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April 3, 2020
Clarity in a CrisisEvery crisis is clarifying.
Many people rise to the occasion and immediately look for a way to help and, unfortunately, others look to exploit it for their own gain.
During the response to COVID-19, it’s also been clarifying to learn what businesses the government identify as “essential.” Fortunately for us, radio is deemed essential. However, it is Christian radio that, I’d argue, is even more than essential. It’s uniquely suited to respond to this pandemic.
Before sharing the uniqueness of Christian radio in this crisis, allow me to clarify what Christian radio is not here to do:
- Christian radio is not here to inform. We have the internet, television, and news/talk radio for that. How much more information do we really need anyway?
- It’s not here to merely entertain. We are flooded with an endless supply of in-home entertainment to stream. Whether it’s Tiger King last month or the highly-anticipated ESPN Michael Jordan documentary mini-series coming out later this month, there are no shortage of options to entertain or distract us for a while.
- It’s also not uniquely suited to play positive music. There are thousands of streams on Spotify, Apple Music, and beyond that do just that. And you can even skip the songs you don’t like.
Christian radio is uniquely positioned to share the love of Christ in a personal way. That’s what people need most right now. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know there is a God who loves them and see His people respond to this crisis in love. Rather than explain “God is in control,” to lament with those who are suffering.
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March 27, 2020
The Corona FilterUp front, I’ll admit to you: I was not prepared for Corona. In fact, almost a month ago, when a peer PD emailed me his station’s Corona Contingency Plan, I was like “Pshh, it’ll never come to that!” I went on vacation. Of course it “came to that” while I ...
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March 20, 2020
NAVIGATING CRISIS: 5 Things You Must Do NowBlankets were spread on the ground. Some brought wine and cheese. To make sure others knew their social class, many wore opera glasses. Families and groups of friends gathered around picnic baskets to watch the “show.” Voices were raised. Jokes were ...
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Recently in a coaching session, the air talent complained about how many ultrashort song intros we seem to have, and asked whether she should try and rush something meaningful into a very small space. Well first of all, intro times, like lengths of songs or whether they ...
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March 6, 2020
Do Radio the Chick Fil A Way,What phrase is Chick Fil A famous for saying? I’ll give you a moment to think or phone a friend. (Cue Jeopardy theme and let it ride….) OK. Time’s up. “My pleasure.” While it may not ALWAYS be their pleasure, it’s hard to tell as a customer. In fact, as ...
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February 28, 2020
Does your station fundraising efforts have the Panera ProblemMillions of Americans gather at Panera Bread each week to meet friends, conduct business, and use the free WiFi. In fact, Panera was once the largest free WiFi provider in the U.S. In 2010, they took their benevolence to the next level when they introduced Panera Cares, a ...
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February 21, 2020
What To Do When You Can’t Say Something “Meaningful”Recently in a coaching session, the air talent complained about how many ultra-short song intros we seem to have now, and asked whether she should try and rush something meaningful into a very small space. Well first of all, intro times, like lengths of songs or whether ...
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February 14, 2020
Air Talent: How to Pull Off a Reverse-CrossoverThe talent pool is suddenly deeper than it has been in recent years, thanks sadly to recent cutbacks at companies like iHeart and Entercom. Aside from those infamous chops, many of those left in mainstream radio find themselves overworked and undervalued. If you’re a ...
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February 7, 2020
Your NAME Should Be Your BrandIt seems like every year, the descriptors for stations in our format get more shopworn and stale. And there’s a simple reason for it: in most instances, they’re just your aspirations – how you want to be thought of – rather than who and what you are in the mind of ...
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January 31, 2020
Consultants? More like CONsultants!Maybe radio would be in a better place if consultants hadn’t been allowed in to step in and ruin us. If you’ve never felt this way, you know people who have. Honestly, I was one of them. “Was” being the key word. I’ll give away the ending right up front: ...