The Same Old Squabbles

Politics and Christian radio have a lot in common: we debate some of the same things over and over (and over).

When I was 19 and doing nights on Kix! 94.1 (a Country station in Lansing, MI, where I grew up), I was enamored with politics. I even switched my college major for a semester to Political Science...until somebody told me that degree would be just as useless as a radio degree. What I didn't know at 19 was how the topics politicians debated then were the same ones they debated before I was born. The same ones you see in the headlines today.

In my mid-20s, sitting in the PD chair at my first Christian station, I met the things our format persistently wrestles with. Just like politics, many of those flaps were around before me and may be around long after all of us move on.

It could be healthy for us to identify some of the things said in or about our format for literally generations. Some of these things will be debated until Jesus returns (wanna have a debate about when?), others are futile to worry about, but we're so used to their presence we don't know how to break the cycle. Let's recognize them and put them in perspective.

Squabble 1: "Christian music is cheesy."

This of course is said more by people who don't listen than those who do, and by those who haven't tried it in years or decades. Let's be honest though: plenty of us pro's have also said it (guilty!). For lovers and defenders of CCM, our first instinct is often to be like "Nuh uh. I'm rubber and you're glue." Or, we may try to find the coolest, crossover indie-smelling act we can think of to disprove the cheesy notion. It doesn't work. Nobody's minds are changed. At best, your example becomes an exception to the perception.

Instead, what if we acknowledged we truly do have schlocky songs and singers in our genre? Just as ALL of pop culture does-Christian or not. Look no further than "Old Town Road." Granted, maybe the difference is when there's cheese coming from mainstream, they know it and we perhaps are oblivious to our own dairy. Doesn't change the fact that cheese abounds, so why deny it? Why sweat it?

Spend 20 minutes with today's hottest Country music. Or mainstream Hip-hop. You'll hear all kinds of lyrics that sound corny or cliché'. But what seems like corny cheese to objective fans and outsiders feels like lifestyle statements to those core fans on the inside.

There will always be haters and detractors. They are a distraction from serving our format's lovers as best we can. Yet, when feasible, use your discretion to put less of the smelliest cheese in front of your audience. You have the power! Use it for good.

Squabble 2: "Worship is the future and it's the silver bullet to reach younger demos"

I was hearing this before I even got into Christian radio. Back when the band Sonicflood was too edgy for Christian AC and restricted to my church's youth group. In other words, my earliest memory of this discussion dates back to the late 1990s, and I doubt it's going anywhere.

When "I Want To Know You" was MY JAM (actually it's still my jam), Country radio was arguing about how poppy some felt it was. Faith Hill was crossing over. As were Shania Twain and a few others. The debate actually stretches at least back to the early 80s, when Kenny Rogers and Eddie Rabbit scored pop hits. More recently, you saw it play out when Taylor Swift began to crossover almost a decade ago. Seems like there will always be a tug-of-war between the "keep it real" crowd and casual fans of the Country music lifestyle.

You've also seen a similar back-and-forth regarding Hip-hop's role in mainstream Top 40. There are seasons where it dominates and unites, others where it polarizes.

Let's step back to what these different genres all have in common: they contain flavors with very passionate fans. Sometimes there are enough fans to split a flavor off into its own format. Most of the time, a format's fans like ingredients from ALL the flavors. There are seasons where one flavor or another has more favor, but that doesn't mean the appeal of one flavor erased the desire for all others.

Our corner of music and radio seems to be stuck in a binary debate about Worship music, when the reality for most of our listeners isn't "either or." It's "both, and." The question isn't should it be played or not (it should for 99% of us), but rather: what songs and textures are right for your station's purpose? Before you listen to a label rep's consumption data case-before you even dive into your own station's research-know who your station exists for, and why. The 'worship' question will almost answer itself.

What about younger demos? I'd contend it comes back to psychographic more than demographic. What kind of person is your station designed for? I'll also point you to a webinar Nielsen did on the spectrum of Christian music and Christian radio last year. One key finding: the typical fan of the genre as a whole (our pop side AND our worship side) is 20 years younger than the average Christian radio listener. So, yes, there's data saying fans of Worship are younger than those consuming Christian AC radio. But that's across the board: fans of all Christian music are younger than fans of our radio brands. A pivot to Worship alone is not the silver bullet. Ushering tomorrow's target listener into our radio stations is going to take a lot more work and change than riding a perceived music wave that may or may not exist.

(For what it's worth, and you should take this with salt grains: when we filter our research on KLJY down to ONLY our young-end, very little changes. Worship songs don't magically rise to the top. They hold steady, while Pop acts like Riley Clemmons and Tauren Wells get a modest bump.)

(FWIW Part 2: if you REALLY want a silver bullet for a younger audience, ask me how to bring BOOST Radio to your market. Our syndication launches this fall. It's silly to expect one flavor of Christian radio to reach every type of listener out there. Let your AC brand excel at its purpose, and use BOOST to broaden your reach!)

Squabble 3: "Christian music is always two years behind mainstream."

Yup. That's a fact. Thanks for reading. We're done here. KIDDING! (We're almost done though.)

That line has been hurled at Christian music since most of us were kids. Although back then, I think the common timeframe was five years behind instead of two. And these days, occasionally it can feel like we're only a year behind. That's progress, I guess?

Clearly, it's an unfair blanket statement. And it's not just CCM imitating mainstream. Mainstream imitates mainstream too. A key difference is mainstream imitation of itself happens a lot faster. Four years ago, the Chainsmokers made the mid-tempo EDM break after every chorus THE big thing. Within a few months, all of Top 40 had jumped that same shark. Two years later, CCM put our toes in that water. (We still are, sadly.) The reason it happens at all is because artists sometimes are honestly just inspired when they hear something fresh, and they want to see if they can build on it. The reason it happens faster at mainstream is because, just like in our format, it's a small world and trends move fast within their circles. CCM acts become aware of it from the outside and thus already have the calendar working against them.

It's also been widely noted that ours is a rare genre that's defined by lyrical content more than by how the music sounds. Sounding timely has often been a secondary concern.

All that said, explaining it to a person who believes the blanket statement probably won't change their mind. Just like the cheesy perception we covered above.

My responses: Stop adding songs that clearly sounded dated. I'll grant that sometimes, a great song is a great song. And it's perhaps by an artist you cannot ignore. Play those. Don't also play all the "me too" songs that inevitably follow. Replace those with songs that inch you forward, and once in a while, add songs that can LEAP you forward. Those leap moments don't come very often, so be ready to seize them when they do. And use your research wisely to recognize when you were wrong. Nobody's perfect.

For any of that to happen, you have to be aware of the larger world your listener exists in. I view it as my job to be on top of things they love, regardless of my personal tastes. If my station is going to be the most excellent choice my listener has, I have to know what their other choices are. Not to replicate them, but to best them.

Perhaps one day while we're still in the industry together, these old debates will be settled for good and we can open NEW cans of worms! Either way, don't let them sidetrack you or demoralize you. Our format is positioned to thrive for years to come if we make wise choices and follow God's voice.