1. Tell us about your market and how it is unique?

Huntsville has had several Christian music stations in the past 5 or 10 years, but they were both sold to mainstream companies.  So, when WAY-FM came in to the market with a full-power station a year and a half ago, people were starving for it.  That hunger really helped us start off on the right foot.  Also, Huntsville is home to NASA and a ton of other tech companies, which means that we’re flooded with young families who have moved here from other parts of the country.  It’s a Southern town full of Northerners (a.k.a. “Yankees”)!

2. What is the most fulfilling aspect to you personally about Christian radio?

That’s easy – changed lives.  And not just in the salvation sense, though that’s certainly important, but in the day to day sense.  Christian music has the power to offer hope and encouragement when life gets tough.  Other formats don’t do that.  We hear from people every day who have been touched in one way or another by something they’ve heard on WAY-FM.  Knowing that somehow, in some small way, I’m a part of helping people make it through their day is pretty cool.  I can’t imagine doing anything else.

3. How has God used you in your role at WAY FM?

God has given me the gift of creativity (though my parents didn’t exactly call it a “gift” growing up), and WAY-FM has been the perfect outlet for that.  The goal isn’t to be crazy or silly or stupid, but memorable.  Though that can be a fine line to walk, I think we’ve done that really well so far.  There are so many facets to what WAY-FM does too (on-air, website, newsletter, concerts, etc.) that this crazy amount of creativity has a bunch of outlets – which is nice.  I’m also a very relational person, and it has been crucial to our success that we develop as many relationships as possible, both on the air and off.  Relationships equal emotional connections, and emotional connections win every time…especially in a format where women are the target.

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

By far, the most successful things we’ve done have been community focused instead of station or prize focused.  Community-based promotions do several things that giveaways (trips, tickets, etc.) don’t.  First, the station and our listeners get to be involved in something positive for our area.  Second, everyone feels like a winner afterward.  If my major Spring promotion was giving away a trip, every listener (except for one) would feel disappointed when the contest was over.  Instead, thousands of people feel good about helping people in need, and, better yet, they credit the radio station for that feeling.  Finally, local television stations and newspapers love to cover “feel-good” stories.  We recently had every major TV network and the Huntsville Times at one of our promotions!  If your goal is to get your station in front of as many people as possible and then leave them with a positive impression of you, this is a great way to do it. 

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

My dad is a pastor, and it’s amazing how many parallels can be drawn between the problems that churches face and the problems that Christian radio encounters.  The main one is the seeker-friendly vs. ministry-minded debate.  Do you pick one strategy?  Try both?  Try different things in different dayparts?  It’s tough to fill people spiritually without turning off seekers.  On the flip side, it’s hard to cater to non-Christians without leaving the rest of your audience feeling empty.  Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Church in Chicago have figured this out, and Christian radio stations must do the same.  Hybels has several great books (Courageous Leadership would be an example) that apply to radio stations too!

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

Our role is to provide compelling content that meets the listener where she is, upholds her values, and involves her community.  That role is essentially the same for every air personality (Christian or not), though the methods can obviously be very different.  With satellite radio, MP3 players, and the internet vying for our audience now, community involvement and focus has to become increasingly important.

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

The other stations in WAY-FM’s network.  Am I allowed to say that?!  I know I’m a bit biased, but I’m constantly amazed at the incredible creativity and consistent focus that our other stations have.  It’s nice to work with such a great team of people.

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

That’s a pretty tough call to make, but here’s a guess.  We’re starting to see a ton of crossover artists, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.  The good news is that Christian music is finally being recognized by the mainstream world.  However, if this trend continues, the problem will be differentiating our stations from the competition.  Already WAY-FM is sharing MercyMe, Switchfoot, Stacie Orrico, and Jars of Clay with several other stations in the market, and in five years it could be a whole lot more than that.  Christian radio has succeeded many places simply because it’s different musically.  If those lines continue to blur, many stations are going to have to step up their programming, promotions, and talent in order to survive.  We’ve already seen this trend with Christian retailers.  Wal-mart has put a lot of local stores out of business because they offer the same CD’s and books but at better prices.  Christian radio would be naïve to think that the same thing won’t happen to us.