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.

As a child, you were taught the magic words. And if you're a parent, you've passed them on to your kids ... Saying "Please" when you ask for something communicates respect and "Thank You" expresses gratitude to the other person. What makes these words magical? It's ...

One of the biggest challenges in our format is Content. There are lots of questions that help you put it together: Is this top of mind? Does the listener actually care about it? Do you have anything to offer on this subject that's unique, and not just what everyone ...

Radio doesn't have a problem with reach, or generating more P1s (first preference listeners). It has a problem winning fans. In spite of increased distractions and competition, most consumers continue to check out over-the-air radio stations. The problem, as you ...

There's a lot of different styles of communication in Christian radio. We have those that lean toward preaching, we have those that want to let the music be the message, we have those that focus on encouragement, and we have personalities that live life from a Bible ...

Could your station BE any more encouraging? I typed that in the voice of Chandler Bing. If there was ever a guy who needed encouragement, it was him. K-Love got to NYC a couple of decades too late for Chandler and his Friends to soak in that positive encouragement. ...

I grew up in high school taking a lot of art classes, because I needed to fill some electives. But what I found to my surprise, was that I enjoyed learning and experimenting with different art mediums; pastels, acrylics, and oil paints. While there was no formula, ...

In my last article, I proposed that one of the most vital elements to a successful radio station is Flow. It's one of the key factors that separates decent stations from truly great ones. My working definition of Flow (as best as I can currently articulate) is as ...

Telling a story is like being on a see-saw. On one end is that you want to share something. On the other end is not wasting the listener's time. Here are some rules to help you NOT be the person who takes a long time to tell a story that doesn't matter: The first ...

I love voice-tracked shows. Not all of them, of course. Not even most of them. I do love a few of them. But what I really love is the concept. The benefits of voice-tracking allows broadcasters and air personalities the chance to do more than when performing live. ...