We’re living in unprecedented times. COVID-19. Lockdowns. Racial unrest. Will our kids be going back to school?

If you simply look at each isolated event you could reason that your station isn’t about those things. Not if you think of your station as just unfamiliar music by artists people don’t know.

It depends on your perspective.

I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.

The good news? Our format is a lifestyle format. The bad news? Our format is a lifestyle format.

This old pandemic has revealed a perspective on the latter.

When there is…

no more driving to and from work…

no more being at work while having your kids in school…

no more driving to and from church on Sundays…

…key opportunities for listening go away.

Having said that, many Christian music stations are performing quite nicely through the pandemic, at least from a ratings perspective (and donor support, as well).

I have a theory about that.

“Second verse, same as the first.” Herman’s Hermits

Over these last several months these weekly Frost Advisories have had a few recurring themes. For one thing, it doesn’t look like the pandemic is going to be over anytime soon. For another, we need to be thinking about not just getting through the day-to-day grind but also what we are learning through it.

What are we learning about how to encourage during a national emergency? What are we learning about creating a shared experience where people don’t feel isolated? What are we learning about being human and relating to what people are going through?

The worst version of our format is “nice Christian people talking about nice Christian things to nice Christian people.”

The best version of our format is like a friend who sticks with you through life’s ups and downs and is an encourager every step of the way.

In execution, the first option is any day anywhere. The second option is right here right now.

When a station focuses on “right here right now” it forces the elimination of all generics. No more platitudes. No more “hang in theres.”

COVID-19 isn’t going away, at least anytime soon. Our normal in March is not the normal in July and may not be our normal in October.

Our focus needs to be now. Because “now” is the one thing we most have in common; yes, even more than our beliefs or our values.

You can’t make me! Because I’m a Republican/a Democrat/a Texan, a hard working self-made man/someone that can’t be pushed around/a free thinker!

I find the “controversy” over wearing a face mask to be peculiar. Why? Because from my perspective, MY world view, it makes perfect sense to wear one. It’s only a minor inconvenience, if that, it’s a great conversation starter at the grocery store and the gym (about the only places I can go), and it covers up my big nose.