Pauls'
Career Capsule
Since my voice
changed, friends had been encouraging me to consider a
career in radio, but I thought I was headed for overseas
missions. It wasn't until my first semester of computer
programming at Oklahoma Baptist University, that I decided
radio was a much more enjoyable career than pouring over
lines of code! Still planning on pursuing missions, I went
to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
While there, Jim Howard at KNRB gave me my first "real"
radio job in 1992, working evenings and Saturdays. A few
years later, I worked briefly with Wes Ward and the fine
staff at KCBI. In 1996, I decided to take a sabbatical and
went to work for Josh McDowell's Radio program. I enjoyed
seeing things from the program producing side, but the
on-air bug had bit, and I returned to radio at KJLY in Blue
Earth, Minnesota in 1998. Having appreciated Moody since
working with Wayne Shepherd
while with Josh
McDowell, I joined Moody's Chattanooga station in 2001.
1. How did you wind up at
WMBW?
Interesting how God provides!
I had actually applied for another Moody station and did not
know about the
Chattanooga opening. I was feeling a restlessness, that
perhaps I was supposed to be serving elsewhere, but didn't
know where. I was praying "God, I know if You want
me to work somewhere else, you can bring a job to me , if You choose ."
The station I applied to decided to hire internally, but
passed my name on to Leighton LeBoeuf, Station Manager of
WMBW, who e-mailed me and asked if I would be interested in
interviewing for his opening. I agreed and the rest is,
well, you know.
2. What is the most fulfilling aspect to you
personally about Christian radio?
The thing that really
encourages me about Christian radio is its ability
to reach hearts that may never be touched in another way.
Someone who may never open their door to a stranger carrying
a Bible, might be willing to listen to compelling Christian
radio. After reading personal accounts of people who have
come to Christ, who have decided against committing suicide,
whose broken-hearts
have been encouraged when nothing else would do, I am
convinced that God is using Christian radio to accomplish
His will, and I'm excited to be a part of it.
3.How has God used you in
your role at WMBW?
As host of The Journey Home,
our afternoon drive program, I enjoy sharing little bits of
what God has showed me, to encourage listeners to plunge
into the deep living water He offers. Really, what I hope
listeners hear is a fellow brother in Christ who makes
mistakes but also knows of God's
forgiveness and hope, and I
pray they'll want the same. Occasionally, I am able
to hear how God has used something on WMBW to change a life
or encourage someone, and that is humbling because
I'm reminded again
that "it's a God-thing."
4. What is the
criteria that determines if a song receives airplay on your
station?
Because we are a Moody owned
and operated station, the music adds are chosen in our
national programming office. The criteria for airplay
include lyrics that are Biblically informed, music that is
performed with excellence, and the integrity of the artist
or group. On a local level, as Music Coordinator, it is my
job to schedule the music. In the past year and a half,
Moody has incorporated much more "praise and worship"
music. As I program, I desire to blend as much as possible,
the potentially differing styles of music, to provide a mix
that is both pleasant to listen to, but also thematically
similar.
5. What kind of promotions work best for your station?
Like most of us, I think
people really enjoy getting something for free, so we try to
make sure and offer books, CDs, etc, but also to offer
something unique. So far, the best promotion since
I've been here was a remote at an area dairy,
Mayfield, which provides milk and ice cream products to the
Southeast.
We had
listeners who came 50+
miles with their children to sample free ice cream
and to get a chance
to win some Adventures in Odyssey items. Also,
Andy Napier, our Program Director and promotions
genius, decided to hold a blindfolded taste-test. The
Mayfield people got into the fun, and
it seemed that everyone had a great time!
6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve
Christian radio?
Personally, because the
lyrical content is so very important, I appreciate when the
lyrics are
sent along with the singles.
I use them to create an internal lyrics website
that all of the Moody O & O's can access. Perhaps the best
service, though, is for those who develop and manage the
artists, to continue to deepen their own walks
with Christ and encourage the same in their artists. In
this way, we'll continue to have great music founded on His
Word!
7. In your opinion what
are the biggest obstacles facing Christian radio today?
I think the challenge that
Christian radio faces is the same one
that we all face...how do we be IN the
world but not OF it? In
what ways can or should we be different than the
other radio stations available, so that we draw people in
and point them to Christ? Paul's
words in I Corinthians continue to offer a compelling
challenge "I have become all things to all men, so that I
may by all means save some." I pray God will continue to
give creativity to Christian broadcasters in a variety of
formats and unique programming, so that we can "save some."
8. What do you believe is
the primary role of the Christian radio air personality
today?
I believe the primary role is
to point to Jesus. In His earthly ministry, Jesus was real,
He was approachable, and He pointed people to the Father. I
see my role as a personality to be approachable and
to be a friend, the
kind of friend they want
take with them while driving in the car, running errands,
washing dishes, preparing dinner, wherever life takes them.
As that friend, sometimes I just play music, sometimes I
share something funny that happened at home, sometimes I
offer an encouraging word, sometimes a challenging one, and
sometimes I offer a bit of scripture or a great quote. It
is really my hope that in some way, I can encourage
listeners to pursue their own walk with Christ, or begin one
if they don't know Him.
9. What (if any) other Christian radio stations do you
consider as innovators today?
I have a great appreciation
for many of the Christian broadcasters I've had the
opportunity to read about and listen to, each seeking to
reach listeners in creative ways, including KCBI, KXOJ, the
Fish stations, and Air1. Someone I greatly appreciate is my
program director from Minnesota, Rick Boyd, who now leads
KJCY in Mason City, Iowa. He has a real passion for
blending the Word along with the music, both in short
program format and in announcer comments. Rick draws on his
knowledge of both Greek and Hebrew to offer short
"teachings" in the midst of a Inspo/light AC format. He
uses his unique giftings and training to present a
"tapestry" of music and programming.
10. Where do you see
Christian radio in 5 years?
I'm not much of a
prognosticator, but I anticipate Christian radio may
develop new ways to personalize the "radio
experience". As we continue to experience communication
saturation, with cell phones, e-mails, etc, we also face an
overload of information, forcing us to find ways to filter
out what we don't want. RSS clients for the internet are
gaining speed, offering a way to distill the info feeds from
a variety of sites into one client, allowing the enduser to
read only the news and info they want. Perhaps in some
ways, Christian Radio that will be successful will serve as
an RSS client of sorts to
its listeners.
Maybe we'll find a way to offer our programming as a form of
RSS feed, allowing the listener to program our station to
their preferences...like Proclaim at 6 am and music at
7...it's yours! Want music at 6 and Focus on the Family at
7 on Tuesdays and Fridays ?...no
problem ! What
would be unique about the station then? Perhaps it comes
back the personality...people will still need friends.
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