In this, the fourth of a four-part series on the state of Christian radio, we take a glimpse into radio's future—and how alternative technologies might affect the business.
There are two very different populations in the Christian music listening world. The first is represented by "Becky," the late 30s/early 40s "soccer mom" whom Christian AC radio targets.
Let's call the second "Bucky." He's much younger than Becky, but he also listens to music much of the day. Sometimes Becky and Bucky listen to the same music, maybe even for the same reasons. But there's a key difference between the two: Becky's music is delivered to her across the airwaves and through the speakers of her minivan. Bucky's music is downloaded and delivered through the white earbuds of his iPod.
The contrast between these two listeners, and the music they represent, is on the minds of many program directors at Christian radio these days. While Christian radio works from a finite playlist of a couple of hundred songs, the iPod and mp3 universes invite listeners to create their own personal playlists from among millions of songs.
Bucky has even set up his own virtual online radio station, where a "music engine" records the artists and songs he likes and then streams songs that match his profile, some he's never heard of. It is no wonder that Bucky complains that Christian radio plays the same songs over and over. He might even use the word that a prominent Christian artist recently used to describe Christian radio: "boring."
A trend toward sameness
Just as media, formats, and options in music have exploded over the past few years, Christian radio has changed the way it operates.
For some stations, decisions about which songs to play used to be made based on the gut feeling of a music director, but are now based on opinion data from advanced research services. Many in the industry applaud this evolution, and believe that a tight focus on a target audience and a clear understanding of her opinions are responsible for Christian radio's sustained growth. Others note a negative consequence and believe that Christian radio is spiraling toward sameness even as the iPod world becomes a playground of variety.
There is a certain logic to this trend toward similitude. Labels are aware that testing well has become a prerequisite for airplay in many markets. Naturally, labels encourage songwriting that sounds like the songs that currently test well, and choose singles accordingly. The consequence is that the variety in the pool of available singles shrinks. Test audiences wind up giving favorable ratings to songs that sound like every other song out there, because the songs they're testing are all so similar (even if their tastes have actually moved on).
The songs that test well get played, the cycle repeats itself over and over, and Christian radio becomes homogenous. Add to that the trend for stations to cut playlists and increase rotation, and it's not only the same types of songs that are played repeatedly, it's literally the same songs.
In the face of a world of iPods and technology, is radio doomed to obsolescence?
In defense of radio
Defenders of Christian radio point to ratings success and fall back on the very research that is criticized, saying that these numbers, and their anecdotal evidence in the form of encouraging calls and letters, suggest they are delivering exactly what their audience wants, not just in the form of entertainment but also in the form of ministry.
KSBJ's Tim McDermott is enthusiastic when he tells the stories of the people being reached by his station. "We're doing more than just playing songs. We're encouraging people, we're doing missions, changing lives. We're very involved in local ministry, and we recently highlighted worldwide ministry projects."
The very technology that some say might make radio obsolete has in fact expanded KSBJ's mission, enabling anyone with an Internet connection to listen. "We've gotten e-mails from Communist China, from India, from Saudi Arabia. You know it's not you. It's God working through you."
Shrinking playlists, growing buzz
Christian artists are equally ministry-minded, and as they seek radio airplay to expand that mission, many express frustration at what they believe is an inordinately difficult task.
Shaun Groves has learned firsthand about shrinking playlists. "At the time of my first record, I was told that radio stations had about 30 or more songs in current rotation. That number was half or less by the time of my third record."
Andrew Peterson points out that certain intangibles, which often bewilder him, also help determine airplay. "I think a lot of it has to do with 'buzz.' It's this stupid word that has very little to do with the Kingdom and what it's supposed to look like. If you're good-looking or controversial or the Next Big Thing, then everyone's talking about you and you have 'buzz' and therefore a better shot at success.
"When 'Nothing to Say' first hit the radio, it was remarkably well-received. I think it sounded kind of unique, and it mentioned Rich Mullins. He had died just a few years earlier and his absence was palpable. And for some reason I was given the temporary gift of 'buzz.' In the years since then, my writing has gotten much better, but radio's reception of the singles has gotten worse."
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Those who believe Christian radio has become more uniform would doubtlessly contend that songs that sound unique will struggle to find airplay today.
Chris Rice is another artist whose distinctive sound, embodied in 1997's "Deep Enough to Dream," helped him break onto radio.
"The song was different, and it caught people's attention," Rice says. "Since then, there is a lot of sameness, and it's more of a challenge now." Rice does note that the trend might not last forever: "Radio felt more creative then, but there seem to be seasons or waves."
'Edgier than it used to be'
Other artists contend that radio has begun embracing new sounds.
MercyMe's Nathan Cochran believes that the dominant Adult Contemporary format of Christian radio is "edgier than it used to be. The Rock genre is more popular than it has been."
Cochran points out that the mainstream success of several Christian Rock artists may have opened the door for Christian stations to play them, an observation that carries with it a certain bit of irony. Radio airplay charts do indeed reveal groups like Switchfoot and Kutless sprinkled among the AC mainstays. So perhaps AC radio is not as bland as some suggest.
Industry wrangling about airplay and exposure should not diminish what is at the heart of most of the people involved in making music and putting it on the air, which is using God-given gifts to build his kingdom.
Peterson struggles with the de facto need for self-promotion, but remembers his motivation: "The reason I want radio to play my songs is because I make this music in the hope that the people who listen will be encouraged, healed, called Home. I don't think too highly of myself and my songs, but I do think very highly of my God. If my own story of how he has rescued me, and is still rescuing me, can be a balm to some other soul in some other story, why wouldn't I want as many as possible to hear the music?"
Michael Card uses similar imagery, calling music "water that you wash people's feet with."
The future of the format
It's not just the size of playlists and methods of choosing songs that may be changing in radio. Emerging technologies, including but not limited to the iPod, are causing program directors to ponder the very future of their format.
Listeners have long lamented the lack of availability of Christian radio signals in so many cities and towns. The advent of satellite radio has changed that notion; Christian radio is available on both of the major providers, XM and Sirius, 24 hours a day, anywhere in the country.
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Jim Epperlein describes programming a station at XM as "Radio Heaven." He declares that "listeners want variety" and notes that the commercial-free satellite format and his decision to repeat songs less frequently allows XM to play far more songs every day than the typical terrestrial station.
Scott Lindy of Sirius has used the expanded playlist to incorporate special music features, including "Spirit Classics," which revives songs from some of Christian music's pioneers. "People are really excited. We'll receive 10 e-mails about, say, a Sandi Patty song before it even ends."
Terrestrial radio's answer to satellite just might be HD Radio. Delivering CD-quality sound, HD radio is a free broadcast from existing stations. Listeners need a special HD radio to receive the signal.
One very different aspect of HD radio is a station's ability to split their signal, providing an alternative feed. Some mainstream stations have already begun broadcasting Christian music on the so-called "HD2" band, and this makes some in Christian radio a bit antsy. Others in the industry are embracing the technology for themselves. KSBJ, for example, is raising funds to purchase their own HD transmitter.
Many believe the Christian AC stations moving to HD will be able to broaden their appeal to different demographics, providing music from other Christian genres on different bands.
Is iPod the enemy?
And let's not forget the iPod, which KSBJ's McDermott calls "the number one enemy of radio." The iPod and the digital music it plays are causing many to rethink their business models.
Derek Webb, who notes, "I'm not in the record business, I'm in the music business," recently gave away his latest CD online.
And Groves believes radio should not try to compete with the iPod culture, but should coexist with it. "The iPod is the most variety you ever want. Radio can't complete with that, but it can break hits for you to go buy on iTunes."
This might be a welcome future for labels, who have noticed that radio is attracting people who want what they call "wallpaper music," but not people who are passionate about music. Those who desire background music don't buy CDs, so increasing the size of an audience does not always mean increasing the number of CD buyers.
Christian radio faces several choices as it approaches this potentially tumultuous future. The narrow focus on a target audience might have been responsible for recent growth, but can that focus sustain growth, especially as ratings have flattened in many key markets?
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Some stations have already decided to broaden that focus, like Tulsa's KXOJ, which held a makeshift ceremony and figuratively "blew up Becky." K-LOVE is trying hard to reach non-Becky listeners, focusing efforts on an audience that only sometimes shows up at church. Mainstream radio, from which Christian radio borrowed many of its research practices, has recently begun to rethink those very practices. With research costs on the rise, will Christian radio follow suit? Are technologies like the iPod and HD radio the enemy, or an opportunity?
With so much to worry about, it is reassuring that so many bright and creative people remain in and are drawn to Christian radio. Their stories of how rewarding the experience is, stories of people touched and lives changed, remind the casual listener of God's uncanny ability to work when his servants are obedient.
As Marconi's "radiotelegraph" of 100 years ago meets the innovations of today, God is still using radio to deliver musical "water to wash people's feet with."
Mark Geil is a freelance writer andthe director of the Biomechanics program at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He lives in Kennesaw, Georgia with his wife and three daughters.