Portland is a very liberal area and one
of the more un-churched areas of the country. And with as
much rain as we get here, I soon learned new weather
terminology when I came here, like “look for sun-breaks
today!” and also “LOOK OUTSIDE! The mountains are out!”.
We don’t tan, we rust!
2. What is the most fulfilling aspect to you personally
about Christian radio?
Being able to have a career for 22
non-stop years in radio has fulfilled a desire I’ve had
since I was 7 years old listening to Larry Lujack on WLS in
Chicago. Having a job that is another extension of my faith
couldn’t be better!
3. How do you personally keep the ministry in the business?
As we work to appeal to a broad
audience, you don’t hear us doing things like giving “The
Verse of the Day”, but I hear month after month from
listeners that the music really touches them and encourages
them. Its great when we get the chance to connect one on
one with our listeners either in person, on the phone, or
through emails. Many times I find I’m the one being
ministered to.
4. What is the criteria that determines if a song receives
airplay on your station?
Like many stations, we do our best to
research what our listeners WANT to hear.
5. What kind of promotions work best for your station?
As far as on-air promotions, the
contest in and of itself needs to be entertaining for
EVERYONE who’s listening, and the prize awarded needs to be
valuable and desirable… not just the usual free CD.
6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
Some labels have actually started doing
some of this, but I’d love to see them do more music
research.
7. In your opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing
Christian radio today?
We’re blessed to have a great marketing
budget, but I know MANY don’t. It’s hard to draw new
listeners if they’re not aware you exist. It’s hard to KEEP
listeners if you’re not constantly reminding them to tune
in.
8. What do you believe is the primary role of the Christian
radio air personality today?
Obviously, we’ve heard time and time
again that we need to be relatable and connect with our
listeners. Give her a name, make up a profile and get to
know her. That still holds true. Know who your listeners
are and what they’re doing. Find what makes them smile and
glad they took the time to listen… and don’t waste their
time to take 45 seconds to tell them something when you
could done it in 15 seconds!
9. What (if any) other Christian radio stations do you
consider as innovators today?
Anytime I’m in Orlando (not often
enough!) I love listening to WPOZ. The last time I was
there, they were in the middle of their share-a-thon, they
made it SO entertaining to listen to! Asking for financial
support can be such a tune out, but the take-off of Extreme
Home Make-Over they were doing made you want to keep
listening! I also have much respect for what the guys at
WayFm are doing. They really have a great product that
gathers in some younger demo’s which as a whole in our
industry are not being serviced as well.
10. Where do you see Christian radio in 5 years?
In five years I still see us using our
earth bound transmitters but I have a feeling some networks
may try to utilize satellite as well.
