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Christian radio refers toChristian mediaradio formats that focus onChristianreligious broadcasting or various forms ofChristian music. Many such formats and programs includecontemporary Christian music,gospel music,sermons,radio dramas, as well asnews andtalk shows covering popular culture, economics, and political topics from a Christian perspective.[1]
Brokered programming is a significant portion of most U.S. Christian radio stations' revenue, with stations regularly sellingblocks of airtime to evangelists seeking an audience. Another revenue stream is solicitation of donations, either to the evangelists who buy the air time or to the stations or their owners themselves. In order to further encourage donations, certain evangelists may emphasize theprosperity gospel, in which they preach thattithing and donations to the ministry will result in financial blessings from God. Others may have special days of the year dedicated to fundraising, similar to manyNPR stations. Although the solicitation of donations and the sale of airtime may resemble a commercial enterprise, such actions do not necessarily constitute acall to action, and thus this does not forbid them from airing onnoncommercial licensed stations in the U.S. A minority of stations, typically music stations, use the traditional model for music radio and allow traditional commercial advertising.[1]
Numerous religious broadcasters own many of their own stations. In the U.S., religious radio stations are exempt from certain rules requiring radio stations to have some local operations, which allows them to have massive networks of transmitters covering far larger areas than a radio station would otherwise be allowed and may not face the same restrictions on the number of signals a broadcaster can own within one geographic area.
Most Christian radio stations transmit a mixture of Christian music and Christian talk and teaching.
Christianmusic radio outlets mirrorcommercial radio in many ways, and music in a variety of differentgenres is available. Many stations play primarilygospel music, includingBlack Gospel andSouthern Gospel, orcontemporary worship music, while others play all formats ofcontemporary Christian music, including Christian pop,Christian rock,Christian rap,Christian country music, andChristian alternative rock. Many artists within theChristian music industry criticize Christian radio for only playing "safe" music, and not taking enough chances on new artists, or in some cases older artists, that may not be as appealing to the largely conservativeGospel Music Association.[1]
Many non-religious radio stations devote some of their weekend programming to Christian music; for example, Black Gospel programming is common on Sundays on many stations featuring theUrban Contemporary format.
Other Christian stations will present a no-music format that featurestalk radio-style programming (sometimes including live radio call-in shows) and/or long-form "preaching and teaching" programs. Notable examples includeFocus on the Family with hostJim Daly,Amazing Facts,Living Way with pastorJack Hayford, andPastor Rick's Daily Hope; an example of an inspirational program areMoments of Melody andThe Voice of Prophecy.Radio drama programs, long dead in most other radio formats, continue to be transmitted on Christian radio; notable examples include long-runningAdventures in Odyssey,Patch the Pirate, andUnshackled! and relative newcomers such asDown Gilead Lane andA Work in Progress.
Christian radio, particularly in North America, is dominated byProtestant ministries, particularly those associated withevangelical Christianity. The predominantRoman Catholic radio services are theEternal Word Network, founded byMother Angelica as a spin-off of her television serviceEWTN, andRadio Maria USA.
TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a sect whoseplace in Christianity is heavily debated, maintains some limited radio evangelical operations throughBYU Radio, which owns a single FM station. TheSeventh-day Adventists are most closely associated withThree Angels Broadcasting Network.[citation needed]
Most Christian radio stations as well as programmers based in the United States are members of theNational Religious Broadcasters, a Christian organization. There are reportedly 1,600 Christian broadcasting organizations in the U.S. They range from single stations to expansive networks. It is common for religious broadcasters to purchase many smallbroadcast translators to create networks that stretch across large regions.Moody Radio was the first example, and still one of the largest, though most of its stations broadcast stand-alone programming as well as network feeds.Z88.3 in Orlando, Florida, theWAY-FM Network,K-LOVE,Air 1,The Joy FM,Reach Radio,3ABN Radio,Radio 74, and theBible Broadcasting Network are other notable examples in the world.
Christian radio expanded in the early twenty-first century. It became available in the United Kingdom with changes to broadcasting regulations.Premier Christian Radio is based in the London area where it is available on medium wave and DAB; elsewhere, it is available digitally or by Internet.United Christian Broadcasters is an international broadcasting and media company; radio stations are based in Albania, Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom.Trans World Radio is an evangelical media distributor broadcasting Christian programs in 190 countries in more than 300 languages,TWR-UK can be heard in the United Kingdom on Sky, Freeview and online.[2]
