I hear there are more “religious” radio stations in the United States than any other format category.  Unfortunately those religious stations combined have fewer listeners than any other.  The reason for that is quite simple.

A radio station cannot grow its audience unless it is designed to grow its audience.  To grow a station one must think beyond songs and deejays and sweepers.  One must think strategically.  Eh, gad!

A strategy is a plan that incorporates big picture concepts such as:

Why does the radio station exist?

Who are our listeners?  What do they desire and expect from our station?

Oh, the irony.  Our Christian faith may be the most strategic thing there is, and yet it is the format where the most stations are disconnected to strategy.

Consider this if you will…

Our faith flows from the big picture.  There is a God.  He made everything.  He created us for a purpose.  He desires a relationship with us.  Jesus Christ is the focal point of that God-man relationship.  If that’s not big picture I don’t know what is.

Interesting then that many Christian radio stations ignore strategy and focus only on the day to day tactics – the songs, the contests, the liners, the deejays.

One owner recently shared with me his concern for why his radio station was carrying programs that are counter to their own beliefs.

I know of a program director that recently made decisions without regard for how it would impact the station’s growth.  Yessir!  It was simply what he wanted to do.

Your radio station can be transformed if you’ll answer two simple questions:

What do people expect and desire from the station?

How consistently do you pay off on those expectation?

Congratulations!  In answering those two questions you’ve begun the journey of thinking strategically.