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The Importance of Listening to Your Listener – Part 1

At Finney Media, we’ve started doing something called Listener Advisory Panels for our Christian media friends. It’s like a focus group, but the leaders from the ministry are in the room to listen and talk to people.

Part of what we ask is listeners is to talk about their life, their family, their work and their church. And what we hear is helpful in crafting the station’s content to focus on who she is, where she is and how she uses us.

Check out these two listener stories:

One gal said: "I've been married for 25 years and I have a daughter who's 23 and about to graduate from nursing school. I used to work in finance. I've been disabled for 14 ½ years. My church is a CCM station and I support it every month. Because of my disability, it's hard for me to get around, so I consider the CCM station my church."

Another person said: "I've been married for 18 years. We saw foster care as a ministry. And God provided the opportunity for us to adopt a son from the system. So now we have a 15-year-old son who has eight different disabilities and it's a full-time job taking care of him. I stay at home and homeschool him. When we can go to church, we go to a church just north of us. It can be hard for us to go because of my son's disabilities, but it's important to us. This is why we love our radio station."

These stories reflect what we hear from listeners. People with difficult circumstances choose us because of the uplifting spiritual encouragement they receive.

But we would not have heard the details and seen/felt the emotion if we hadn’t gathered to take time and listen and take notes.

It’s been so valuable to the ministries we work with who want to hear and then craft their sound toward meeting these listeners where they are.

It’s something your ministry can also do. And we can show you how. If you would like to know more, reach me at chuck@finneymedia.com.

Every year, Finney Media Research tests library songs from CCM artists with listeners across the USA. Listeners decide this ranking, from the research we’ve gathered across North America.

We thought it would be helpful for you to see the Top Five Male Artists from our research recently. If you’re playing them, terrific! If you’re not, perhaps it’s time for a discussion about playing them:

1. Chris Tomlin
2. Jeremy Camp
3. Zach Williams
4. Matthew West
5. Phil Wickham

If you do music testing, you know that Chris Tomlin’s songs are still testing great! So are Jeremy Camp’s, who is now not all that far from overtaking Tomlin. And Zach Williams has come on strong the past year. Matthew West is no surprise at no. 4, given his amazing 20-year career. His latest songs have been especially strong. Phil Wickham helps show the lean of the CCM fan in the direction of worship.

Coming in April: The Top Five Groups in nationwide CCM Music Research during 2022. Be sure you’re playing these artists to grow your listenership.

READ THE TOP FIVE TESTING FEMALES OF 2022.

Every year, Finney Media Research tests library songs from CCM artists with listeners across the USA. Listeners decide this ranking from research we’ve gathered across North America.   

We thought it might spark new ideas for you to see the Top Five Female Artists from our recent research. If you’re playing them, terrific! If you’re not, perhaps it’s time for a discussion about playing them:   

Top Five Female Artists

1. Lauren Daigle
2. Francesca Battistelli
3. Tasha Layton
4. Kari Jobe
5. Anne Wilson

We’ve seen a resurgence of top testing songs by women in the past few years, including Tasha Layton’s and Anne Wilson’s debuts. Francesca Battistelli and Kari Jobe continue to score well. But the real story in the Top Five is the dominance of Lauren Daigle. The way we do our Artist Scoring rewards artists with lots of high testing songs. Lauren scores are so much higher than the others that her score total – driven by a number of hit songs with high scores – is larger than the three artists right behind her. 

Coming in March: The Top Five Male Artists in nationwide CCM Music Research during 2022. Be sure you’re playing these artists to grow your listenership. 

If someone had said weeks ago that there would be a world event that involved no one dying, and yet the world would unite in prayer, I wouldn’t have believed it. I suspect you wouldn’t have either. 

A few weeks ago, this happening on ESPN was unimaginable. Take a look:

A friend asked this week, what do you think brought everyone together? Where people who don’t normally pray are praying and asking for prayer. And putting the love and care of people ahead of their own interests. 

I didn’t have the word for it at first. Then another friend said it. 

Helplessness. 

Not only was Damar Hamlin helpless on national television for a few moments. By extension, all of us were helpless to help him. We were watching our worst nightmare happen in real time and had no idea how it would turn out. For about 24 hours, we were still unsure of his returning to health. Thank God he is getting better. 

Here’s why this matters to what we do. 

God is in control . . . and we’re not. We believe it, play songs about it, talk about it.  

Then God decided to get everyone’s attention by reminding us, with a routine NFL football play, that we are helpless. 

Here’s what I’m reminded of: Often, I feel like I have no control. Like things are spinning out of control. Like I need to let go of my control issues. 

Because I never had control in the first place. Control is an illusion. 

Damar was helpless. I am helpless. You are helpless. And God is totally, sovereignly, lovingly in control. 

As we consider the year ahead, it’s time for each of us to consider our next step in letting go of the illusion of control and letting Him have control. 

God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV 

Picture this real moment with me: We’re at a Listener Advisory Panel with about seven listeners, seated around a table. They are giving us their perceptions of the Christian Music radio station. One of our respondents, I’ll call her Christi, shared she didn’t have good relationships with her family. Here’s part of our conversation: 

Me: Why listen to the Christian Music Station? 

Christi: It’s the only good thing. 

Me: Do you mean it’s the only good thing on the radio or the only good thing? 

Christi: It’s the only good thing. 

Me: What’s the other good thing? 

Christi: (after a long pause) . . . Chick-Fil-A!  

Followed by nods and laughter from the rest of our group. 

This fun, funny and bittersweet story illustrates just how much God has entrusted to our care as Christian communicators.  

This Christmas, I encourage you to pray on that, reflect on that.  

Christ coming to be with us is the answer. We have the opportunity to communicate His hope to people like Christi.  

What an adventure to discover new ways to do so for a hurting, harried, searching-for-that-one-good-thing listener in the coming year. 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NIV 

Have a Blessed Christmas!    

Every year, Finney Media Research tests library songs from CCM artists with listeners across the United States.  

We thought it would be helpful and fun for you to see the Top Five Tested Songs from our research recently…plus the next five songs! If you’re playing them, terrific! If you’re not, perhaps it’s time for a discussion about playing them.   

Top Five Testing Songs

1. MercyMe, Even If 2016
2. MercyMe, I Can Only Imagine 2001
3. Anne Wilson, My Jesus 2021
4. Newsboys, We Believe 2013
5. Bethel Music, No Longer Slaves 2015

…and the next five:

6. Lauren Daigle, You Say 2018
7. Cory Asbury, Reckless Love 2018
8. Phil Wickham, This Is Amazing Grace 2013
9. For King & Country, God Only Knows 2018
10. (tie) MercyMe, Greater 2014
10. (tie) Josh Baldwin, Stand In Your Love 2018

MercyMe – Three songs in the Top 10! Including I Can Only Imagine. If you’ve continued to test it, you’ve likely seen similar top testing results.  

And half of the Top 10 are from the past five years, including four songs from 2018. That also means half are from more than five years ago. For stations who continued to play these titles, they continue to perform very well. 

Coming in February: The Top Five Artists in nationwide CCM Music Research during 2022. Be sure you’re playing these artists and grow your listenership. 

The 2021 Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey included almost 11,000 Christian radio listener respondents from three different formats: all-Music stations, Music/Teaching (Hybrid) stations, All-Teaching stations, and programs.

We asked them about whether or not they give to the ministry that sent them the survey. And to those who give, we asked about what moved them to make a call, go online or write a check to make a gift. The top five responses from CCM listeners are below. These are the percentage who said that reason is “very important” to their decision . . . a reason for their move from listening to giving.

1. Feeling called by God to give 85%
2. I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry 82%
3. Knowing God tells us to support those who ministry to us 60%
4. An emergency need at the ministry 36%
5. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry 32%

The no. 1 and no. 2 responses – “Feeling called by God to give” and “I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry” – tell us something important. So crucial that you communicate clearly and often your mission and vision. Both on air and off air. Your listener/donor is passionate about listening, passionate about helping. Making sure that theme is at the center of your giving communication is crucial.

Help your team understand your why and be able to articulate it quickly.

Coming in January:  The Top Five Artists – and the Top Five Songs – in nationwide CCM Music Research during 2022. Be sure you’re playing these artists and these songs and grow your listenership.

 

Here’s some amazing Christmas audio as an idea starter for a heart-connective Christmas at your station!

Beth Bacall does an amazing job on afternoons at Fish/Atlanta, helping them to grow their listenership to levels beyond expectations.

Take a listen to one of the best breaks we’ve ever heard in Christian radio:

What makes this break one of the best?  Here are a few thoughts:

    • Spiritual Encouragement. Listeners want it. This break brings it! Both spiritual and encouraging!
    • Pre-recorded. Yet sounds live. There is no way this break could have happened, with this level of emotional impact, done live.
    • Quick in, quick out. Your listener isn’t going to give you a ton of time – you must “set the hook” quickly if you want them to stay and hear. :04 with the child at the beginning. :04 with Mike Blakemore at the end.
    • Listener involvement. It’s not just The Fish doing this. They involved listeners . . . and vicariously all listeners in this!
    • Beth is feeling with her listener. Including . . . she shares a little piece of herself (at about 2:15) . . . without it becoming what the break is about. This is genius! Connects Beth with her caller – and the listener – in a very special way.
    • Christmas Hope and Joy. Our listener is coming to us for this . . . often we’re the only place on the radio she can hear it!
    • What she, and the team at the Fish, managed to include in less than three minutes is spectacular. Listen to how seamlessly – with the phone SFX – they communicate each new caller coming in.
    • Music Bed. Energy, positivity, without being overwhelming.
    • Listen to how Beth brings God and prayer in at 2:11.
    • Story Twist:  You don’t know how she’s going to include the person for whom the wish is being granted . . . and when it happens (at about 1:35), it’s a WOW! Story twist . . . in the right place, well-edited. Yet doesn’t sound edited.

Taken together, one of the most amazing breaks! Beth, well done!

True story. Years ago, I was working as a program director in secular Contemporary Hit Radio in Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, North Carolina. Burned out, stressed out, and not working in a happy situation. So I quit. And my wife Lynda and I sold our car and used the money to strap on backpacks for three months in Europe.  

I was done with radio. 

It was that summer that I heard, “Radio’s not going to change . . . but you can.” 

So . . . it turns out I wasn’t done with radio. Just done with never turning it off. I needed downtime to be rested and prepared for when I needed to be “on”. And, as a result, my effectiveness as a programmer and leader skyrocketed. 

It’s been a very imperfect journey of figuring out how to get it all done and still have crucial downtime.  

Fast forward to ten years ago. Studying MasterPlan from Steve Dulin at Gateway Church in DFW Masterplan Business Ministries (masterplanministries.org). It’s a study for business owners on not just dedicating your business to God, but giving your business to God. It was his section on sabbatical that got my attention. 

That has led to a once-a-year . . . and now twice-a-year multi-day time alone with God. To worship, pray, study His word, ask questions, write . . . and listen. I just finished my latest time away a few weeks ago. And I can’t imagine now doing life without that time … me asking God questions and hearing answers through His word. Answers that are bigger than I expected, often surprising, heart-focused, consistent with His word. And they likely wouldn’t happen if I didn’t take time to pause and be still. 

My message for you: We’re all in different seasons and have different abilities to get away. And our hurried, chaotic world crushes this idea . . . it still sorta feels at times like I’m not hitting the mark when I do it. But silence is essential. Jesus modeled it for us. We need more silence. Could I encourage you to think, or re-think about this as a priority? 

If you’re curious, I would love to tell you more about what a difference it’s made for my relationship with God and the people I love.  

The 2021 Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey! Almost 11,000 respondents with over one million data points from three different formats, including Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, All-Teaching stations & programs.  

We asked about topics you might talk about on your stations and how interested your listener is in those topics. The list below is focused on the 3,000+ respondents who came from Music stations. These are the percentages who indicated they are “very interested”:

1. A word from Scripture and how it might apply to your life today 83%
2. Information on a local Christian concert 52%
3. Bible studies on topics such as prophecy, spiritual gifts, marriage, etc. 49%
4. Stories about how people helped a neighbor after a tragedy 47%
5. A prayer of thanksgiving from a local pastor 42%

SPIRITUAL ENCOURAGEMENT! 

In whatever form or forum we ask, our Christian radio listener is attracted to spiritual encouragement. Notice just how far ahead of every other answer “A Word from Scripture and how it might apply to your life today” shows up! 

What topics score lowest?  

Second to last is “the latest decisions of politicians” at 11 percent “very interested”. Dead last – run quickly away from this – is “the latest news from Hollywood” at 2 percent “very interested”.    

Coming in December: The Top Five Reasons Christian Radio Listeners Give To Your Station. The Why Listen? Survey includes a lot (what percentage were donors?) of donors, so we’re asking the folks who support you now. 

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