Matt's Career Capsule
December 1987 to March 2012
Family Stations, inc. / Family Radio Network - Oakland, California...
July 1984 to February 1987
Ditto Video Productions - Paradise, and Chico, California
October 1982 to July 1984
KHSL Television - Chico, California

 

1. Tell us any recent changes (news) at KEPT?

As the station matures it will be programmed about 60% music and 40% local Christian teaching, talk, news/public affairs.  From within the KEPT FM coverage area we recently added a daily (M/F) teaching program produced by Calvary Chapel of Fremont, and a weekly English program produced by Chinese for Christ Church of Hayward, and shortly a daily program from Calvary Chapel of Mountain View will be added.  This is in addition to the local programming produced by the station owner Calvary Chapel of Hayward, CA.

Technically, we are preparing to raise our transmitting antenna 15 feet.  This may not sound like much, but it potentially ads about 20 to 40 thousand people to the 500,000 thousand that hear KEPT as a local station now.

2. What was the process in getting KEPT on the air?

KEPT came out of the Low Power FM (LPFM) filing window of August 2014.  The last filing window was 10 years before and at that time no LPFM's were granted in the San Francisco bay area!  A minor change in the FCC rules made some channels available in very limited locations this time.  Calvary Chapel Hayward was 1 of 6 groups that applied for 96.9 mHz in the San Francisco Bay area.  We were the only applicant that could move our transmitter location away from the others and still serve our proposed city of license, making this move got us the channel 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  Many people have LPFM channels they have to share with other organizations, not us.

KEPT is owned by a small church, 40 adults on a good Sunday.  We applied for this station when bigger churches passed on the opportunity to reach half- a million or more people.  We needed about $15,000 in equipment to go on the air.  God blessed us in advance and met all of our needs.  When we went on the air February 14^th 2015 everything was paid for.

3. How has the response been to the station?

Good, people like our eclectic mix of Music.  Our music is not day parted.  We play classic and new Contemporary Christian Music, often with influences of country, jazz, blues, rap.  Also in the mix is a lot of Black Gospel.  We like to play musically modern versions of Hymns, but avoid recordings where bits of additional wording have been added just to make the Hymn be that artist's.  We feel there is a horrible trend in Christian music to take the great hymns of the faith mess with them and make them less than they what they were.  With the hymns we are not talking about musical style, but the adding of some “ditty” to every song on a recording of hymns.

4. What is the best programming advice you've been given? The worst?

(best) We air very little nationally distributed programming, but one program that's had a great reception is Unshackled.  For decades it was one of the most popular Christian programs heard in the San Francisco Bay area.  People were very disappointed when it was dropped over 10 years ago by a national network that has a station in the area.  Bringing it back has made people very happy with us!

(worst) Comes as a question: “Why don't you play the same music as K-love?  I like them!”  It seems that many Christians forget that the people of this world are very diverse.  Our coverage is overlapped by K-Love.  What good would we do the Kingdom of God if we just replicated what our brothers are doing?  In the short life of KEPT FM we find ourselves ministering to people that would not listen long to K-Love, and to the glory of God there are people who will be ministered to by K-Love who would be turned off by us.

5. What is the ONE thing you must have everyday to do your job?

The encouragement of other Christians.

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

Those who are called by God and who respond.

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

It's a mix.  If you are involved with a community on air, and have a physical presence your ministry is much more likely to hit it's mark.  I also feel some day “distant remote control radio stations” will find themselves out of favor with the FCC and even Congress.  The things that make you local will help you survive.

8. Who are your radio heroes and influences? and why?

Carl Auel.  He was part owner of the 1^st broadcast station I worked for when I was in High School.  Christian formatted KEWQ (now KKXX) Paradise, CA.  I often tell people my early education in radio was at Carl's expense!  Carl was also the head of the New Station Development Department for Family Radio in Oakland, CA  Carl is a major reason why Family Radio grew to be so big at it's peak.  He was my boss when I came to finish the build of Family's 1^st TV station, KFTL, Stockton.  Carl taught me the business of broadcasting, and the strategies of getting new broadcast outlets.  KEPT-LP, Hayward, California would not be on the air without the skills Carl freely shared with me.  When I was in High School I would drive from my home in Chico, California to Carl's office in Sacramento at Family Radio's KEBR.  I was then free to pick up and go through anything on his desk (what an education) just as long as I put it back in the same place.  It was very disturbing to the KEBR staff that Carl gave me permission “rummage” even when he was not there.

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