I actually heard of hisair.net from one of my past GM’s, logged on to the site, Picked the 10 top stations I would want to work with, and sent demo packages covered in prayer for Gods Will to be done. My wife and I prayed that the doors that were supposed to be open would be wide and the doors that should be closed would be locked and bolted. That is exactly what happened. God is so faithful!

When a little girl sends me a Christmas card with a photo of herself to tell me she is home-schooled and listens to my shift to start her day and continues to listen all day long. Or when someone stops by a remote to say hi and tells me they appreciate the prayer every morning before I start my shift. Helping people through their day is the most fulfilling thing about what I do.

The Bridge has gone through a lot of changes recently, some of which have been very difficult transitions. I hope I have been able to make those transitions, or at least my part of them, as painless as possible. I like to cut up and joke from time to time, so among other things, I have been able to bring a little levity to some potential difficult situations. But the bottom line is the listener. I have met so many people who have relayed story after story about how God has used me in their life to make a difference.

4. What is the criteria that determines if a song receives airplay on your station?

I use several criteria. The over-all sound and message are most important. Does it fit into an AC format? I also work with some ladies in the office that usually have a pretty sensitive finger on the pulse of what will work and what won’t. Finally, once we are airing a song, we test it to see what our listener advisory panel thinks of it. We have over a thousand people in our panel to whom we send our surveys. I also get monthly reports of the best selling CD’s from bookstores in the area.

 

5. What kind of promotions work best for your station?

Prizes are always a good thing, but we try to do things where you register for smaller prizes won along the way, with a much bigger prize to be won at the end of the promotion. For instance, our Bridge Winter Wonderland Fun Stops promotion was last month. We set up at an advertisers business for an hour, broadcast live, and let people register for the prize of that stop, usually between fifty and a hundred dollars in value. At the end of the promotion, we pool all the names into a hopper and draw the name of the winner of the grand prize, this year a value of about $700. Progressive promotions seem to do well for us.

6. How do you think Christian Record labels can better serve Christian radio? 

Accessibility is key. If we can’t gain quality access to the artists we play, we may as well not be playing them. Generic liners are o.k., but personalized liners recorded in a studio are great. Also, a website with “little known information” and bios of all their artists would be a very useful tool. Maybe something with seemingly “useless” fun information like favorite color, high school sweetheart, thing like that. It could be used for on-air trivia or contests and the like.

7. In your opinion what are the biggest obstacles facing Christian radio today?

Apathy and change. Too many people are used to doing the same thing day-in and day out, so if what you are doing is different, the fear is that it will be perceived as a bad thing. The listeners who do like the changes, for the most part, tend to be too apathetic to pick up the phone and show their support. Making changes can be like pulling teeth. I seems like, (again, refer to the apathy), the only response stations get from change is opposition, and that can hinder management from taking the chance, leading to stale radio.

8. What do you believe is the primary role of the Christian radio air personality today?

I try to be entertaining, engaging, and interesting so as to help my listener start her day positively, but my primary goal is to be an encourager. I know that not everyone gets to work in an environment surrounded by believers. For most of our listeners, the opposite is true. If I can provide encouragement and strength for someone’s day, without being preachy, and it helps her deal with the guy in the next office or cubicle, I have done my job. As a result, I am helping her live a life that will set forth an example. When that happens, I have not only affected her life, but the lives of everyone she comes into contact with. I don’t take my responsibility to my listener lightly, I just try to show that the Christian life is not boring or dull, or at least shouldn’t be.
 

9. What (if any) other Christian radio stations do you consider as innovators today?

I have always held a couple of stations in high esteem, from the moment I was introduced to them. The first of which is KSBJ in Houston. That is a great station that does not settle for second best just because they are a Christian station, or because they are a non-commercial station. They don’t use it as a crutch, they use it as a spring board. The other is KXOJ in Tulsa. I have enjoyed their format from the first time I listened. Whenever my family travels to T-Town, (my wife and I both have family there), our dial goes to KXOJ. I did have one problem with both of them, though. Neither one of them hired me. (laughing) 

10. Where do you see Christian radio in 5 years?

If we’re still here… I think Christian radio will continue to be a great tool of encouragement for Christians. I also believe we will begin to see more “specialized” stations with Christian formats. In other words, more stations with say all spanish programming or all children’s programming, things of that nature. We will also see what I have been witness to on a first-hand basis. More stations converting to satellite affiliation, causing some of us to log on to www.hisair.net.