After being taught the basics
of radio at WLBU - the campus station of Liberty
University - I was taught what Christian radio really was
under the training of radio greats such as Don Harlan, Ray
Jones, Jackie Howard, and the late John Abbott. Though
the industry has lost the talents of Don Harlan and Ray
Jones to other pursuits - I know that Jackie Howard is
still out there with us! With the training drilled deep -
I headed out from Lynchburg, to St Louis. Why St Louis ?
Well, honestly -- God led me here through a wrestling
magazine! When I was in High School - I was in the pen
pal section of a wrestling magazine. This little girl
from St Louis wrote me - and we became the best of
friends. Years later -- God tugged at my heart and told
me to go get her. We've been married now for 12 years and
have two wonderful children! God can bless -- even
wrestling fans!
1. How did you wind
up at KXEN?
I applied to a newspaper
ad for a part time board operators position. They told
me at the time of hire that they would probably never
hire me full time because the owners prefered part time
workers. Two months later, I was full time - and that
was 12 years ago.
2. What is the most fulfilling aspect to you
personally about Christian radio?
The absolutely amazing
concept that I can flick a little switch in the control
room - and I create a signal that is sent out into the
heavens - and I may never know how many people that have
been touched, moved, convicted, or convinced by
something that I have said.
3. How has God used
you in your role at KXEN?
God put me here! The
station would never have been able to go through the
several different changes and transistions that it has
gone through in the past 12 years if someone with my
experience was not here to handle the ugly work behind
the scenes.
4. What is the
criteria that determines if a song receives airplay on
your station?
That's easy - If you
have a song about a Godly relationship with your
girlfriend or wife ! GREAT IDEA!
If you have a song about a
love for God -- GREAT IDEA! If you have a song that you
cannot tell if it is about a girlfriend or God -- thank
you ever so much for the shiney new coaster! Give me a
song that says something - and sounds good while it
does!
5. What kind of promotions work best for your
station?
Our listeners are
interested in things that involve our staff and/or
programmers. Remotes are BIG here! Whenever we say
that we are going out - they come! It is amazing to see
the diverse cross section of people that actually
listen. From teen kids who want us to play Jump 5 -
24/7 - to 50 year olds that think that we need to play
"Angel of Light" from Petra - every hour on the hour.
Getting out and meeting the folks -- they love it!
6. How do you think Christian
Record labels can better serve Christian radio?
Not to be silly -- but
ANSWER A PHONE! I am so tired of voice mail! Another
thing would be to actually learn how to use a database.
I am still receiving singles sent to our station for a
program director that has not been here for over 6 years
- addressed to a station that has not been in our
ownership for over 8. Yet, for the past two years - I
have been trying to get service and every month I am
sent begging and pleading for singles! I started in
radio broadcasting at 97 watts in market 86. We had at
least three copies of every single released sent to
us. We were a reporting station. I am now at 50,000
watts -in a Top 20 market -- since we are not a
reporting station - I have to literally beg to play a 4
minute commercial for someone's album.
7. In your opinion
what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian radio
today? I
think that all of our formats have skewed somehow! We
have completely lost the AC format. I think that it has
something to do with the fact that those programming the
main stations in the country tend to be in the younger
half of the demographic. I look at artists on the chart
that are not even IN the demographic - while other
artists speaking directly to the core $$ group of the
demograghic have been religated to Inspirational. Is it
any wonder that the industry is suffering ?
I also believe that
there seems to be this thought in the industry that if
it is secular - it must be good. I was highly offended
that I was asked to pay mega bucks to receive chart
information from a magazine that was going to devote
only two or three pages to my genre - yet still charge
me through the nose for the privaledge. THEN -- send me
something with half naked people on the cover. Try
explaining that to the 75 year old evangelist who was
dropping his tapes off when the mail came in.
8. What do you
believe is the primary role of the Christian radio air
personality today?
He/She needs to be a
compliment to what is going on musically. As I tell my
announcers, "..they don't tune in for you - they tune in
for the music - so please make their visit enjoyable
Add comments that enhance the message - or the listeners
knowledge of the group or particular song. If what you
are going to say will step on the song - or detracts
from it in any way - go back - turn off the transmitter
- and go home - because we will have lost our focus". --
It is called the "Jay-Newbie" speech :D
9. Where do you see Christian radio in 5 years?
I still think that
Christian radio is not done with the web yet. I see
there being a lot more interactive things in the
future. We are already seeing that programmers are
putting their content up for stations to download. I
see this as something exciting! I hope that more record
companies will take the cue and start servicing our
music this way. A sible e-mail with a password bulk
sent -- and in 5 minutes - a new song can be on the
air. Inotof / M20 -- GREAT IDEA! Please continue!
Curb Records -- feeding us through Freeradiotips.com!
PLEASE continue!
