Blog Archives - Page 17 of 21

Finney Media asked in the Why Listen?™2016 survey for participant input on the question “My religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.” When participants self-selected what format they preferred, of people who preferred both Music and Teaching formatted radio, just 86 percent agreed. Only a fraction of a percentage were of faiths other than Christianity.

And, when Finney Media began a series comparing Christian radio listeners with Christians nationwide on beliefs and faith attitudes, using Barna research to compare, a similar attitude prevailed.

Using the statements below, we asked Christian radio listeners if they agreed or disagreed with these statements. The following percentages are the totals of those who selected they Completely and Somewhat Agreed.

The Bible provides us with moral truths that are the same for all people in all situations without exception. Christian Radio=94% Nationwide= 83%

Every culture must determine what is acceptable morality for its people. Christian Radio=28% Nationwide=47%

It’s clear that Christians are either not reading the statements closely or they are fuzzy in their understanding of Scripture.* Christianity.com recently did a blog on universal truth quoting Texas Professor J. Budziszewski. Budziszewski indicates that certain basic moral truths are implanted deep within us, even if we pretend to ourselves that we don’t know them. He notes that cultures disagree only about details, not the basics. For example, C.S. Lewis observed, even if some cultures are OK with more than one wife, they agree on the sacredness of marriage. Read more about this in the book What We Can’t Not Know.

In today’s culture, it appears that Christians in general, and some Christian radio listeners, don’t seem to recognize these moral truths. Romans Chapter 1 talks about us suppressing the truth because of our sin. But, if it’s there deep down, as Romans indicates, there is surely hope to float it back up to the conscious surface. In other words, it’s worth your time thinking about these matters because you can make a difference.

Scripture is clear that God’s word is our absolute standard. Verses affirming this abound. “I am the Lord, I do not change” from Malachi. Or John 17, “Your Word is truth.” Psalm 119:160, “The sum of Thy word is truth.”

As we think through and talk about what to share on-air, let’s be encouraged. God is alive and well. He has implanted Truth within our hearts. Our daily task is to lead people further along in their spiritual life to find and to know God’s truth and His help for daily challenges. With clarity and compassion, point your listener toward taking a step in the direction of Jesus.

We have a communications challenge. It’s part of our larger purpose.

**SUMMERTIME IS RADIO TIME**

Enjoying your Fourth? Here’s a refresh on summer ideas, half-way through this time of fun, family and new experiences.

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!

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

Gary Moreland here, guest blogger, author and talent coach.

If you want creative air talent, master this one-word coaching style.

The coaching style is “Encouragement.”

Air talents are not technicians who analyze problems, write code or tighten screws.

Air talents are more like artists. They create. They make people feel something.

Artists do not create better art because they were criticized or scolded. Criticism shuts down the artist’s creativity.

Artists must be brave to release parts of themselves into a nasty world just waiting to criticize and reject.

A talent coach must help them be brave, shield them from inappropriate criticism and be a friendly, but truth-telling, filter that they can trust who will protect them from doing something crazy.

This means the coach must be an artist too–a coaching artist!

Coaching artists honor the truth of these words from Paul Tournier, Swiss psychologist:

In all fields, even those of culture and art, other people’s judgment exercises a paralyzing effect. Fear of criticism kills spontaneity; it prevents men from showing themselves and expressing themselves freely, as they are . Much courage is needed to paint a picture, to write a book, to erect a building designed along new architectural lines or to formulate an independent opinion or original idea.

And finally, Francis Ford Coppola on the biggest barrier to being an artist:

Self-confidence always. The artist always battles his/her own feeling of inadequacy.

Be the artist for the artist. And see creativity blossom.

Gary believes encouragement is powerful in families, too. He’s written a whole book about it. Find out more at afamilyshapedbygrace.com.

“A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew.” Haddon W. Robinson, a preacher and teacher of the last century reflected. He said, “For preachers, clarity is a moral matter. It is a matter of life and death.” Robinson may have lived some time ago but his comments ring with truth.

Your listener. To know, to understand, to connect.

It’s more she than he, and she has several messages for you. She becomes even more interested in spiritual content as she moves through the stages of life. And there are several areas where the differences she has with men are notable.

Read more about these desires of her heart in Finney Media’s most recent white paper, “What Women Want from You, Christian Radio!” You can download and print a low-ink version HERE

See our press release about this just-released paper HERE.

Clarity in goal and content is your passport to getting, keeping and growing your audience. Do you understand the face and heart of your listener? Do you speak clearly in language that is understandable? Is the message concise – just long enough?

Haddon W. Robinson, again: “… the highest priority should be placed on clarity. What advantage is there in speech that does not lead to understanding?” Click here to read our next blog

Here’s help in that mission. Download HERE

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.

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.
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.
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.
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?

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.
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.
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?
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.

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.
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.
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.
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?
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:

Pitch, Age, Timbre, Speed
Voice Attack (Gentle, Powerful, Cut-Through, Unique, Serene, Soft, Calming, Energizing)
Acting Ability, Believability, Conversational, Genuineness, Compelling, “Spark”, Trustworthy
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.

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?
Tonality and Pacing. Will the tone and pacing maintain from segment to segment? And just what is the tone of the program?
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”?
Audience Development. Who is listening? Who are you hoping will listen? What is the strategy to bring listeners into closer relationship?
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?
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!

Moral Truth Data: Fuzzy?

**SUMMERTIME IS RADIO TIME**

What to say when things are hard

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

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