Blog Archives - Page 5 of 23

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!

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.

He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ Psalm 46:10 NIV

We’ve heard the mandate for our radio stations and programs, “No Dead Air!” And it’s good advice . . . if the silence is not purposeful. But what if the silence is purposeful? Focused on blessing and loving?

Your listener is busy, distracted, hurting. In our research with Christian radio listeners across the country, we continue to hear that she comes to us for spiritual encouragement. An uplifting in the middle of her day. And for calm.

Sometimes this can happen with silence. Pauses in the right places. Time to reflect on the profoundness of what was just said or played. For this, think seconds, not minutes.

An example: This Super Bowl commercial from 2013 was the second highest rated by viewers to that year’s game. Notice the silence at the beginning . . . and especially at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE

Eight seconds at the beginning. Twelve seconds at the end. Right in the middle of a noisy, chaotic game. Many fans had never heard of the speaker because he had died years earlier. And yet, they loved this commercial.

Super Bowl ads that year ran $3,000,000 for 30 seconds. That’s $100,000 per second. That means Dodge Ram paid about $2,000,000 for the silence!

Certainly, it caused many viewers to stop, and lean in . . . and soak in the silence. Time to think. Dry a tear. Maybe even time to pray.

Our Action Point from this example is this: Coach your people to pause . . . in the right places…for better impact. On purpose. Fully prepared. Confident.

In a world that is relentlessly running, your Christian radio listener will more likely lean in if you do.

This is an area where we can help. Talent Coaching from experienced, affirming coaches is one of our specialties. Contact me at chuck@finneymedia.com if you’d like to know more.

“…there is a healthy kind of busyness where your life is full with things that matter, not wasted on empty leisure or trivial pursuits. By that definition Jesus himself was busy. The problem isn’t when you have a lot to do; it’s when you have too much to do and the only way to keep the quota up is to hurry…”

–John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

“Successful people say no to almost everything.”

–Warren Buffet

Last month, I wrote about what you’re going to stop doing on the air (LINK HERE). This month, it’s personal. As in what are you going to stop doing in your life . . . to be closer to God . . . and therefore have a more effective ministry.

Paul said he was the worst.

No, that’s me. I have no room to talk on this subject of hurry and busyness. I am the worst. I’ve spent most of a lifetime busy and hurried.

But God has drawn me closer, and caused me to slow down, to be closer to Him. And it’s true that it often results in more effective ministry. And certainly more peace!

To do this meant choosing to stop doing something, or doing less of it. I had to take action, to say no.

For me, it’s online surfing of news, news commentary and sports. I’ve chosen to spend fewer precious minutes of my day consuming those. And turned off notifications of news and sports (did I really need to know the Reds score during the game?).

And it’s made a big difference. In my relationships. And my peace.

But it took choosing to stop doing something.

So, the question is…what are you going to stop doing?

Think about this: Your listener has an average of seven short-term slots of memory. And her mind, heart, and spirit are busy with things important to her: family, health, work, friends, appearance, not having enough time to juggle all she has to do, more month than paycheck.

When we play or say something on the radio or online, we’re hoping she will lend us one of those short-term slots of memory. That she will lean in, pay attention and remember what we played or said. Your effectiveness in doing this is going to be dependent on:

her interest level in what you are playing or saying
how much you engage her heart
and how concise and obvious you make your message

Each of us has important stuff coming at us that we need to talk about on the air – that new promotion or offer, that new fundraising appeal, that new contest, that upcoming concert . . All good ideas.

Here’s the challenge: throwing more different ideas, promotions, and appeals at your listener just makes it more likely she hears you as Charlie Brown’s teacher (“wah, wah, wah…wah, wah, wah!”) or even worse, that she tunes away or even turns you off.

We don’t want this to happen. The goal is helping her stay and to come back.

So, here’s the question: For each new item you’re adding to your station or program, what will you stop doing?

More is not more effective. More concise, more obvious and fewer messages. Now that’s more effective!

The CMB Momentum Conference 2022 was a special week with amazing worship music and outstanding speakers. For us at Finney Media, there was one speaker who made some great points in ways we’ve never said, but we thought you should hear.

Brant Hansen (of Brant & Sherri on-air and the Brant & Sherri Oddcast) gave a sobering and very hopeful talk on our role as Christian media.

Our world has “OD’d on freedom” and that has resulted in an unsatisfying, unhappy culture. Epidemics of depression, anxiety, lack of purpose and suicide. And that’s where we come in.

Many secular voices are giving advice on how to get through this . . . but few of them talk about forgiveness.

A culture that’s all about anger and despair, and we’re often the only non-anxious media voice, who will tell them the truth about…

We couldn’t have said it better. And we’re thankful Brant did! For such a time as this . . .

If you have the opportunity, we recommend you WATCH Brant’s entire half hour talk.* Sobering…hopeful…and worth it!

*A valid CMB membership and password required

The Generational Breakout Revealed in the 2021 Finney Media Why Listen® Survey

One of man’s most intriguing inventions might be the on/off button.

With the press of a push-button ignition switch, the mechanics of a modern car can create the opportunity for a leisurely Saturday drive. With another push, the sound of your station fills the automobile.

However, there is a downside. The off button is just as easy to push, allowing a user to escape unengaging content. Certainly, no Christian program or programmer sets out to create content that drives listeners to the off position. So, the central question is: What does the listener want to hear?

When the most recent Finney Media Why Listen® survey was released in the summer of 2021, Finney Media determined many of the primary reasons why people listen to Christian music, teaching, and hybrid radio stations. Remarkably, nearly 90 percent of respondents indicated that Christian radio helps bring personal spiritual growth.

The question we look at today is this: Is this true generationally? Are these listening attributes consistent generationally?

With feedback from nearly 11,000 respondents, Why Listen includes data to show what Millennials and the consistent core of the audience, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, desire.

Below you’ll find our headlines, headlines that we’ve presented before, but now broken out by generation. You’ll find Pew’s definition of each generation here.

Why Listen: Generational Response

Why do listeners listen—by age/generation (percentage who indicated that’s a Main Reason they listen)

It helps me worship God throughout the day (88%)

It helps me grow spiritually (81%)

I like worshipful Christian music (80%)

I want to be encouraged (77%)

It’s safe for me and my family to listen to (70%)

It helps me understand the Bible better (53%)

Topics of Interest—by age/generation. (percentage who indicated they are “very interested.”

A word from Scripture and how it might apply to your life today (84%)

Bible studies on TOPICS like prophecy, spiritual gifts, marriage, etc. (65%)

A series on an entire BOOK of the Bible (58%)

All the generations unite in a desire for spiritual content. Listeners want Scripture, topics about individual books of the Bible, teachings on topics such as marriage, prophecy, and spiritual gifts.

You can find out more about the “why” and “how” by reviewing Chuck Finney’s RECENT TALK at the NRB convention on ways to hear from your listeners. Please CONTACT US if you’d like more conversation on your specific ministry or station.

Recently, Larry Rosin, the President of Edison Research, wrote in Radio Ink about the changes in listening to various radio formats in America from 2011-2021. It’s an excellent article Music Radio: A Kingdom of Gold – Radio Ink and I urge you to read it.

In the middle of all that data and analysis is a truth that we can celebrate:

Contemporary Christian Music is the fastest growing format in America!

In Nielsen PPM markets from 2011-2021, based on percentage of Share Change Persons 6+, here are the Top 10 formats:

1. Contemporary Christian	+49%
2. Classic Rock	+30%
3. Classical	+22%
4. Spanish Contemporary	+17%
5. News/Talk	+8%
6. Classic Hits	+7%
7. Urban Adult Contemporary	+6%
8. Urban Contemporary/Hip Hop	+5%
9. (tied) All Sports	+0%
9. (tied) Spanish Adult Hits	+0%

Quoting Mr. Rosin: “The only formats with the word “Contemporary” in the name to have gone up are Spanish, which has risen modestly, and Contemporary Christian, which has soared in share over the last decade.” [emphasis added]

In the midst of one of the toughest times in our history, including now a pandemic where many people have lost friends and family, CCM has climbed in share of audience more than any other format! More and more people are choosing the life-giving Biblical encouragement our stations provide.

God is good!

(The Finney Media Why Listen® Survey has something to say)

Relationships are a lot like a riveting game of tennis. You say something, they say something, you say something again, and eventually you settle on plans to get appetizers and laugh a lot together. After a night out together, a positive relationship is further solidified. However, none of this can happen if the conversation never gets off the ground.

This plays out in Christian radio, too. In the 2021 Finney Media Why Listen® Survey, Millennials all the way through to the Baby Boomer generation, said that they find value in the relationship that they feel with the on-air hosts. Wondering the specific ages of each generation? Here’s the breakout according to Pew.* The voice on the radio says something, the listener feels something, the voice on the radio says something else, and the listener feels something else. Successful radio brands go above and beyond in creating an impenetrable relationship between the audience and the station.

When it comes to Christian radio, 71 percent of surveyed Millennials indicated that the on-air hosts are like family members they want to connect with every day. Eighty percent shared that they feel like the speakers care when they pray on-air for someone in need.

Millennials care about a relationship with their on-air family.

Here’s the comparison charted by generation:

What does this mean to your station or program?

Relationship, caring, vulnerability all matter. And going into the future they matter! Not sure what to do to accomplish this in the day-to-day? We can help with that. Visit our CONTACT PAGE to get in touch.

*PEW RESEARCH CENTER, THE GENERATIONS DEFINED CHART

Christian Radio: It’s the Only Good Thing