Can I mention three
"most important" things? It's awesome to reach people
for Christ while getting to do radio. Getting to work
with a talented, motivated staff like we have is very
fulfilling. And I now work at a station my family can
listen to.
3.What do you attribute the recent
ratings success at 94.9 KLTY to?
God. I was at the
Michael W. Smith/Third Day concert last night listening
to Smitty sing, "You are the air I breathe" and thinking
how profound that is. Without Him, we wouldn't even
have breath. So, what we're experiencing this year at
94.9 KLTY is all His too. We've just gotten the
opportunity to be the junior partners to the work He's
doing here.
4. How important are ratings
for 94.9 KLTY?
Given that it's the
measure of how well we're reaching listeners, they are
very important.
5. Do you think 94.9 KLTY can
sustain the current ratings?
This will sound
cliche, but Lord willing, we will. I am sure of this:
the ratings will go up at times and they will go down at
times. We're trying to ensure they're in general up.
6. When searching for new CCM
radio on air talent what do you look for?
Frankly, the same
things we would look for in any air talent: talent,
coachability, work ethic, focus. We're less concerned
about experience in bigger markets than other stations
and more concerned about a candidate's ability to get
the job done. And even when we're not looking for a
specific opening, we're still looking for great people
for future possibilities.
7. In your opinion what are the
biggest obstacles facing Christian radio today?
Our obstacle is
also our opportunity: Reaching people beyond the
long-time core listener. There is such a huge demand
for positive, uplifting programming without the
courseness that's prevalent in much of the media. For
that reason, we have enormous upside.
8. What do you believe is the
primary role of the Christian radio air personality
today?
Like any strong
personality, they need to be able to touch listeners'
lives in a real way. We're blessed to have
some incredible talents like Frank Reed, Toni Trueblood,
Bonnie Curry, Tony Lopez and Andi Jaxson who do an
awesome job of being real, encouraging, positive and
fun.
9. What (if any) other Christian
radio stations do you consider as innovators today?
The growth of
Salem's Fish CCM stations has truly been
extraordinary. Salem made it possible for those
stations to not only get into the format, but to do it
in a way that is truly focused on reaching the most
listeners and be the most effective for our
advertisers. When you think about the changes the Fish
phenomenon has brought about - including reaching
millions more people nationwide with Contemporary
Christian music - it's amazing!
10. Where do you see Christian radio
in 5 years?
That's up to
Him. Today, things look bright. We are the
format for our time. And the audience in general is
more and more interested in programming that is
wholesome, positive, encouraging and uplifting. We are
wonderfully positioned to be a big part of that wave.