Secular music on Christian Radio Station.

[joshzz]

William Yeager,

You're doing a fine job! Pray and just let the Lord lead you in your decisions.

josh

 

[radiocph]

Now, having said all that, I'd tend to agree with you though, that a radio station, needs to decide who its audience is, if it is going to be a Christian station then it needs to play ONLY Christian music. I listen to all sorts of music, both secular and Christian, but I know people who only listen to Christian music. Those people would tune out if they hear "worldly" music. I too would tune out depending on the lyrics of that "worldly music". So if you are trying to have a "positive music station" then playing both secular and Christian music might work assuming you can get enough nonbelievers to accept the Christian music you choose. Many nonbelievers don't want to hear any music that mentions God in it unless the word damn follows. So I'd agree that a format mixing both might not be that successful for either group, nonbelievers or for Christians.

So my advice would be, either be a solid Christian station or be a solid secular station.

Two formats that *might* let you get away with mixing religious and secular music:

1. Country/Western (especially older songs--don't know so much about the new stuff). I used to listen to a lot of
country western (KLAC in the 1970's), and it wasn't surprising to hear a song with a religious theme in it. Not so much
straight southern Gospel (except on Sunday, maybe), but I have heard Southern Gospel songs on otherwise secular
country stations in other parts of the US.

2. Urban/Black formats. Again, songs by gospel singers, or with religious themes mixed in with the secular stuff from time to time.

I think the issue with these two groups is that singing in church choirs was, and is, an entry point into the music business for many
performers. Also in these groups, people can move back and forth, musically, between the secular and gospel worlds (Al Green, for
example), something that is discouraged in other forms of music (e.g. Once Amy Grant went secular, she stayed there....)

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Does that mean that you don't think heavy-metal folks didn't start out in church music?

 

[jhguthlac]

I was really surprised the other morning when my car radio was on "scan" and landed on our local WXHL. A couple of songs into a set was a classic rock/AC type of song. Clearly not Christian, but not offensive lyric-wise. The key is to include songs which fit the "texture" of your format. A person driving along and hitting the buttons, may acidently land on your frequency, hear a song they know and like, then stay for the songs with a message.

Bearing in mind that many CCR songs really don't mention Jesus or God at all, there is nothing wrong with this approach.

 

[joshzz]

Are you certain it was WXHL? Translators are notorious for having both good and bad days.

I would think that you were picking up another station on the same frequency that is ducting in. I've listened to WXHL many times and have never heard anything that even remotely resembled secular music. Maybe they are altering their format but I would strongly doubt it.

 

[jhguthlac]

I was on I-95 right beside Faith City when I was listening. And the radio stopped on their frequency.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

WXHL's tower is right there at Faith City Church as are the studios. For those not from the Wilmington area, Faith City is not a town, just a non-denominational church located in Christiana Delaware, next to the mall just off of I-95.