We’re living in unprecedented times. COVID-19. Lockdowns. Racial unrest. Will our kids be going back to school?
If you simply look at each isolated event you could reason that your station isn’t about those things. Not if you think of your station as just unfamiliar music by artists people don’t know.
It depends on your perspective.
Continue readingI’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.
The good news? Our format is a lifestyle format. The bad news? Our format is a lifestyle format.
This old pandemic has revealed a perspective on the latter.
When there is…
no more driving to and from work…
no more being at work while having your kids in school…
no more driving to and from church on Sundays…
…key opportunities for listening go away.
Having said that, many Christian music stations are performing quite nicely through the pandemic, at least from a ratings perspective (and donor support, as well).
I have a theory about that.
Continue reading“Second verse, same as the first.” Herman’s Hermits
Over these last several months these weekly Frost Advisories have had a few recurring themes. For one thing, it doesn’t look like the pandemic is going to be over anytime soon. For another, we need to be thinking about not just getting through the day-to-day grind but also what we are learning through it.
What are we learning about how to encourage during a national emergency? What are we learning about creating a shared experience where people don’t feel isolated? What are we learning about being human and relating to what people are going through?
Continue readingThe worst version of our format is “nice Christian people talking about nice Christian things to nice Christian people.”
The best version of our format is like a friend who sticks with you through life’s ups and downs and is an encourager every step of the way.
In execution, the first option is any day anywhere. The second option is right here right now.
When a station focuses on “right here right now” it forces the elimination of all generics. No more platitudes. No more “hang in theres.”
COVID-19 isn’t going away, at least anytime soon. Our normal in March is not the normal in July and may not be our normal in October.
Our focus needs to be now. Because “now” is the one thing we most have in common; yes, even more than our beliefs or our values.
Continue readingYou can’t make me! Because I’m a Republican/a Democrat/a Texan, a hard working self-made man/someone that can’t be pushed around/a free thinker!
I find the “controversy” over wearing a face mask to be peculiar. Why? Because from my perspective, MY world view, it makes perfect sense to wear one. It’s only a minor inconvenience, if that, it’s a great conversation starter at the grocery store and the gym (about the only places I can go), and it covers up my big nose.
Continue reading244 years ago our country was born with a Declaration of Independence, and a subsequent Bill of Rights for all citizens to 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 as a result of a mishmash programming lineup comprised largely by unfamiliar songs by unknown artists.
But with every right comes a responsibility.
Continue readingIf you’ve been following along over the last several weeks you may have noticed that my Frost Advisories have focused on the challenges our stations are facing during this season of the coronavirus and racial tensions across the country.
I’ve commented on training talent, on connecting with the local African-American community, on finding the right camera angle for our format that is designed to encourage, and about sharing stories that give insight and create empathy.
Continue reading“You can do anything,” boomed my dad’s voice to his mischievous adolescent son. But he added one more word. “Once.” “You can do anything… once.”
Those words served as a life lesson of accountability. But, you know what? Those words were also true. I COULD do anything… once.
So can your station.
Continue readingInteresting 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.
Continue readingA 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:
Continue reading