Interesting times, eh?

So… what are you learning through this season of COVID-19 and the protests of racial injustice?

What are you learning about your radio station that wasn’t as clear before?

One of the things I’m learning is that when we get outside “our lane” we are noticeably irrelevant. In other words, when we start doing a bunch of stuff that no one comes to us for we lose our impact.* It’s bad enough to be talking about National Pie Day (that’s 3.14, don’tcha know?) in ordinary times, but in these times we sound pert near foolish.

A few weeks ago my Frost Advisory titled, “We’ll never have more in common,” I cited the coronavirus pandemic as the basis for sharing that we’ll never have more in common than now with the people tuning to your station for the very first time.

Well, I was wrong.

The murder of a black man by a white policeman last month in Minneapolis has set off a series of protests and marches that still occupy many hours of cable TV news. My brilliant friend Brian Yeager at KTSY in Boise shared a unique perspective with his listeners:

I reckon’ there has been an easier time to work in Christian radio. But there may have never been a more important time.

But, gosh, it’s tough sometimes.

How do we talk about it?

We know what our format is NOT. We’re not about dividing people. We’re not about stirring up controversy. We’re not about drawing attention with alarming BREAKING NEWS alerts. We know that we should be a unifier of people of faith.

But, gosh, it’s tough sometimes.

But you know what? I’ve heard some remarkable radio this past week. I’ve heard honesty. I’ve heard compassion. I’ve heard self-reflection of our own thoughts, behaviors, and prejudices.

Memorial Day is often considered the official kick off of summer. But more importantly it is a time set aside to remember those who gave their lives for our country.

This time of remembrance is a good time for us to reflect on how we’d like our radio stations remembered.

We get a glimpse of this each year as we compile the Station of the Year entry for Christian Music Broadcasters. It forces us to stop our day-to-day busyness and ponder the most noteworthy things of the preceding twelve months. We discover some things stand out, other things are vapor in the wind.

When people talk about your radio station do they speak of the 25-minute music sweeps with fewer commercials, or do they talk about how you help people help people?

Do they talk about how Jack and Jill read “This day in history” from Twitter every morning at 7:20, or that your station cheers on moms and dads for the most important commitment they’ll ever make – raising good kids?

This pandemic is so darn inconvenient.

We’ve designed our radio stations to do specific things at specific times. It’s so automatic that we hardly even think about doing something different.

But life is now different. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

What do your listeners need from you during morning drive and afternoon drive when they are no longer driving to and from work?

What do your listeners need from you during the day when life at the office is now stay at home and home schooling their kids?

They say opinions are like noses; everyone has one.

The boss, the Facebook posts from listeners, the sales manager, or the weekend disc jockey, everyone has an opinion on what your station should be doing to be better. At least for them.

On this Mother’s Day, I wonder what advice we could get from Mom.

Be a good friend

Friends make others feel welcome. Friends don’t talk down to others. Friends don’t have conversations that exclude others. Friends encourage.

Don’t be selfish

The moment we think the station is all about us, we lose perspective. Your station’s values are reflected in what’s hanging in the hallways. Is it all about you? Your station ultimately exists to serve others. The word for being self-focused is “ego.”

Our world has changed. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

People are anxious. Many are fearful. There is a new normal and we’re not quite sure what it is.

Our vocabulary is filled with concepts unfamiliar just a few months ago. Social distancing. COVID-19. N95 masks. Even the mention of places in the world like Wuhan.

During this pandemic I’m sure your radio station is doing some good stuff. Many stations are doing lots of good stuff. But the more important question is… are you fulfilling a promise?

I’ve been a part of many standing ovations, but I’ve never started even one.

The powerful influence of the behavior of the tribe can be seen from the seriousness of school shootings (police immediately go on alert for the copy cats) to the funny behavior of those on a crowded elevator depicted in this classic Candid Camera episode.

The bleaker the news headlines the more your listeners will be eager to celebrate the good news and the heroes! It’s like gasping for fresh air. It’s why the flight attendants say to put on your oxygen mask before helping others. We need oxygen to be able to help others, and your station can be that for your community.

Tommy Kramer, my brilliant friend of more than 40 years, puts it this way…

“The Coronavirus isn’t the subject of every single break (you still want to be entertaining, too), but the virus IS the ‘backdrop’ of everything.

If a large portion of the content is people sharing about what the virus means in their lives, then remember that it’s not just their sweet stories, but also their concerns, and what that means in terms of being a good wife/husband/neighbor.”

Sports stations will never have fans that aren’t also sports fans.

Country stations will never have fans that aren’t also country music fans.

Christian stations will never have fans that aren’t also devout Christians…

…unless…

It’s the new normal. We’ve adapted to working remotely, conference calls on Zoom that look like we’re on the Brady Bunch, and to dealing with social separation at the grocery store and Home Depot.

Let’s hope it won’t last much longer.

Patrick Lecione shares interesting insight on leadership during such a time as this on a recent podcast with Andy Stanley. While his concepts are focused on organizational leadership I believe you’ll see valuable lessons that can be applied to a station’s relationship with its listeners, advertisers, and donors.

He shares…