is christian radio going mainstream?

March 18, 2007

Well, that is what Daniel Pulliam of the Get Religion blog is wondering.

In a recent blog entry, Pulliam responds to David Segal’s Washington Post article about Christian radio going ‘mainstream.’

The thrust of Pulliam’s intersest revolves around Segal’s profile of Johnny Stone, a former controversial Atlanta DJ - now a Christian - who is now the morning drive time host for a NY/NJ area Christian radio station, Star 99.1 FM. Segal is particularly interested in Stone’s background, his current platform on Christian radio, and what impact this could have on the future of Christian programming.

According to Segal, Stone “spent most of his career in secular radio, on morning shows that were often so raunchy he can barely bring himself to talk about it.” But Stone had an ephinany after multiple suspensions by an Atlanta radio station and a divorce and, much like the prodigal son, he came back to God. And into Christian radio.

Segal purports that John Frost, a partner at Goodratings Strategic Services - consultants for religious broadcasters - and his mid-90’s push to take Christian radio in a new direction was the impetus for the shift seen in Star 99.1 FM’s philosophy.

For clarification, when Segal is talking about ‘mainstream,’ he isn’t talking about the style of music but rather the format. Morning shows, contests, on-air personalities, etc. Most of us would say that there is a strong correalation between Frost’s mid-90’s push and much of what is heard on Christian radio stations today.

But what Pulliam says about Segal’s article on Stone is what is interesting to me:

Stone is going for edgy material that will supposedly draw in listeners, but are they getting what they are seeking? It’s clear from the article that the show is nowhere close to the technical sophistication of secular radio. Why is that the case? Is radio that happens to be Christian destined for a programming ghetto?

Pulliam is right. If dressing up Christian radio to be a little ‘edgier’ but still with the overall same format and content, it is headed for the programming ghetto. But this shift signals some hope.

I’m waiting for Christian radio to catch up with this idea when it comes to music. I know there are no easy solutions. And I know we need to define what ‘edgy’ means. In fact, maybe change is insurmountable. But I’m waiting to see a place where David Crowder is played next toOver the Rhine next to Shaun Groves next to Sufjan Stevens next to Andrew Osenga.

I remember back in ‘03 reading this article by Robin Parrish on cmcentral.com about ‘roaring lamb’ Josh Foster, who at the time was Director of Operations of Lazerbeam Radio Networks and producer of The Lazerbeam Countdown. The Lazerbeam Countdown was a mainstream countdown show, featuring music from spiritual artists who promoted a positive and worthwhile message.

If you go online today, you can’t find anything online about Lazerbeam or Josh Foster.

Maybe that was our test case…

Posted in culture, music, radio, roaring lambs