Christian Radio Must Respond to Technology Changes, Says Broadcast Executive
by Allie Martin
March 20, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The new vice president of a Christian radio network says emerging technology means major changes for Christian radio stations.Wayne Pederson was recently named vice president of the Moody Broadcasting Network, a branch of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. The network owns and operates 35 stations nationwide; several hundred more affiliate stations and translators carry MBN programming, which includes such well-known broadcasts as "Focus on the Family," "Turning Point," "Let My People Think," and "Breakpoint."
Pederson, who brings with him more than three decades of broadcasting experience, says Christian radio can make an eternal difference in people's lives. But executives in the industry, he says, must be aware of the changes taking place in the medium. Consumers of information, entertainment, and inspiration, he notes, have so many choices these days.
"Pictures on demand, music on demand, you can have iPods and have 10,000 of your favorite songs at your disposal," he offers as examples. "More and more, our partners in mainstream radio are realizing that content is king when it comes to radio."
But Pederson chooses to view the changing technology as a challenge. "I think we have an opportunity here, as more and more people tune to radio for content -- and we have the greatest message in the world," he says.
The new VP at the Moody Broadcasting Network says the introduction of iPods, the Internet, and satellite radio means Christians stations must get serious about content. "I believe that our mission needs to be [that we will] have compelling content that will attract listeners and substantive content that will transform lives," he suggests.
Christian broadcasters, he suggests, can learn something from those in the secular realm. "What our brothers in mainstream radio are finding is that with music available in these other forms of delivery, many of the top FM stations -- in markets like Washington, DC, in Minneapolis, in Boston, in Chicago -- have gone to [an] all-talk [format]," he says. "I think we're going to see the pendulum swinging back in that direction a bit, where it will move away from 'entertainment' to more information and life-transforming content."
Pederson cautions that if Christian broadcasters ignore the changing technology instead of finding ways to exploit it, they run the risk of becoming obsolete.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
