1. How did you wind
up at The Fish?
I was in the midst of a job search when my pastor
suggested I give them a call. After meeting Sue Wilson
(our PD) I was certain that this is where I wanted to
be. I was thrilled when she hired me.
2. What is the
most fulfilling aspect to you personally about
Christian radio?
That I get to do what I was designed and created to
do. I LOVE radio. Songs and melodies can sometimes
just reach right into a heart and touch a life with
what it needs in an instant. That moment in time is
just so powerful and intimate to the listener. And
that I can spin a song that does that on an eternal
scale is nuts. I’ve been given the joy of pointing to
a purpose through this format. That is overwhelming!
3.How has God
used you in your role at The Fish?
I don’t really know. I suppose there are lots of
different ways. I think I’m a light. And perhaps an
encouragement. I do know I have high expectations of
excellence that I bring to my job, and so anything
that crosses my desk, or that I’m assigned to do, I
want to be the best. I believe, as a Christian, I’m
called to produce a product reflective of a child of a
King, literally.
4. What is the
criteria that determines if a song receives airplay on
your station?
It’s pretty simple
really. We are a music station. So we follow the rules
of music programming. For example, here are a few
questions that I think should be standard at any
station: Is it a good song that she (our target) will
like and respond to? Does it fit our format? Does it
fit our station, market, vision, & mission?
5. What kind of promotions work best for your
station?
The year I’ve been here I’ve seen success with almost
anything we have done. My experience at The Fish and
the other stations I’ve worked for remind me of the
loyalty of the Christian radio listener so public
appearances are effective. Anytime you can meet them
face-to-face they seem to flock.
6. How do you
think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
I think the labels I’ve worked with and among do a
great job. If I had to say one thing I was passionate
about it’s not forgetting the role of radio and caring
for the relationship between the artist and the
station. I remember watching Mercy Me win the Dove for
“I Can Only Imagine” and they thanked “Radio”. Then,
in the following year…after the Dove…that song
got spun on a station and climbed all new charts all
over again. There are a few reasons that happened.
First, it’s an AMAZING song. AND listeners heard it on
their local stations and they liked it, because it’s
an amazing song…that they heard on their station…etc.
7. In your
opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing
Christian radio today?
Not taking the
responsibility to expand cume and increase tsl
seriously enough. It would be nice to see better
stewardship and higher expectations in this format.
There is a great illustration given by Jesus about how
we are to invest what He has put in our care. I think
it ought to be framed and put on every GM, PD, MD, &
Air Personalities desk to remind them that in order to
reach, you’ve got to stretch.
8. What do you
believe is the primary role of the Christian radio air
personality today?
Imagine you got
invited to a party where you knew you wouldn’t know
anyone…when you arrived, you’d be on a mission. You
would search out the familiar, the friendly, the one
you know and trust and the one you believe genuinely
cares about you and is glad you showed up. That’s the
relationship we should have with her. She should love
our company and want to be around us. And like all
great relationships, that means we need to take the
time to get to know her and spend some time talking
about what she cares about.
9. What (if any)
other Christian radio stations do you consider as
innovators today?
Musically, I really think of The Fish as being one
of the best at this. They are impacting markets and
setting higher standards. Whenever the bar is raised,
we all improve. From a non-commercial standpoint, I
love the vision of WAYFM and the sound of KLOVE.
10. Where do you
see Christian radio in 5 years?
A lot of that will have to do with where radio is
in 5 years. But I’d like to see more choices in radio.
CHRs, Inspos, ACs all in the same market feeding
different targets and gaining the respect of the
media. I’d like to see this format grow and get used
more by the people who won’t use it now. That might
take getting out of the box and the comfort zone. It
worked for Peter…