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Our Violent World: 4 Suggestions

What to say when things are hard

 

We’ve seen the hard data—we have a tiny, tiny chance of being personally impacted by a violent attack.  A website that tracks probability says that health or car accidents are of much more concern! You can see the Global Research statistics website HERE.

Yet we can’t help but be impacted by the 24-hour news media coverage, which can wear us down emotionally. Our phones ding regularly with the latest distressing headline. And once in a while we do know someone or live in an area that is part of the statistic. Think Colorado Springs or Orlando and now Washington, DC.  We ask ourselves: what can we do in such a world?

As Christian media, this is opportunity to be Jesus, to come alongside and be a refuge. In radio and online, we have every day all day to be Jesus to all those who brush against our voices.

There is a theological perspective worth reading.  When you have a few minutes, check it out at this LINK from Back to the Bible, but for this post, we’ll focus on our voices, our tone, our presence in a pain filled world.

  1. We can offer prayer. Some wonder if prayer “works” on-air. The answer is yes—when it is genuine and seems like a natural progression, a natural thing to do, in the spoken part of your program. This could be your on-air team, a local pastor or another program host with a strong connection through audio.
  2. We can offer a word of peace. Jesus recognizes the pain in our world, but he calls for us to be peacemakers. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” in John 14. In our recent Finney Media Why Listen? survey, “calm”, a sister to peace, scored high as a main reason for listening to Christian radio..  See more of the details HERE.  This comes through in a gentle tone, the words we use and the way we reflect on spiritual matters.
  3. Our love and compassion can echo Jesus. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you,” in John 13. This means, as with grief, that often the first thing is our presence, our kindness and music or thoughts that share worship.
  4. We can be Jesus to our listeners. As we look at the desires of our audience, this comes through clearly. See this very thing in the headlines in the Finney Media Why Listen? survey HERE.

We don’t suggest this is easy—any of it.  But we do suggest that Jesus way is the way for us.

 

It’s a short, sweet, ripe, time of opportunity.

Jan with Chuck

Just underway last week.  Summertime, with Memorial Day the kickoff and Labor Day the close.  Thirteen weeks that stand out for vacations, change of schedules, trying new things.  Doesn’t it?

I just tested the theory by a week at Cape Cod, a long distance from my Midwestern location and roots. From tour bus info to beach walks, the lobster and long history of the area turned my perspective on its head.  My listening habits changed radically, too.  Which brings us to a question of importance: What happens to your listener during these sunny times?

Your Listener During the 13

Chuck wrote before how your P1 listener changes week to week; see the post HERE.  That is key as you plan for the summer.  Assume that you have new listeners—all the time.  They don’t know the history, the previous material you shared or the way the stations sounded last month.

Those listeners may be having a great vacation—defined as enjoying beauty and nature, adventure and renewal plus great conversation.  That’s according to Michael Hyatt HERE. Or there may be extra kid stress or even some tug of war taking place with loved ones.   In a new physical location, they will be even more receptive to your tone of encouragement.  They may badly need the heart connection.

You and Your Team Challenge:  13 Opportunities

And as for you and your team:  have you tried the summer 13-week challenge?  Defined, it means that you, your family, or your team commits to trying one new thing each week of summer.  This could be a new flavor of ice cream, a new route to walk, a time looking at the stars, or sweet corn cooked on the grill.  All that’s required is that it’s new.  When summer ends, you’ll sigh and smile at the same time.

The Action Challenge

Our challenge today is this:  on air, in the office and at home, start the summer 13 and wring every ministry opportunity and every drop of joy out of this special season.

 

Jan with Chuck

In part one of this series, we discussed our first year of blogging.  Setting a doable goal for number of posts.  Having a team.  Planning.  Content planning.

Now with a year under our belt, what’s next?  Here’s some reveals that may be encouraging to you if you or your team blogs.

First, a personal tip from my management style: Get the big rocks in place, and the small rocks will easily fit.  Year one was the year of the big rocks.  Now, as we move forward, it’s time to work on the “smaller rocks”—fine tuning.

What’s in our goal list?

  1. In addition to a tightly focused content strategy, zero in closely on details of the blog itself, such as length, sentence length and number of points covered. We live in a world of ever-reducing attention spans plus a surplus of information.  This means an acceptable length for a web read continues to shorten.  The latest length recommendation I received is in the 300 to 500 word range, during a webinar on blogging with Lisa Worley.
  2. Create a scorecard. For any of us, what’s most important may be different.  It may be growth in interest, type of post that generates interest, or where the traffic coming from.  Whatever feeds the current goals, along with some standard items, will be on the scorecard.
  3. Review supporting and accompanying items for the blog.   Headlines.  Internal links.  Will we take our own photos?  Should we expand our purchase pool?  How can we improve headlines?
  4. Schedule other delivery ideas that will take time to implement: Best of the Blog in an area all its own.  Adding other social media boosters such as Twitter and other links.  Offering additional information on key points. Memes. And more video.

As with implementation in any new area, our best friends are organization, planning and scheduled check-ins.  We are moving forward.  We hope you are, too!

We’d love to hear about your efforts.  Please email jan@finneymedia.com with your comments or questions.

 

An Open Assessment

Jan here, with Chuck.

One year ago, we at Finney Media were contemplating an upgraded website, one that provided for blogging.  I say contemplate, because by no means did we feel 100% certain that we could pull off regular blogging with excellence.  In meetings we bounced around a number of ideas: we should “share the load and blog five days a week—or maybe even seven.”  Another perspective called for two days a week, Monday and Thursday.  Chuck and I were tasked with making “whatever” happen.

We choose neither of the suggestions. Just one day. One day per week we’d work toward cogent, thoughtful, helpful and conversational blog posts.  Blog posts that circled around our core beliefs, but highlighting them from different angles.  We’d include some tactical, promotional, and holiday oriented material—but overall, we would work to stick with our strategic brand goals. Fifty-some posts later, we’ve got a few observations.

  1. It is possible to stick with your content strategy. It’s called intentionality, and by regular self-examination, it happens. A huge percentage of our posts center on something core, strategic or part of our approach to communication. The rest are seasonal, housekeeping or driven by events.  How did this happen? It’s one word: organization.  Just as we reboot our computer regularly to clear confusion, a monthly reset by planning a schedule keeps us within our guardrails.  But before we get too carried away with back-patting, this caveat.
  2. It’s not a piece of cake to commit to and produce one strong post a week. I’m glad that’s what we chose. I think about Seth Godin sending out posts seven days a week and the hair on my neck stands up. You know how it is. Folks on the contribution schedule run behind.  An event gets postponed. An interview didn’t make the calendar. Office help gives notice. So glad we chose one per week to dive into this pool.  For getting started, for staying with a schedule, for sticking with it and always posting, one day has been perfect.  Think about the number of sites you’ve seen that have a few posts…that peter out after a month or so. It’s about planning your commitment.
  3. It’s better to have more than one person writing. Yeah, writers do need to keep the brand direction, and that can be honed with editing. But it calls out the creativity in the team.
  4. And better to have more than one person reviewing, too. Don’t we want a screen before hitting “Update”? Don’t we want to ask ourselves if this concept is really part of our core and our brand? Or is it’s just “nice” writing?  Wouldn’t we prefer “snappy”, “powerful” or “moving”? And what about those typos?
  5. Finally, people actually read what you write. This is a communication method for our day. So when someone turns to you and says, “I read all the posts,” that can either be a burst of fulfillment, a shot of adrenaline or a reminder to focus more energy on what you say.

 Next time, we’ll consider year two.  Where do we go from here? 

 Find out, one week from today.

 

 

 

IMAGINE

Close your eyes and imagine these scenes:

A tire screech. A loud metal bang and crash. Sirens fade in from the distance.

A heart monitor beeps. Technical chatter from doctors and nurses. Suddenly, a baby cries.

Sizzling oil … like something frying. A metal scrape and the sizzling gets louder.

Tinkling ice cubes against glass. Ocean waves and seagulls. Breeze through trees.

In our workaday life, sometimes we forget that we’re capable of imagining things. Feeling things. Pondering things.

Until we switch on the radio.

THE GIFT OF FREEDOM

When good radio happens, there is freedom.  Freedom to roam in the mind.

Your radio spot, written and produced well, is your opportunity to give this gift of freedom to your listener.

With your radio spot, you can …

Give the gift of information, with impactful “freebie” gems.
Give the gift of emotion, helping your listener feel alive.
Give the gift of experience … a mini-movie, mini-vacation or heartfelt moment.
Give the gift of memory … mostly good ones.

In the end … you’ve given your listeners the gift of purpose.  A call to action.
And they feel positive about taking that action.

THE VOICE

Choosing the right voice to represent your product or station is of utmost importance. A branding voice can make or break your entire campaign. The voice is the audio representation of your entire vision. Of who you are. Here are some of the factors we take into consideration when auditioning voice talent:

  1. Pitch, Age, Timbre, Speed
  2. Voice Attack (Gentle, Powerful, Cut-Through, Unique, Serene, Soft, Calming, Energizing)
  3. Acting Ability, Believability, Conversational, Genuineness, Compelling, “Spark”, Trustworthy
  4. Enunciation, Delivery, Speech Impediments (can be useful), Accent, Mic Technique

 

THE MUSIC

Another make-or-break part of spot production is the music.  Music affects people like no other art form in the world. Most people know when their heartstrings are being intentionally tugged, and when they’re having a genuine, emotional experience.

In 1989 David Huron named six categories which music serves to propel in radio advertising. This list is still relevant today. Here are some takeaway points from his important study:

ENTERTAINMENT: Music helps make an advertisement more appealing by adding aesthetic value to it. The music functions more as “bridge” between listener and product.

STRUCTURE: Music mediates between otherwise disjointed images. Music also has the ability to emphasize dramatic moments within the advertisement, and therefore creates both structure and continuity. It is the “bed” upon which the listener rides through the message.

MEMORABILITY: Music “lingers in the listener’s mind.” When used in an advertisement, the content of the ad lingers along with the music.

OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLE OF SKEPTICISM: The listener is already saying “no” as soon as they hear a spot. You must override the listener’s innate skepticism, which has developed through desensitization. Music provides a message which cannot be detected as a “sell”.

TARGETING: Music is suggestive and sways different groups of people into thinking or feeling certain ways. Music creates a bond between listener and product, so you’ll want to choose the right music for your target audience.

AUTHORITY ESTABLISHMENT:  Certain types of music suggest credibility. For instance, a high end spa or investment company would likely use a specific genre of classical music.

 

A SPOT IS BORN

The most effective radio spots create an authentic connection from the uniqueness, passion, and identity of a product … to the heart of the listener.

We admit we are a little finicky about how a radio spot should sound. We’re not interested in creating Twinkies, but fresh-baked cake. Our prayer is that you share the same passion about your product, service, radio station or ministry that will be translated into great spots, more heart connection and greater reach.

 

 

REFERENCES

www.strategicmediainc.com

Huron, David (1989). “Music in Advertising” (PDF). The Musical Quarterly 73 (4): 560–569. doi:10.1093/mq/73.4.557. Retrieved 22 April 2011.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_advertising#cite_note-Huron-2

voices.com

 Six Tips to Make Your Program Sparkle, Connect and create Impact!

You have a radio program idea, you have passion, and you have the technical means to put the show together.  What more could possibly be needed?

Here’s a short list with Big Questions.  You may want to tuck this in your planner for review.

  1. Positioning and Identifying with you. How does your listener know who you are?  And how can she be clear who is talking?  What is your “role” on the program?
  2. Tonality and Pacing. Will the tone and pacing maintain from segment to segment?  And just what is the tone of the program?
  3. Word selection. What are guidelines for word selection?  How can we warm our interactions with the listener, creating deeper connection while taking into account that many are influenced by Oprah and others and “didn’t pay attention in Sunday school”?
  4. Audience Development. Who is listening? Who are you hoping will listen? What is the strategy to bring listeners into closer relationship?
  5. Program Placement. What is your strategy for positioning that will be of high interest to Christian radio stations, in the desired format? Do you have an idea what’s of interest to radio station gatekeepers?
  6. Content Selection. One of the biggest reasons listeners leave is topics that don’t interest them. Does content match with both listener interest and what your stations will air?

 

Yes, it’s true that we at Finney Media work in all these areas.  We love what we do and would love to talk to you more about any of these Big Questions.  Go forth and reach…a waitng listener!

SUMMERTIME IS RADIO TIME

SAME OLD SUMMER? TRY THESE OUT-OF-THE-BOX IDEAS INSTEAD!

It’s the beginning of May. We’re writing a blog about summer promotions, and it’s snowing outside. Big huge flakes.  That’s because Jan lives in the upper Midwest. Meanwhile, in parts of Arizona, and in Dallas, it’s in the mid 90’s.

Which brings us to our first point … summer is different for everyone. In Tucson, Arizona, tourists (a.k.a.  snowbirds) flee as summer approaches. In Colorado Springs, families head for the hills to hike and thaw out. In LA people flock to the beaches. In Las Vegas, as temperatures climb to 110+, people become desperate for indoor activities that won’t tax their wallet.  Midwesterners enjoy fishing, boating and camping by the lake.

Summer is different for everyone. That’s one common thread. Along with a boost in insect repellant sales, there is another.  The children are out of school, and parents must now figure out how to keep the kiddos productive and out of trouble.

With the onset of summer, listeners adopt a different mindset. They’re likely to be hot, sweaty … maybe more relaxed.  Schedules have changed. The pace has changed. Activities are distinctly different. Summer audiences are likely to be more mobile. Travelling, camping, hunting, out of town listening on your app, all increase in summer.

While winter affords broadcast media a more captive, cuddly audience … summer sets the captives free. TV shows typically won’t launch new episodes in the summer. Summertime is radio time. As the previously home-bound winter prisoners venture out into a warmer world, radio accompanies them with song, inspiration, and the evergreen plethora of summertime radio promotional activities.

Sunny time is the perfect time for a radio station to get to know its listeners even better and make a ton of new friends. Seize the opportunity. If you plan in advance and execute rightly, your station won’t ever have to mention the words, “Summer Slump”.

SLAM DUNK SUMMER IDEAS:

You can and should start planning your summer promo. Here’s a list of fun, effective (slightly different) ideas for radio stations of every size and budget:

Rummage Sale: Who doesn’t love a gigantic yard sale? Invite listeners to register and set up a super huge rummage sale! All proceeds will go to a local charity. Promote the sale citywide.  A couple of balloon artists, face painters and a jumping castle might be just enough to attract younger families. Everybody wins! Don’t forget to record soundbites or if you can afford it, broadcast live from the event. Be sure to promote it on the “mom’s sale” type social media pages.

Mountains and Valleys Hike: Parts of your audiences would love the opportunity to bond with your morning show team on a hike and picnic! This could be in the form of a contest, ticketed event or a free for all. Offer branded hats, water bottles, Frisbees hacky sacks and sweat towels. Broadcast live to give your fans an added thrill. Make sure and keep track of the event on social media.

Fundraisers for other Organizations: The possibilities are endless when radio stations forgo raising money for themselves and raise money for local charity instead. By partnering with other non-profit organizations, you have the opportunity to network with untapped sponsors while gaining possibly an entire new fan base.

Random Acts of Coolness: Surprise local businesses, first responders, homeless park dwellers and summer camp attendees with Popsicle treats, ice cold drinks, free drink holders, ice cream and free beverages.

Christian Movie Night: Families and local churches will appreciate the fellowship opportunity when your station hosts a free movie night. Partner with a local popcorn sponsor or other food vendor. You can even create a series by bringing this event to different churches and venues in the area.

Local library activities: Libraries already have activities in place for families and students in the summer.  You can double their fun by getting in the game with a live broadcast. You may even consider hosting your own class about Audio Editing, “Create Your Own Radio Ad” or Voice Acting!

June Brides: Summertime is marriage time! What better way to make friends with new young couples than to encourage them in marriage! This could be in the form of Bridal Package or honeymoon giveaways. But if you want to think outside the box, try hosting a pre-marriage seminar series featuring local pastors from around the area! Pepper the event with giveaways that won’t tax your budget like gift cards, husband and wife corsages … maybe even a live broadcast from the wedding of the grand prize winner!

Summer Holidays: Parents of young children love events that teach their kiddos about history. For Memorial Day and Independence Day, partner with local acting groups from around the area (or incorporate your own on-air staff) and host a live enactment of a historical presentation.

Farmers Market: The sale of healthy, organic, locally grown foods is on the rise. Why not set up a booth during your local Farmer’s Market and share space with some local food producers? Or if that’s not possible, you can actually sponsor a Farmer’s Market. Some Farmer’s Markets feature music, and sponsoring one may be a great way to get your station heard.

Branded Frisbee or Hacky Sack: Got a Frisbee Golf Park in your area? Got a youth group? Need we say more?

Pre-Movie Slides: People flock to movies in the summer. Many theatres feature pre-show slides, some of which are reserved for local businesses to purchase. This is a perfect way to introduce your radio station to a brand new audience.

More text-in Promotions: Make sure to include text-in and social media check-ins as part of your promotional event. Remember, your audience is on-the-go this summer! Reward your listeners for checking in or for sharing a photo of their experience at your event.

TURN UP THE HEAT, DON’T BURN DOWN THE HOUSE:

As you plan your summer promotion, remember that your goal is to inspire and encourage your audience into attending your event … not to interfere or interrupt what they’ve already got planned. Your summer tactics should match their personality. Like a family friend, your event should be a welcome, non-invasive addition to their summer.  It should be something they look forward to. Something that captures their imagination and benefits their well-being. Something that offers a nice cool refuge from the heat. Most importantly, your event should have the over-arching goal of drawing them closer to the “Son”, and drawing them into fellowship with your radio station.

Have an amazing summer. Go out and make some friends.

ONLINE REFERENCES

byrnesmedia.com

morebusiness.com

vanwagneraerial.com

 

 

Beth here.

 

 

In his book 1001 Ways to Recognize Employees, Bob Nelson testifies that the top two drivers of employee performance are:

 

“I am able to make a difference at work”

“I have been recognized recently for what I do.”

 

Money—believe it or not—ranks in fifth place. Over 68% of the workers that Nelson interviewed had never received even a simple “thank you” from their boss in the previous six months.

We need to get better at positive reinforcement.

 

Nelson also found that employees who received a “way to go” from their boss listed that as their best motivator. Most managers believed the paycheck was the motivator, but clearly that’s a fifth place motivator.

 

Jesus motivated people with love, compassion and respect. Although these are not the top tier job describers for the managers who call the shots, a little of this in the hallway could motivate more than expected. Gifts, bonuses, and pay raises can be good reinforcements, but, depending on the company’s business model, they may not be readily available.

 

Wonderful forms of positive reinforcements don’t cost a penny. It’s scientific too—positive verbal praise stimulates the same neural pathways as cash does.

 

Once, I was one the air and I just had one of those “wow, I hope someone heard that” kind of breaks. Which is silly, because I spoke it into a microphone to thousands of people. But what I meant was, “I hope someone who needed that heard it.”

 

The door to my studio swung open, and with curious expectation I smiled at one of my managers, assuming they had heard what just happened, and the next thing I know I’m being asked about a restaurant recommendation for some out of town guests.

 

I know the people in the office don’t listen to the radio the way a personality executes it, and usually don’t have the time to comment after, so I revert back to the old Rosanne Rosannadana character in my mind and I say “never mind.”

 

Catching a co-worker doing something great is an amazing way to affirm their God given talents and abilities. It doesn’t cost you one penny to tell your kids, spouse, employees and co-workers that they did something right. This is a researched truth.

 

If we are playing well-researched music (and other programming) on a well-researched format with thought out promotions and sweepers and talent, why not think about your motivational tactics as well? Catch them doing something great and tell them about it—it could be a game-changer.

NATIONWIDE RESEARCH AT A GLANCE

May 2017

Christian Radio Listeners Top Reasons for Not Giving by Age

 

In the 2016 Finney Media Why Listen?™ nationwide survey, we asked non-donor Christian radio listeners across the US why they don’t give to Christian radio. Here are their top main reasons for not giving, broken down by age demographics:

Adults Under 35 Adults 35-44  Adults 45-54 
I have a limited income and can’t give right now 52% I have a limited income and can’t give right now 49% I have a limited income and can’t give right now 46%
None of the above 21% None of the above 22% None of the above 25%
I give to other organizations that need money more 11% I give to other organizations that need money more 15% I give to other organizations that need money more 13%
I only give money to my local church 8% I only give money to my local church 10% I only give money to my local church 12%
Lots of other people listen and probably give 3% I did not know they needed my support 1% I did not know they needed my support 2%
I did not know they needed my support 3% Lots of other people listen and probably give 1% Lots of other people listen and probably give 2%
The broadcaster hasn’t made a compelling case for the need 1% My contribution won’t make much of a difference 1% My contribution won’t make much of a difference 1%
My contribution won’t make much of a difference 1% The broadcaster hasn’t made a compelling case for the need 1% The broadcaster hasn’t made a compelling case for the need 0%
Adults 55-64 Adults 65+
I have a limited income and can’t give right now 44% I have a limited income and can’t give right now 39%
None of the above 24% None of the above 25%
I give to other organizations that need money more 15% I give to other organizations that need money more 20%
I only give money to my local church 13% I only give money to my local church 12%
I did not know they needed my support 2% I did not know they needed my support 2%
Lots of other people listen and probably give 1% My contribution won’t make much of a difference 1%
The broadcaster hasn’t made a compelling case for the need 1% The broadcaster hasn’t made a compelling case for the need 1%
My contribution won’t make much of a difference 1% Lots of other people listen and probably give 0%

 

Easily the #1 answer for non-givers to Christian radio to not give is “I have a limited income and can’t give right now.” As we look at the trends younger to older, the percentage for that answer drops. So, it’s not that your station hasn’t communicated that you need support (between 1 and 3%) or that you haven’t made a compelling case for the need (at 1% or 0% across each demo).

It’s curious to us the answer at #2 – “None of The Above,” between 21% and 25% of all responses. If it’s not “limited income/can’t give right now” or “giving to other organizations that need the money more” or “only giving to my local church,” what is it? And, more importantly, is it something we can do something about? Or is it simple reluctance to answer in this sensitive area?

 

Coming in Finney’s Fast Five for June: We begin a series comparing Christian Radio listeners to Christians in general nationwide. How are Christian radio listeners different from or the same as Christians in general? And what can we learn from that to reach beyond the listeners we have now?

 

 

Jan here.

Sunday the fill-in pastor set out to examine worship. Instead of nodding off, I was caught. I thought about worship and how radio pervades our lives every day—how we have an opportunity seven days a week to help someone focus on our great God. The worship band at church only has one half hour and the full service about one hour!

In a recent sermon at the Hunter College location of Redeemer Church in New York where Chuck was present, Tim Keller pointed out that “Jesus lived doing what His Father wanted…and it got Him killed.” We should at least expect a hard time!

The hard time that comes may be as subtle as being bombarded with coarse messages on TV, ads that discuss things that are about very personal matters, news that is rife with the horror and promotion of new fears—from the pink pill to not being able to carry my Kindle on my flight, the daily discourse gets coarser, scarier and less edifying.

You’re bombarded by images of brokenness. The little girl stunned and traumatized by war. People worshiping shopping. Animals in dreadful condition. Fake romance. Add to all this this the real-life curve balls of illnesses, accidents and angry people, and it’s easy to get lost in the hopelessness.

What an opportunity for us to turn hearts toward worship! Turning to God and honoring Him. A chance to focus our hearts and minds when “alone” with our thoughts—and often our radio.

Jesus says, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10)

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.” (Psalm 149:1)

Your work is seven days a week, helping an audience in hard times become daily worshipers. Minute-by-minute worshipers. Right now worshipers.

How to do it?  By making heart connection minute-by-minute. By playing the music and creating the conversation and the programming that lifts and celebrates and edifies. By lifting holy hands in an unholy world.

Seven day a week worshiping.

 

Photo Note: Stain glass window from Zion Lutheran Church, Onieda St., Appleton, WI

 

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