What Happened to Christian CHR?

I’d like to introduce, or possibly reintroduce you, to Christian CHR. CHR = Contemporary Hit Radio. Essentially, Christian Top 40. Longtime Christian radio pro’s have watched the format ebb, flow, and almost die. I wouldn’t be surprised if you thought it was dead! Truthfully, it came quite close. But these days, it’s quietly thriving.

Long story extremely short, the format’s previous heydays were 20-ish years ago. Christian AC hadn’t yet become the dominant, default Christian Music format it now is. Christian CHR’s core artists were making music exclusively for the format, going platinum, and selling out arenas. The successful AC formula and the optimal target audience (viva la Becky!) for CCM was still getting dialed in. As AC success stories multiplied, labels and artists shifted gears to super-serve AC. Some (like me #editorializing) contend that shift came at CHR’s expense. PD’s/GM’s in CHR became split about the format’s purpose: was it really supposed to target and serve Christians with a proclivity for mainstream Top 40? Or did the C in CHR mean “Christian” instead of Contemporary? As in, should CHR play what the Christian culture bubble wants? Those who agreed with the latter premise morphed into AC stations. Some tried having it both ways (leading to disjointed stations/missions). Some stuck with the missional heart of the format. A few went the way of pagers (do you still have yours?). The official Billboard/BDS chart was even renamed to Hot AC/CHR to reflect the split in the format.

If you were to look at that very chart today, you’d be forgiven if you came away with the impression that the format is still conflicted. Truth is, Christian CHR is as strong and unified as many have ever seen it. The official charts are simply behind in reflecting the new reality. That’s a whole other conversation. (I kinda want to start a petition or something.)

Just like trials refine us as people, the format’s years in the desert helped refine and redefine it. AC is now unarguably the go-to format for whatever is “hot” in Christian music culture. With that settled, anyone still in CHR is in it for some variation of the format’s original purpose: to serve people of faith (and seekers) who consume Pop Culture with Christian music & shows suited to their tastes. The audience is generally younger vs. AC, and these days, quite multicultural.

Hip Hop has been the X factor. You’d have to have been in The Blip (#MarvelReference) if you didn’t know Hip Hop has been THE dominant genre in Pop Culture for more than a generation now; Christian Hip Hop as also exploded. Christian AC’s audience by and large hasn’t shown interest (even though Hip Hop influences mainstream AC). (Also another convo for another time.) Christian CHR has rightly embraced it. A few OG’s in the format showed Hip Hop love from their earliest days. (OG = Original Gangsta. Don’t say it around your kids to look cool. They’ll think you’re just O as in Old.)

At this moment, the Christian CHR format is on 89 FM signals in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. This figure dwarfs any previous era of CHR. (The official industry charts rarely had more than 20 reporting stations when there was a pure CHR chart.) Unlike the format’s previous fat years, this season of growth sees Christian CHR going into major markets the format has never been heard in before. Chicago, Houston, Tampa, plus others slated to sign on before 2021 ends. These 89 (and growing) signals cover nearly 70-million souls!

Will Christian CHR ever explode in the ratings? Time will tell. Does it have to though? I’d contend NO (but it sure would be nice if I’m being honest). No matter what flavor of Christian radio is your favorite, I’m guessing you got in the game to share Jesus. CHR and CHH (Christian Hip Hop) share Him with cultures and generations AC isn’t reaching. There are 3,000 Bible translations. Most cities have countless churches. Why? Because no single Bible version can be understood by all. No single church can serve a whole community. Even if an AC station is #1 in its market, it’s reaching (at best) maybe 10% of the community.

To get a feel for what’s poppin in what’s been called “the little format that could,” check out The Hot Chart link here in the Christian section of All Access. The Hot Chart was created apart from the official Christian radio charts since the decision makers at Nielsen/BDS and Mediabase won’t adapt to reality. To put it another way: All Access, the undeniable authority for all contemporary Mainstream formats, sees the value of Christian CHR to a greater extent than the actual Christian chart makers. Ironic. Like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife.

Success for all radio formats in the future, and especially for Christian radio, will be less about huge numbers among the masses and more about going deep with your tribe. AC for some tribes, CHR for others, and God-willing, maybe a whole dial and Internet full of formats to reach EVERY tribe, tongue, and nation.