Are you an average Christian radio listener?
Friday July 18, 2008
Categories: Christian music news, Christian radio
Dunham+Company marketing company recently released results of a survey of Christian radio listeners and I thought the results were interesting. Let me state for the record that I listen to very little Christian radio. We actually have three or four...
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About Gospel Soundcheck
Award-winning freelance writer and columnist Joanne Brokaw covers entertainment for The Christian Examiner newspapers, The Minnesota Christian Chronicle, and The Ozarks Christian News.
Her other writing credits include Breakaway and Brio Magazines, OnCourse Magazine, ChristianMusicPlanet.com, BuddyHollywood.com and AGreaterFreedom.com. Her humor column, A Big Slice of Life, appears monthly in the Christian Voice Magazine and she pens a regular humor column on The Writing Life for ByLine Magazine.
Joanne lives in Western New York with her darling husband David, their Border collie Scout and their cat Murphy. Their almost adult daughter Cassie drops by often. Find out more about Joanne at JoanneBrokaw.com.
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yes i do 24.7. on regular radio also on xm, i would and i need to hear sermons also, it would be nice to hear more of a selection,not the repeating they do now,, we need some new stuff, most christian music has a message of christ and it helps with my day,
This is a really interesting article. Thanks for posting it, talking through the results a bit, and fostering discussion. I listen to a modicum of Christian radio. I listen to less and less each day because I am not hearing anything new.. at all... pretty much ever. I have a vague feeling that if we were to look at the top 10 lists for 2007 and 2008 for mainstream Christian radio, they would be shockingly similar. Which is too bad. I think there is a desperate need for new, fresh, Christian music on the radio. If only programmers would look beyond the Becky's!
Thanks again for the post. Good thinking material.
-jon
Jon, I can tell you that this week's Radio and Records AC chart has Third Day at #1 and MercyMe at #2, with Jeremy Camp at #4. At #3 is Matt Maher, and #5-#10 are Fee, Natalie Grant, Francesca Battestelli, Needtobreathe, Chris Tomlin and Robbie Seay Band.
The list definitely includes a few new names, but likely a similar radio friendly pop, light rock, or worship sound.
You had a great idea. I'll spend a little time next week and see what those charts look like from 2007 and 2008.
Joanne
As a listener who falls firmly into the demographic that's listening only for music, it doesn't surprise me in the least to learn of "Becky," the fictitious "typical" listener. Without knowing her name, "Becky" has haunted me on Christian radio stations across the South. I love the music, and I don't mind the "teaching," etc, but I get so tired of hearing about "family friendly." As a young adult who has yet to find that special person and start a family, and yet who is too old to be with my family of origin, it's honestly nothing short of discouraging and depressing to hear about family, family, family all the time. Not everyone out there is in a nuclear family with two parents and small children. I think that by focusing on that demographic, Christian radio stations are driving away pretty much any other potential listener.
Ann, that is excellent feedback! Thank you for proving that point. Just out of curiosity, what do you listen to? Do you switch to mainstream radio? Pop in a CD? Download music on an iPod? I also fall into that same demographic; I switch over to talk radio or pop in a CD.
Joanne
So I always knew I wasn't "typical." As a slightly left of political center male (who rejects both parties), living on the west coast, I'm not part of the demographic.
Air 1 is probably the only place there's much truly interesting "Christian music"; even that seems increasingly narrowly programmed. I stopped supporting Air 1 recently, because of the frequency with which I heard Dr. Dobson, who is really more about right-wing politics than being "family friendly", whatever exactly that means.
I don't listen to Christian music radio in general, but I can always tell when I flip thru stations in the car -- without looking -- which ones are the Christian music format-- they all have that same Nashville guitar "sound" that drives me crazy. The people I've met tell me they either "only listen to Christian music" or "like one or two Christian artists but stick with adult contemporary music like Celine Dion and The Eagles."
Thanks for sending me your link. This explains my gripe. Is there not a market for males?
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