. . . whoever wants to be first, must be slave of all.
(Mark 10:49, NIV) |
February 2003
Dear friend of KHCS,
Would you like an inside look at the radio
industry? You may be surprised to know that most Christian radio stations do
not program to an audience, but to only one “composite” listener. Typically,
she is 35, married with two preteen children, works part-time, attends an
evangelical church and has a household income of $65,000.
What? That doesn’t sound like you? That
leaves you out of the picture?
Yes, that’s why I think that programming for
just one listener is irrational. And I’ve been in radio for over 42 years, so I
know something about it.
The truth is,
there are a lot of men listening too, and people of both sexes a little (or a
lot) older or younger than 35, holding down full-time jobs (or none) and making
more or less than $65,000.
I believe that proper programming balances
the desires of various listeners against each other to provide an interesting
blend, rather than just presenting music and programs
targeted to a mythical “Becky.”
That’s why the Listener Survey we sent out
last October is so valuable in programming KHCS. Just because I’ve been
in radio for awhile doesn’t mean I know everything. I have to listen to the
Lord. And listen to you!
Your favorite artists (from the necessarily
limited list in the survey) were Twila Paris, Keith Green, Steve Green, and the
Newsboys.
We asked if we should attempt to reach more
listeners under 30. Of the respondents, 52 percent said that we should. Every
day more young families with children are moving to the Coachella Valley. It’s
a nice place to live, and not just for retirees.
We may attempt to attract some of these
younger listeners by playing other songs by the above artists, and some
compatible songs by popular groups like the Supertones, DC Talk, etc. Also
we’re looking at airing more short features that are of interest to young
married adults.
Did I say “teenagers”? No, absolutely not.
We have no intention of dumping everything we do now, instead just broadening
our appeal a little. Younger adults often have little or no affinity with
traditional church culture and require different methods of ministry. Exactly
how we might reach them will require some time and more research, so it won’t
happen overnight. You can expect to receive more surveys in the future as we
plan future programming.
Meanwhile, I want you to know that your
involvement as a Ministry Partner is vital so that we can improve our service to
you and to our community. You see, no one can just walk into the studio, sit
down in front of the mic, open their mouth and have interesting, entertaining
and insightful words fall out. Good programming requires thought and
preparation. This takes time, and, as the old saying goes, “Time is money.”
These expenses of operating the ministry of
Joy 92 continue daily. Some ministries attempt to operate from
one “income spike” to the next, depending on the ability of each appeal letter
to motivate donors.
We prefer to depend on God to provide the
motivation. Simply put, Christianity is following Jesus. If you are
following my prodding, you are not following His leading! And
that’s not what Christianity is all about.
I would just like to ask you to pray and see
what our Lord wants you to do to be a partner in helping KHCS bring
uplifting Christian programming to the Coachella Valley. Will you do that for
me? Thank you.
In His joy!

Glen Kippel
General Manager
P.S. Many ministries and not-for profit
charitable organizations have professional advertising agencies write their
constituent letters for them.
I write every letter myself, and I hope you
find them interesting.
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