“Off air,” the TV schedule indicated. “No programming scheduled at this time” the box on the lower left read. It was 7:30 PM. Prime time, I think they call it.

I recently attended a major league baseball game where the concession stands on the third base side were all closed. If you wanted to give them your money there was no one there to take it, presumably the very reason they were there in the first place.

This one scenario defines the challenge;

It defines the challenge of the novice, and it defines the challenge of the seasoned pro.

It defines the challenge of the programmer, and it defines the challenge of the GM in supervising the programmer.

It defines the challenge of dealing with complaints, either from inside the building or from the outside our zip code. (See Frost Advisory #559 – It Needs More Salt)

It’s the easiest thing to do.

Those from another medium (whether ministry, public speaking, or TV), expect the process will be easy.

“Just do what I usually do but now do it for the radio.”

If you’ve been following this storyline the last couple of weeks (Part 1, Part 2) you know I’ve brought up an idea that I believe is transformative for our format.

Let me review for those just tuning in.

If all stations begin with the same general stack of tools (music, deejays, etc.), why are most stations in our format ordinary while only a few are transformational?

We radio folks are somewhat good at thinking about WHAT we do but far less good in thinking WHY we do it. Perhaps we should ask…

“What do we want our listeners to say when they listen?”

What if we design those elements with intentionality, understanding that our stations have the potential to be transformational?

On last week’s show I asked… so if radio stations in our format all begin with the same general stack of tools (music, deejays, etc.), why are most stations ordinary while only a few are transformational?

Last week I shared how my friend Joe Battaglia and I partnered with Ken Blanchard, author of the best-selling “One Minute Manager” series, to develop the national radio campaign for “Lead Like Jesus.” As we brainstormed ideas, Ken shared his experience of training the ballpark staff of the Padres’ Petco Park in San Diego.

They began with the end in mind:

What do we want fans to say when they are leaving the ballpark?

After several hours of discussion, it was transformed to this specific idea…

“I want to come back and I want to bring a friend.”

That one sentence crystalized their definition of success. The staff then went to work on creating a ballpark experience that could influence the conversation toward that response.

We radio folks are somewhat good at thinking about WHAT we do but far less good in thinking WHY we do it. Perhaps we should ask…

“What do we want our listeners to say when they listen?”

Every Christian music radio station starts with the same set of tools. There is a stack of tunes, access to a varied list of air talent, some highly trained and some just sticking their heads out of the egg, a laundry list of promotions, and marketing resources ranging from billboards and bumper stickers all over town to your city’s best-kept secret.

So, if we all start with the same set of tools, what makes some stations ordinary while others are transformational?

In my almost 50 years of broadcasting (hey, I started when I was a wee little child) one of the things that has made our format my all-time favorite to program is that every day it has the potential to be transformational. We certainly know that is true from a spiritual perspective in the remarkable music we play and the messages that are crafted to touch the soul, but there is another way our format can be transformational.

As your listeners and your town get back to living post-pandemic how is that being reflected on your radio station? “Live and local” is often cited by many in our industry as a panacea for what’s ailing us. While there is nothing wrong with giving time checks and pronouncing the street names correctly, it doesn’t have the transformative power of creating shared community.

“Content that is perceived as helpful always addresses a felt need. Content that doesn’t address a felt need is perceive as irrelevant. Notice I said perceived. It may be the most relevant information an audience has ever heard. But if an audience doesn’t understand how content interfaces with their lives, it’s just not all that interesting.”

Andy Stanley, “Deep and Wide”

245 years ago our country was born with a Declaration of Independence and a subsequent Bill of Rights for all citizens for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as Believers, we know that with those rights comes responsibility.

Your radio station has the right to do anything you want. Even the right to be mediocre if you so choose.

Many Christian stations are just that … a result of a mishmash programming schedule comprised largely by songs people don’t know by artists they’ve never heard of.

But with every right comes a responsibility.

Our currency is TIME. We measure time, we sell time. Some of us veterans remember when we “back-timed.” We covet TIME SPENT LISTENING.

We also WASTE time.

In PPM lingo time is called “listening occasions.” There are numerous things about PPM we can’t control (most importantly who wears a meter), but we can hopefully minimize missed opportunities to create listening occasions.

But we tend to grade on the curve when we say…

It’s not all THAT bad.

It probably won’t hurt us.

Nobody will notice.

Not many people are listening on the weekend/nights/overnights/holidays.

“You can do anything… once”

I often heard those words from my dad’s booming voice. In part an acknowledgment of an adolescent’s likely choices; another part about the consequences facing that pimpled-faced teenager.

Those words served as a life lesson of accountability. But, you know what? Those words were also true. I COULD do anything… once.

At church yesterday I sat next to Warren. Warren is 50 years old and had never been to our church. In fact, Warren had never been to church.

I learned that Warren is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic and now has sclerosis of the liver. He was sitting next to his mother Maggie who had prayed for him for many, many years. Maggie held Warren’s hand like I imagined she did when he was a little boy.

Sitting next to Warren gave me a fresh perspective of a place so very familiar to me for sixteen years. I am on the inside getting a glimpse of what it looks like from the outside.