In Part 1 of this two-part series, we answered a few questions about how we see the future. You can read that HERE.
Chuck here. One of my top five Strengthsfinder areas is called Futuristic. And it is true: I do love to visualize the future. That’s why I have a list of 9 observations. These are not in order of importance or possibility—you can gather friends around and chat about any one of these reflections! So, let’s go!
- CMB stations: Pay attention to the ones that win way beyond what they should. This means those that are the big “famous” ones, and those that are not as famous. Ask: What are they doing that is audience focused? And especially ponder if that audience focus is not within the conventional wisdom.
- TV: Who is winning as people cut cords and switch how and where they receive? Note Disney’s move to create their own “Netflix”. Biggest change is unique, connective, “addictive” content. How do we do that while being boldly about our values?
- Alexa: This delivery device is now getting press due to its rapid and vigorous growth. Keep an eye here as radio becomes a part of this audio. As Tom Taylor said recently, “Voice is the new touch.”
- Jesus in today: What would Jesus do right now to reach our culture? Just a thoughtful guess: It would be consistent with the Great Commandment (Love) and the Great Commission (Go). It would involve community, genuine caring and a passion for people.
- Christian radio: Yes, it is the fastest growing radio format. Part of that is demand for Christian media because of the increasing coarseness of the world. If we focus on broadly accessible content while still being Biblically bold, this could be our most amazing time of growth.
- Digital: Things will likely go more digital. An obstacle in music is rights fees. This logjam must resolve. When digital music rights get resolved (two years or 20 years?!?), get out of the way of growth!
- Content IS king: With a million channels, getting your head wrapped around this solves a lot of issues. Of all the things you should address, this might be the most important and potentially impactful.
- Where to look: The answers almost certainly won’t be where the hype is. Get focused on the win and not on distracting “shiny objects”.
- God’s view: God has asked us to be His witnesses and He has empowered us to do just that.
