an orphan fed, or telling someone about Christ.

Here are just a couple of examples:
1. Little Samaritan Mission. They help more than 10,000 orphans in Moldova. The government respects them so much that they've given Florin Pindicblaj special creditials to help him get in and out of the country (through customs). Those credentials also give him more credibility in talking with orphanage directors and others who work with these needy children.
Little Samaritan also has 13 Christian radio stations in Moldova proclaiming the gospel. Not only are they working in Moldova, but they also have 18 radio stations in Romania, Florin's home land. He also has licenses for eight more, four of which must be on the air in June. He needs $22,000 to do that.

Who's helping them financially with no strings attached? Nobody. He's trusting the Lord. Not only are they JUST holding on, his wife is now dealing with cancer. What a load he's carrying.
He could really use your help, with no strings attached. If you're looking for a project to help children through their 'Face of a Child' program or putting Christian radio stations on the air, please contact me.

2. For Haiti with Love is another group that's been largely forgotten. They do one thing; help the people of Haiti. It's an incredibly poor nation with such spiritual needs. They're also going through sickness. The founder, Don DeHart, is very sick and could use your prayers. The organiation need funding to send food and medicine into Haiti. As they do this, they're able to share the gospel with those who are hungry physically and spiritually.
If your station is looking for a service project. These two ministries could really use your help.

Global Day of Prayer

2005-05-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

What an event. I wish all churches would have participated in it. The Global Day of Prayer was incredible. I've never been a part of anything like it. It was like a slow moving river, circling the globe.

If you're not aware of what happened, 250-million Christians form 150 nations gathered to pray for global transformation. It wasn't a one day event. It's actually a beginning. 11 days ago, Christians began praying 24/7 for global transformation. Then the Global Day of Prayer actually became the day in which Christians we encouraged to transform their community first, and then reach out to the rest of the world. It was patterned after Acts 1-2 and what happened at Pentecost.

If you haven't heard some of the audio, go to http://media.gospelcom.net/mnn/interviews/GlobalDayPrayer2005.mp3 and listen to some of the reports from around the world. It was great! I wish every church would have participated in some way. What a wonderful concert of prayer it would have been. I know there were a few radio stations that covered the event, KCBI is just one example. Thanks for doing that, guys.

Arbitron Numbers out...do you care?

2005-05-12T02:22:00.000-04:00

I was sitting around the lunch table today and the topic of Arbitron came up. For those that don't know, that's a "measuring stick" of sorts. It helps radio stations get an idea of who's listening to their radio station.

Many more non-commercial Christian radio stations are receiving these numbers. Many claim it's a 'tool' to help them figure out how they're doing. My question is; what determines how you're doing? Is it if you have more listeners than you had the previous quarter? Or, is it if you're seeing more people come to Christ or seeing lives changed because of your ministry? Or a combo of both?

I'm not so sure this is a good guide-post for Non-com radio. I'm not saying we shouldn't be doing good radio. I'm all for that. What I am concerned about is that we're so worried about getting more listeners we water down the 'ministry' part of radio for fear the gospel will offend some of our listeners. Since many non-coms have access to Arbitron reports (because of the consultants they've hired) Christian radio may be heading in that direction.

Does your station use Arbitron? How do you use the information?

While I'm on the topic

2005-05-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

You know what I can't stand? A radio station that says they have a 'news room' when in reality they have nothing but an AP computer sitting in one corner printing out stories they print out at 5:30 am and read the same story over and over again. Why waste the time?

This morning I was listening to a radio station that aired a network feed for two minutes and then broke in with 'the latest news' from their news room. Unfortunetly for this 'news room' they failed to watch television or monitor other radio stations. Had they done this they wouldn't have continued airing a story about looking for a suspect that had already been found by police on the other side of the state.

Just goes to prove, a good news department makes the radio station. It's a very important part of Christian programming.

More stuff

2005-05-08T21:58:00.000-04:00

Ever noticed how just about ALL radio stations are 'family friendly'? There are so many. I was recently traveling to South Carolina and I listened to just about every Christian radio station between here and there. I must have heard a dozen 'family friendly' radio stations. I think it's good there are so many, but it seems like radio stations would want to tell people what makes them unique.

What makes music stations unique? What makes combo stations unique? What makes your station unique? I think all groups need to know what makes them unique and focus on it.

Good day in radio

2005-05-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

I guess you could say it was a good day in radio. It's always a good day when you can add a radio station, prepare for taking your news to another level and ad funding to what you're doing at the same time. Well, that's what's happening these days here at MNN. It's great to be a part of this animal called Mission Network News.

Here's what's going on:
1. We hope to be translating MNN (daily scripts) into Spanish in June. That actually begins the process of of seeing MNN's full broadcast into Spanish by 2006. That would be a great answer to prayer. We're currently working out a plan to raise money for that project.
2. We're working with a group in Colorado Springs that could do the same in Korean. This is huge as per capita, Korean believers are the largest missionary sending group in the world.
3. We're currently on 950 radio stations, on networks in New Zealand, Romania, Moldova, Ecuador and more I'm sure.
4. Our web site is averaging about a half-million page views every month.

And people say missions is boring. It's great! I can't immagine doing anything else.

Thanks to all of you who have a part of this.

Is what they want what they need?

2005-04-22T02:04:00.000-04:00

"Give 'em what they want" seems to be the mantra being sung by most Christian radio stations these days. It seems to be the case with almost every part of Christian radio these days. Unfortunately there's a flaw in this kind of thinking.

I understand giving them what they want is important to attract the listener to begin with, but there's much more to Christian radio than just giving listeners what they want. I know when I got to church I love the music. That part of the worship service in an important part of focusing on God. But, I also appreciate it when the pastor says something that truly ministers to me. In fact, I'd trade all the music for those wonderful words from the man who God called to be my pastor.

If someone we're to ask me, "what do you like about your church?" I would tell them that I like the music. I would probably tell them that I don't like hymns much, and the message would probably come last. But, then there are those times when I'm blessed incredibly by what I've heard. It was exactly what I NEEDED. It wasn't really what I wanted, but it was definitely needed and it was great.

I think Christian radio stations focus so much on the music, hoping the music keeps people listening. Unfortunately, they end up losing listeners because they need spiritual encouragement. While some song minister, do they really minister as much as God's spoken word? I'm not so sure.

But I know one thing, with more music and fewer programs, time spent listening is going down and Christian radio listeners are being treated more like a consumer than a family member. I miss the family feeling of Christian radio.

I was the interviewee

2005-04-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I got to sit in the oposite seat over the weekend. Our NBC affiliate, WOOD-TV 8 called to ask if I would be willing to do an interview in response to the bombing that took the life of an 18-year-old West Michigan man. He was traveling across north Africa 'seeing the sites', but at the same time handing out medicines and sharing the Gospel when ever they could.

They ended up in Egypt where Alex was killed in a random terrorist bombing. Three others were injured. TV-8 wanted to know the dangers of sharing the Gospel around the world. He noticed we were here in West Michigan and called us.

His questions we all good. Mission Network News was shown in a good light. He used great video cuts, but he took one of my comments out of context and used it. I was telling him that many Christians around the world give their lives every day for sharing their faith. When I was in India, I asked those pastors how we could pray for them...'should we pray for your saftey?' They said, 'no we consider suffering for Jesus is a worth it...' Then I told the reporter that their battle cry was, Phil 1:27 "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain..." Well, he used that as a battle cry for these young men, of whom I had never meant. A bit of a bummer.

I guess reporters can't get everything right.

Poll results

2005-04-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

The results of the web poll are in. They weren't surprising, but here are the results out of a little more than 1,000 votes cast.

When you listen to Christian radio, what causes you to tune away?

A. A song I don't like.
55%

B. To find more comprehensive news.
29%

C. I don't like the news.
2%

D. A long/short program.
14

Let's evaluate this a bit. When listeners listens to a Christian music radio station they want to hear their favorite songs. But, when they hear a song they don't like, they're more likely to tune away because of that song they don't like than for any other reason. What does that mean? Don't play a song they don't like or you've lost them.

The second reason people leave is to get more comprehensive news coverage. Nearly 30-percent of those people listening want more comprehensive news coverage. It doesn't make sense to me that music radio stations are cutting news coverage. Their listeners aren't asking for it. Most Christian radio listeners want news from Christian world-view. They're not saying they want less news, they're saying they want more of it.

And, it also doesn't make sense that Music radio stations are taking programming off the air because people are more apt to tune out because of a song than a program. If fact, if you talk to people who listen to Christian music radio, they often name not only their favorite songs, but also their favorite program.

Very few people said they didn't like the news.

In summary: If you work for a music radio station do a lot of surveying to make sure you're playing the right songs. Make sure your news is comprehensive coverage and don't drop Christian programming and make sure you don't drop the news. Ultimately you'll lose audience if you do.

MNN update

2005-04-07T07:44:00.000-04:00

I thought I would give you all an update on what's happening here at Mission Network News. We're in the middle of 2005-2006 budget time. We're in very good shape. I'd like to outline where we're heading in the next year, but before I do. I have an announcement to make.

MNN is in a new office! If you didn’t know, Mission Network News is a part of Cornerstone University. CU owns three radio stations; WAYK, WAYG, WCSG. It also owns a ministry called, His Kids Radio. And, it owns MNN. Our radio building is bursting at its seams. At any rate, we are now located in a portable unit. I'm not sure how long we'll be here, but it's comfortable and we're able to get a lot of work done because nobody comes out to visit us. :)

Back to planning for 2005-06. We will be making a major announcement about a partnership. This partnership will allow us to translate Mission Network News into another language (which I won't name right now). We'll be able to tell millions more Christians how they can get involved in reaching the lost for Christ. We're also working through a really next 2006 MNN calendar. This is one like none other, really. Well, maybe one other. We're also working through some other partnership issues that could allow us to expand our program offerings to radio stations around the world. It's really exciting around here. It's fun to see God at work.

The internet is also expanding. MNN online is now "podcasting". We also offer several RSS feeds. And, we continue providing resources there that are helping the church stay missions minded. We now have churches in 11 states who have subscribed to our church bulletin insert service. You can see a copy at our web site, MNNonline.org.

That's it for now.

Easter Sunday

2005-03-27T10:38:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here at the dining room table this morning thankful for Christ rising from the dead. I know in my heart I would have been just like the disciples. I would have not believed until I would have seen (as Thomas did). I would have wondered what had happened to Jesus on that day. I would have questioned everything I believed. I think we all would have.

As I think about the cross and Christ's resurection, I can't help but know that we (as Christian broadcasters) need to keep pointing people to the cross. We MUST talk about it. We MUST mention it. It's what is Christianity. I love the song by FFH, "On My Cross". While I believe Christ died for the glory of God, he did die in my place. Not that my death would have made any difference for salvation's sake, it would have paid the punnishment I deserved. That's incredible.

My prayer today is that many believers will shout loud and long about the cross and what Christ did for us. Not just today, but everyday.

"Father, thank you for your incredible love for us. Thank you for covering my sins with your blood. Thank you for calling your children to yourself and for extending grace and mercy to us each day. I pray that we'll be faithful at what you've called us to do as Christian broadcasters. In YOUR name I pray, Amen!"

What's News

2005-03-26T01:50:00.000-05:00

It's been interesting to hear about all of the news people that have fallen to the Christian Music Radio mind set. That mind set is more music, less talk. We've seen newscasts go from 8 minute casts (four minutes of network coverage and four minutes of state and local) to now just 2 minutes of news.

If my poll continues that way it's going (mnnonline.org), the number two reason people tune away from a Christian radio station is to get more comprehensive news. If they're tune away for that, they're getting it from the secular marketplace. Do we really want that? If we 'cave' to the secular news talk stations and allow the television station to tell believers the news from their perspective, we're missing the boat. We should really keep our mouth shut when it comes to the 'liberal media.' They can't help it. After all, Jesus said it best in Matthew 10:22, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Okay, that's taken a bit out of context, but you get the message.

What responsibility do we have as broadcasters to provide comprehensive news from a Christian world-view? I think I know the answer to this question. YES!!!

Terri Schiavo

2005-03-24T21:53:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in the airport and watching Larry King Live tonight and people are 'glued' to the television about the Terri Schiavo case. I'm amazed at the number of people who simply can't believe the courts are allowing her to die. A little girl about 9 or 10 is currently asking her mother, "Why these people are letting that poor woman die? I thought the police were supposed to help people not hurt people?"

From the mouths of babes

Results are interesting

2005-03-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

I post a poll at http://www.MNNonline.org that reads: "When you listen to Christian Radio, what causes you to tune away?" Here are the results (so far).

A. A song I don't like.
36%

B. To find more comprehensive news.
43%

C. I don't like the news.
0%

D. A long/short program.
21%

It only confirms what I've always believed. I'm going to leave this up for a while to get a bigger sample of responses.

New Poll

2005-03-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Today is a great day. We had an incredible number of hit today. More than 67,000 and our page views we're great, too. We had nearly 15,000 for the day. We're close to the million hits mark and well over the 1/4 million page-view mark for the month. We continue to see growth with Mission Network News in terms of listener interaction. Praise God!

I've posted a new poll on our web site MNNonline.org that asks the important question to all radio broadcasters. The question is;"When you listen to Christian radio, what causes you to tune away?" This is just a survey...nothing scientific, but perhaps we'll get an idea of why people turn away. We'll see what kind of response we get.

Greg

Frustration

2005-03-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting here wondering about the future of Christian radio. As I mentioned in my very first post, there are many positions in Christian radio today. I'd like to look at just one side of the industry today; consultants.

I believe that many stations need consultants. Christian radio has typically been '2nd rate' broadcasting. They've settled for average or below average quality for a long time. I believe consultants have helped Christian radio stations improve their sound. In some cases, the quality has improved, but at the expense of ministry.

What I've objected to most it making blanket recommendations. The goal has been to increase to total number of listeners, which isn't a bad thing. But, when consultants tells Christian radio stations to stop talking about Jesus or using Scripture because those things are offensive that's when I get a little upset. And, it is happening all over the United States. The other thing that is currently changing the face of Christian radio is more music less talk. Many Christian radio stations are pulling quality programs like Mission Network News, Focus on the Family, Insight for Living and others simply because they don't want talk. That 'talk' is what plants seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of many. That 'talk' is also what encourages people to get 'actively' involved.

What these station don't understand is that when they take these programs off the air, they're helping to put them out of business. When that happens organizations like Focus on the Family won't be able to minister to people. Insight For Living won't be able to disciple believers in the faith both here at home and in other countries where the need is even greater. And, news networks like Mission Network News won't be able to encourage people to get involved in missions. If those who are called to take this message to the masses are prevented from doing it on the air, who will?

Again, I believe radio stations need help. The consultants have helped many radio stations improve their on air sound. But, I also believe some of the research they're using is flawed and needs to be reviewed. Many are taking secular listening habbits and applying that research to Christian radio listening, and I don't think they're the same at all.

Greg Yoder

Christian Radio

2005-03-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

Christian Radio

Let's get started

2005-03-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

I've started this blog to have an open discussion about Christian radio. The good the bad and the ugly (so to speak). I love Christian radio. It is responsible for seeing so many people get to know Christ all over the world. It's been a blessing to so many people.

However, Christian radio (in the United States) has changed. There are so many radio stations that have said they don't want to offend people, so they're telling their announcers not to 'preach'. There are other radio stations that suggest that listeners DON'T want to hear talk, so they're only going to play Christian music and let the music do the talking. Yet, there are others who say the music is just a distraction and we're only going to have the 'spoken word' on the air. And, there are others who say we'll do it all.

The goal of this is to talk about the industry and where Christian radio is heading (in the U-S) and encourage people to pray.

God Speed

Greg Yoder