Christmas Eve on Christians Radio

I’ve been in Christian radio since 1984. I have spent many Christmas Eve’s working. In fact, I’ve spent many Christmases working. When I was single, I was the one everyone depended on to work because I wasn’t married. So, I would invite friends and family to the studios to keep me company. Automation has changed that.

In 1985, my first full-time job, I spent Christmas Eve working. Spinning lots and lots of vinal records. I knew that many people were using the station as a background for the Christmas celebration with family and friends. I used this opportunity to plant seeds of the Gospel to those who wouldn’t otherwise listen. We were the only Christian radio station in the area and the only station playing full-time 24/7 Christmas music.

The first automation system changed that. I still had to work, but I only had to go in and record breaks, weather and news headlines. The music was actually fed by a satellite service. So, instead of working an entire shift, I only worked a couple of hours.

Once I became a news director it changed even more. I didn’t have to go in on Christmas.  I just worked ahead and prayed nothing major happened over Christmas.  Although, it seemed as though every year there was something major that happened — traffic fatality, heavy snow, tsunami — something that forced me to go in and change the news I had already recorded.

Today, the Mission Network News team was given two days off. My team worked their tails off to produce newscasts for two days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).  I know what you’re thinking — “that’s not news!” You’re right. It’s what’s called ‘interesting, news worthy, featuring writing.

While the true news guy inside cringes at having written a newscast that’s two or three days old, I take great pleasure in knowing my news team is spending some quality time with their family and friends, honoring God for giving His son at Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas, friends!

Christian Morning Show Co-hosts

I have been amazed at the response to the departure of 91.3 WCSG’s morning show c0-hosts Tommy Dillon and Brook Taylor. The two were put together to imitate a secular radio station ’sound,’ but with a Christian world view. They talked about a lot of issue, the spent hours in show prep. They did a lot of entertaining things. They also did some other things like pray for listeners when they would call in, or take ownership in promotional items like ‘Drive Thru Difference’ paying for the person’s bill behind you.

However, their surprise departure to secular radio brought on another surprise. It seems listeners didn’t necessarily want the entertainment they were getting. They wanted more ‘feeding’ spiritually. John Balyo has stepped in temporarily and has done a great job. You would think since the listeners were used to hearing a lot of ‘fun’ (what I would call mindless drivel) in the morning, so they would want more ‘fun.’ Well, it seems a though that’s NOT the case. From the comments I’m receiving, no ‘drivel’ mornings are being well received.

Now, I’m sure there are MANY who miss it. Perhaps they don’t even know they miss it. But, one thing is for certain, the people who had left WCSG when Tommy and Brook started three years ago are coming back. These were hard core listeners before. They wouldn’t tune away from WCSG. The last three years they found themselves switching from station to station. Now, they’re back and many of them are pleased.

Stay tuned. We’ll see what Arbitron says about it next book. More importantly, though, we’ll see what kind of listener response comes in.

Secular vs Christian

It has been an interesting week in the Grand Rapids, Michigan radio market. On Monday, Tommy Dillon and Brook Taylor, morning show co-hosts for 91.3 WCSG (AC Christian Radio) bolted for Star 105.7, a secular AC radio station (Clear Channel). “Bolted” is a jaded word. But, I really don’t know how else to describe it. But, that’s not for me to judge, but it does bring me to my point of discussion.

Is Christian radio personality driven, or content driven? The other question is: Should Christian radio be personality driven?

I know in many communities Christian radio HAS become personality driven. And, to some extent, it I think it has to be. But, should Christians focus so much on personalities? And, should Christian radio stations put so much emphasis on personalities?

I really don’t know the answer to this. But, I would like to discuss the pros and cons.

It’s always great to have people on the air that people like. I think that’s obvious. Great communicators and bright sounding people naturally attract listeners. Without them, your radio station is sunk. Without them you can’t compete. Without them you can’t take your radio station to the next level. And, without them you really can’t promote a great ‘morning show.’ More importantly, you can’t share the Gospel in way that’s pleasing the the listener.

But, by doing so are you promoting the personalities. And, by promoting the personalities are you giving them too much credit? Are you making the programming too ‘man centered?’ By giving them the ‘top billing’ are you setting yourself up for a situation similar to that of what happened in Grand Rapids, MI?

Obviously, Christian radio can’t pay the high salaries that secular radio stations pay. If you have a team that’s sees such success, don’t you risk losing them to the top bidder?

I think I know what you’re going to say. “If you’ve got committed Christians working for you, they won’t want to ‘bolt.’” I agree. Perhaps, that’s the answer to the questions I’ve posed.

As for 91.3 WCSG, who knows what they’ll do. I do know they’re looking for a new morning team. And, who know what will happen with Tommy and Brook. I do know John Balyo is doing a great job filling in. I hope he works into the regular morning guy. He’s been very refreshing. It hasn’t sounded overly produced and rehearsed. It been great hearing radio that challenges me again.

Because Christians listen to Christian radio to help them refocus their gaze toward Christ (at least that’s why I listen) and fill their hearts with ‘things above,’ I doubt WCSG will be hurt at all. The thing the keeps people listening to 91.3 WCSG isn’t just the good talent, it’s the Christ centered music and content. It’s the thing that binds all Christians, Jesus Christ.

Why do concerts?

I’m really curious. I’ve been involved in Christian radio for 25 year now. More than half of it music radio. When that was part of my responsibilities we offered concerts to not only entertain, but minister and give us incredible PR.

However, since I’ve become a program producer (I hate that term, because I view MNN as a news service — not a program), I have noticed that more and more Christian radio stations view concerts as a money maker and entertainment center piece, and less of a ministry or public relations tool.

In light of our Better Than Life Concert series we co-sponsored, I was wondering if you Christian radio station professionals could answer this question:

Why do you host Christian concerts?

I would really like to hear everyone’s response. I know some radio stations will only provide promotional announcements on the air and will show up with a banner or table and nothing more, others take complete ownership in them and have their whole radio staff participate.

For those of you who aren’t connected to radio stations, could you answer these questions:

1. Why do you go to Christian concerts?
2. Do you expect to see your favorite announcers at the events they host?

What say you?

Greg Yoder, MNN

Christian concerts — don’t do it!

Wow! That’s all I can say about my experience at being a concert sponsor/promoter. Wow, what an incredible let down. Let me explain.

For those of you have have been following the Better Than Life music project, you know that Mission Network News and Discovery House Music have put a lot of time into this project. More importantly, all involved thought God was really orchestrating everything in this process. The stories evolved into some great songs. The songs made a great CD and we thought the CD was going to make a great concert honoring the persecuted church right around the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted church.

However, the concert part of the project has been anything but smooth. We talked to radio stations all across the country and ALL of them said this was a good idea. Not one station thought they wouldn’t be able to sell tickets to an event like this, however, tickets sales were slow — ridiculously so. So bad, we had to cancel concerts in Dallas, Midland-MI and Lancaster -PA.

While I won’t get into how many ticket sold, I will offer my commentary on WHY tickets sales were so slow.

1. I believe Christians aren’t ready to be uncomfortable about their faith.  They don’t want to hear that Christians WILL be persecuted for their faith. It was amazing how many people had the ‘deer in headlights’ look in their eyes when we tried to promote this event. Most Christians, I believe, simply want to be entertained, they don’t want to be uncomfortable.

2. It was an event with music, not a concert. I liken this to a great church service where God really moves you. As you experience a message at church that has an incredible impact on your life, you come away saying, “Wow, I wouldn’t have missed that service for the world.”  However, you probably wouldn’t have paid to hear it.  We believe the Better Than Life tour is similar to that. Most of the people who attended came away moved and glad they came. Most were very surprised about how moved they were.

3. These artists weren’t well known enough to draw a crowd on their merits alone. While they’re all wonderful artists and very talented, only Shannon Wexelberg has new music currently playing on Christian radio. Scott Krippayne has become a ‘b’ artist at best with his recurrents. He’s been doing more writing. Even though he was American Idol’s song writer winner, that wasn’t enough. Charles Billingsley’s last release was a hymns CD. So, most of these artists only has limited exposure.

4. Promoting this was difficult. While these three artists sang their ‘greatest hits,’ they also sang songs from the project that honored the persecuted church.  “Two concerts in one.”  We also promoted it as ‘more than just another concert.’  Perhaps we should have called it a program to honor the persecuted church in preparation to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, November 11.   We tried to do all three.  If we were to do this again, I think we’d simply do the event during a church service.  We’d take it to an existing audience like that and make it ‘free will offering.’

5. We didn’t have enough time to get the singles out. ‘Count It All Joy’ was the first selected single. It only made it to number 17 on the Inspo charts before the tour began.  It was number 9 by the end of the tour.  We needed more time.  However, the title song, ‘Better Than Life’ probably should have been the first single.  It has yet to be released.

So, all in all. A very difficult experience. However, it’s also be an incredible spiritual experience. The songs that were written have challenged me personally. They’ve challenged a few to do more to help the persecuted church, it encourage people to pray for them, and Lord willing perhaps they’ll all be more encouraged to share their faith in their own home town.

Greg Yoder, MNN

IDOP coming November 11

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is coming November 11, 2007. It’s a day where Christians around the world remember those who are facing abuse because of their faith in Christ. This year Mission Network News has done a couple of things to raise awareness of the persecuted church.

On November 1, MNN and Discovery House Music kicked off the Better Than Life Tour. The tour features songs and artists from the Better Than Life CD project. The concerts in Grand Rapids, MI and Cleveland, OH saw many Christians who are interested in the persecuted church attend. Scott Krippayne, Shannon Wexelberg and Charles Billingsely shared from their hearts as they sang songs inspired by stories of today’s faithful servants. We still have events in Columbus, OH and a free event at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA.

MNN is also making available two new resources to help Christians focus on the persecuted church. First is the Better Than Life CD, a project we co-produced with Discovery House Music. We’ve also helped produce a book with the same name which features 30 stories of persecuted believers around the world. Both resources are available on our website.

And, finally, MNN has also produced the 2007 MNN IDOP Radio Broadcast. It’s already available for download at http://www.MNNonline.org/idop.

It should be a great weekend.

Response to the persecuted church

I have been a little taken back by the response of Christians to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. My surprise has been how little the Christian community in the west knows about what’s going on in many countries and the apathy they display once they know.

There are a few Christians who understand the issue. They are concerned about it, but they’re also joyful — knowing that God tells us in His Word that Christians WILL be persecuted for their faith.  And, that God uses persecution (many times) to grow His church.

However, the majority of Christians don’t get it. They view persecution as something they don’t really want to talk about. They don’t really want to know about it. They don’t really want to get involved. They view persecution as a ‘downer’ and it’s not something they even want to think about.

As you know from reading these posts, MNN has been involved in the Better Than Life Concert Tour, which starts in Grand Rapids, MI on November 1. The above observations seem to be playing true in the tour. We haven’t seen very many ticket sales — well below expectations.

Our goal for this tour is two fold:  1. That Christians would come to an understanding that we need to be shoulder to shoulder with these believers who are beaten, imprisoned and even killed for their faith in Christ. 2. That Christians would feel more compelled to share their faith despite what people will say to them.

Be praying with me that God would move the hearts of Christians to have a desire to learn more about the persecuted church around the world and that they would come to the concert tour.  It truly will be a life changing inspirational, worshipful time.

If you’d like more information about the tour, go to http://www.dhp.org/btl 

Better Than Life

In less than three weeks the Better Than Life Tour will officially be underway. The Better Than Life Tour was designed to do more than just raise awareness of the persecuted church around the world.

In partnership with Discovery House Music, Mission Network News has put together a concert tour that will help Christians celebrate today’s heroes of the Christian faith. Today’s real life stories come alive in a unique way through 10 news songs featuring Scott Krippayne, Shannon Wexelberg and Charles Billingsley.

The program is also designed to challenge believers in North America to share their faith no matter what the cost.

Here’s where you can see Better Than Life:

November 1, 2007
Sunshine Community Church
3300 East Beltline
Grand Rapids, MI
7:00 PM

November 3, 2007
Grace Church
7393 Pearl Road
Middleburg Heights, OH
7:00 PM

November 9, 2007
Genoa Baptist Church
7562 Lewis Center Road
Westerville, Ohio 43082
7:00 PM

You can get tickets at Itickets.com .

In less than three weeks the Better Than Life Tour will officially be underway. The Better Than Life Tour was designed to do more than just raise awareness of the persecuted church around the world.

Better Than Life Tour

In less than three weeks the Better Than Life Tour will officially be underway. The Better Than Life Tour was designed to do more than just raise awareness of the persecuted church around the world.

In partnership with Discovery House Music, Mission Network News has put together a concert tour that will help Christians celebrate today’s heroes of the Christian faith. Today’s real life stories come alive in a unique way through 10 news songs featuring Scott Krippayne, Shannon Wexelberg and Charles Billingsley.

The program is also designed to challenge believers in North America to share their faith no matter what the cost.

Here’s where you can see Better Than Life:

November 1, 2007
Sunshine Community Church
3300 East Beltline
Grand Rapids, MI
7:00 PM

November 2, 2007
Midland Free Church
7221 N Jefferson Ave
Midland, MI
7:00 PM

November 3, 2007
Grace Church
7393 Pearl Road
Middleburg Heights, OH
7:00 PM

November 8, 2007
Canyon Creek Baptist Church
2800 Custer Parkway
Richardson, TX 75080
7:00 PM

November 9, 2007
Genoa Baptist Church
7562 Lewis Center Road
Westerville, Ohio 43082
7:00 PM

November 10, 2007
Calvary Church
1051 Landis Valley Rd
Lancaster, PA
7:00 PM

You can get tickets at Itickets.com .

First single released

Many of you know ‘Better Than Life’ is done and will be in stores in October. However I’m pleased to announce that the first single has been released this week.

The song is called, ‘Count It All Joy’ featuring Shannon Wexelberg. This is just one of 10 new songs celebrating today’s stories of faith. The songs will bless your heart and the hearts of your listeners.

If you’re interested in hearing or airing the single, please contact Kim Fowler at Discovery House Music at (616) 974-2584.