Darla's Career Capsule
From spinning records, covering local news, including farm, school lunch and obituary reports, at WTOO in Bellefontaine, Ohio, to Assistant PD at WHK, Cleveland, to news reporting in Knoxville, TN, I spent years in secular media.  After a desperate encounter with Jesus Christ, and a drastic life-change, I surrendered my life and career to Him, and found myself in Christian media as a Producer and Co-Host of a talk-show on WTLW-TV44 in Lima, Ohio.  Then came marriage and 15 amazing years as a stay-at-home mom of three great kids. When my youngest was in kindergarten, God led my husband, Jeff,  and I into starting a regional network of CCRM (Calvary Chapel Radio Ministry) stations in North Carolina.  In 2010, through a miraculous series of events, we ended up in southwest Wisconsin starting a new independent radio network known as The Prayz Network.  Oh yes, God had to make it very, very clear that it was His will to get me to move from coastal NC to Wisconsin, where winter seemingly never ends!

1. Tell us about The Prayz Network and your role there ?

When we took on the task of building a new Christian radio network from the ground up, it was both daunting and exciting.  We were given a blank slate to program the station to encourage and equip listeners in their walk with God. We offer a great blend of AC music, features and teaching.  As a start-up ministry, I get to wear LOTS of hats, from PD to morning host, to FCC compliance, social media, marketing, promotions, and community relations to chief toilet scrubber, etc…

2. How is your station most impacting the community?

Since we went on the air 2 ½ years ago, we have seen dramatic life-change in our listeners-people set free from addiction and self-destructive lifestyles, lives and marriages restored and renovated, and many who grew up in church, finding a personal relationship with Jesus for the first time!   Located in a very liberal area that has not had a strong Christian radio signal until now, people are tuning in and finding answers, finding hope – finding God. It doesn’t get any better than that!

3. What is the best advice you've been given about getting into radio? The worst??

The best:  “Be real!”  The worst: “Try to imitate what someone else is doing.”

4. What is the one thing you can't program your station with?

Anything that is contrary to the Word of God (the essentials of the faith), uh, and I’m definitely not “called” to Southern Gospel J

5. Where will future Christian radio air talent come from?

Technology has made it pretty easy to “do radio,” from slicing & dicing editing, turntables and cart machines to everything digital,  but I truly believe God has to call and equip on-air talent to effectively reach and strengthen listeners in their walk with the LORD.  I think we are in for much tougher days as Christians, and pray He will raise up Christian broadcasters who will be His voice in the darkness.

6. What is your most memorable promotion so far?

As a fairly new station, with limited staff and resources, we haven’t been able to do any really big, exciting promotions, just the usual giveaways, a few remote broadcasts, etc…, but stay tuned, I have lots of ideas for the future!

7. Generally speaking to the industry what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian radio today?

Aside from the hostile environment in which we live and speaking to an ever-eroding, “tolerant” culture that has no standard of right and wrong, I think the biggest obstacle we face as Christian broadcasters is losing focus of who we are and why we are doing what we are doing.  Not that we can’t have fun (if I didn’t laugh, I’d go crazy!), but everything we do should be in keeping with the purpose of our ministry.  The other big obstacle I see is that there are so many choices vying for listeners’ attention, and that’s particularly challenging in this ADD society!  How do we get and keep them?

8. Do you feel syndication is good or bad for Christian radio?

I guess it is both.  Bad, in that we can lose our main strength-being “local.”  Good, in that consolidating our resources has the potential for producing a better and more effective product/ministry in a world that has gone “global” anyway.

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