How do you image Southern Gospel radio?

[kirkiefan]

Good topic..One of the most enduring southern gospel formats is WGNZ ..1110 AM in Fairborn,Ohio(the former WELX in Xenia)  Norman Livingston(a diehard southern gospel concert promoter) and son Tim operates the station.Give them a holler!

http://www.wgnz.com

[jimmyfish]

Great thanks Kirkiefan. Thats is the type of stuff I was looking for. I will check it out right now.

[jp1520]

I have to say that it has been an incredible treat to read this thread...I have nothing to do with religious radio but am fascinated by it.  But the main reason it was a treat is that I got to read some back and forth
by Jim Fishback and Skip Thomas...two of the most passionate radio people I've had the pleasure to know.
Made my night stumbling on this board.  Worked with Skip in Missouri and Illinois...and used to give Jim copies
of the new jingles from WDDD in Marion when he was just a kid...but already had the bug and had his own
studio set up complete with real live professional radio station equipment.  At that age I was working off
a Knight Kit transmitter with a turntable I bought at the thrift shop.

Jay

[skippertthomas]

Thanks Jay (P.)...

You are one of the BEST friends I had the pleasure of working with in radio... I brag about that 'nice infomative voice' all can hear at WILL (am/fm) at UofI in C/U....
 

[jp1520]

Goes both ways, Skip.  Don't know if I ever told you but when I was doing morning drive at KGMO and you
were doing overnights...I'd listen to you on the way to work and think that someday I'd sound as good as
you did.  Anyway...kudos for following your passion and literally keeping the faith.  OK...since I've strayed
over to this side for a while - I'll go ahead and ask...what's the difference between fundraising on a public
radio station and a religious radio station?  You can also read that...how do they raise so much money???
Counting on a generous sense of humor here...it's because you can offer eternal salvation...while the best
we can do is a tote bag... .

[skippertthomas]

I know is not 'indulgence' or paying to a "pay to get out of hell, card"!!! (Only Humor, please! Father Lautner would have laughed at that...He's home, now!)   The massive support of CCM in the hot A/C and CHR formats, has been the effort to bring a fulltime format to those markets.. It, at first, was a progressive protestant thing (middle to right and Evangelical to Pentecostal)....Then starting in the 90's, many "Renew Catholic" groups came on board to make it more of a 'lifestyle' spiritual vitamin to the daily walk.. I felt in the late 80's we were more 'reaching out' to the non-Christian world with love and message that might not be the view of the non-Christian, but in a dialogue that a non-Christian would listen and reason with.. The political climate of the society started to widen and CCM radio is now feeding the flock (and very well in many cases), without compromise to the majority of those who profess a Christian Faith... However, based on the Biblical text of each Believer working his salvation out daily, there will times that a goo 30% or better, in my estimate, will not totally agree with the mission of the CCM format or doctrine.. That is from the social left of the family and extreme fundamental right of the family...  I have always felt the success of support is that we don't replace the personal walk with Christ, or the personal fellowship of the local Church, but encourage and challenge the listener to 'both', in the above statement... Two points to the success of such format and station... 1...Spiritual Vitamin to the Believer to encourage and strengthen their walk in everyday life.... 2...Be a cold cup of water to a non-believer, searching in the wilderness of society, looking for a purpose and reason to all of this 'now and eternity' thing.... It helps to keep your books open to public view... If Satan (himself) came in off the street and wanted to see the support intake and the budget expenses, I'd smile and show him the books... I have seen very few media Ministries that keep it open, fall..... It's the ones that live 24/7 with the wagons circled and don't live Faith outside their Ministry walls that seem to struggle with major issues... But all Ministry does have issues and temptations.. Humans are involved... We are no different than a non-believer.. If we believe what we are called to believe, we'd see that.... Grace and Love is for all... I should be willing to lay down my life for a: fellow believer, A non-believer, a Jew, a Muslim, EVEN if they wish 'ill' upon me...  That is the 'primus' of what I see in the 'bigger picture' of what we do in Christian radio and more so in Christianity....  Hey?  If I do what I'm supposed to do, because I love what was done for me (not out of legalistic duty), then I see that there are far less "don'ts" and alot more "do's"....  What one sees as misery, I see as opportunity to see the little things that mean so much, that I might have overlooked...  I cannot decide for my neighbor, but I can live my convictions in love...  Example:  I hate what my enimies stand for, but love them for what they can have... I can't make them into my mold, but I can love them as Christ loved me.... That doesn't mean I let them take me out, but I work hard to push the "LOVE"... You know it bothers alot of my 'camp' that a guy like "Jeffery Daumer" could confess Christ, prior to death and get the same salvation that a good person for life can get.... But, that's the way it reads in my book.... In that viewpoint a good person can refuse the gift of salvation and be on the short end of eternity, while a theif can see it before leaving this life.... Sorry to ramble, but I think it is why, as screwed up as I am, I do the "Christian and Theocratic" radio thing.... 

[rbrucecarter5]

to 'both', in the above statement... Two points to the success of such format and station... 1...Spiritual Vitamin to the Believer to encourage and strengthen their walk in everyday life.... 2...Be a cold cup of water to a non-believer, searching in the wilderness of society, looking for a purpose and reason to all of this 'now and eternity' thing.... It helps to keep your books open to public view... If Satan

The problem we have as broadcasters is always - we rely on the Christians to keep us on the air with donations or supporting sponsors.  But we want to evangelize, too.  But people we are trying to persuade to become Christians take a dim view of fundraising drives and won't support the station.  So if you are purely evangelical, you go off the air because there are no donations.  But if you are a spiritual vitamin, you have plenty of support but don't reach a lot of non-believers.

Perhaps the approach of the station I was on is not so bad after all - pay the bills by reaching out to believers most of the time.  Then rock the house to reach non-believers during critical hours when non-believers might be listening.

[skippertthomas]

Bruce. That's what we did with the Way-Network... Concentrate on the 18 to 40 believers in the day and the mix of both in the 12 to 25 relm in the evening... We seemed to have alot of success with that, tied into community events and concert series.... And we never had much negative feedback from the non-Christian interest.. Bob is great of expressing the need in an acceptable and and fruitful way...

[radiotalk]

Veritas...  in a way you showcased what is wrong with SG radio.  Show me a SG station that plays any of the artists you just mentioned.  Maybe a little bit of the Gaithers.  I'm amazed at how big the Gaither Videos are and you don't hear SG radio playing their music much.  SG radio doesn't "seem" to have the same level of commitment to excellence as other Christian formats.  Or...  maybe the music itself just will not translate into a large enough audience to generate enough funds that would allow for excellence.

You know, for all those SG haters out there (you know who you secretly are), I have a tidbit of information you may fancy:

1. Remember the movie, "The Apostle"? At one time, it was the #1 soundtrack in America. Same with "O Brother, where art thou"
2. Ricky Skaggs, famed in country at one time, rediscovered his love in bluegrass - to the common listener, SG.
3. Allison Krauss, who has the pipes to do anything in music, is known for SG.
4. Gaithers, anyone? Even in LA, they get media coverage.
5. SG folk (and I have produced 3 SG exclusive shows in my day) despise crossover music. Although they will ride a headliner like Carrie Underwood to the bank, they don't play her music on "their" shows. She sings stuff with a beat, not "At the Cross" in Acapulco style. 

In short, I would like to offer that SG, albeit has a remote but faithful following, is not in the major food groups of radio. But it ain't that bad either.

But what do I know, I'm just an ol' Texas boy like Bruce.

[justalurker]

SG stations would be pretty boring without Gaither music ... which goes beyond Bill and Gloria to all the "homecoming friends". There is a lot of good music that started with the Gaithers and the people that they have helped get a start (including non SG Christian music).