Memorial Day is often considered the official kick off of summer. But more importantly it is a time set aside to remember those who gave their lives for our country.

This time of remembrance is a good time for us to reflect on how we’d like our radio stations remembered.

We get a glimpse of this each year as we compile the Station of the Year entry for Christian Music Broadcasters. It forces us to stop our day-to-day busyness and ponder the most noteworthy things of the preceding twelve months. We discover some things stand out, other things are vapor in the wind.

When people talk about your radio station do they speak of the 25-minute music sweeps with fewer commercials, or do they talk about how you help people help people?

Do they talk about how Jack and Jill read “This day in history” from Twitter every morning at 7:20, or that your station cheers on moms and dads for the most important commitment they’ll ever make – raising good kids?

This pandemic is so darn inconvenient.

We’ve designed our radio stations to do specific things at specific times. It’s so automatic that we hardly even think about doing something different.

But life is now different. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

What do your listeners need from you during morning drive and afternoon drive when they are no longer driving to and from work?

What do your listeners need from you during the day when life at the office is now stay at home and home schooling their kids?

They say opinions are like noses; everyone has one.

The boss, the Facebook posts from listeners, the sales manager, or the weekend disc jockey, everyone has an opinion on what your station should be doing to be better. At least for them.

On this Mother’s Day, I wonder what advice we could get from Mom.

Be a good friend

Friends make others feel welcome. Friends don’t talk down to others. Friends don’t have conversations that exclude others. Friends encourage.

Don’t be selfish

The moment we think the station is all about us, we lose perspective. Your station’s values are reflected in what’s hanging in the hallways. Is it all about you? Your station ultimately exists to serve others. The word for being self-focused is “ego.”

Our world has changed. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

People are anxious. Many are fearful. There is a new normal and we’re not quite sure what it is.

Our vocabulary is filled with concepts unfamiliar just a few months ago. Social distancing. COVID-19. N95 masks. Even the mention of places in the world like Wuhan.

During this pandemic I’m sure your radio station is doing some good stuff. Many stations are doing lots of good stuff. But the more important question is… are you fulfilling a promise?

I’ve been a part of many standing ovations, but I’ve never started even one.

The powerful influence of the behavior of the tribe can be seen from the seriousness of school shootings (police immediately go on alert for the copy cats) to the funny behavior of those on a crowded elevator depicted in this classic Candid Camera episode.

The bleaker the news headlines the more your listeners will be eager to celebrate the good news and the heroes! It’s like gasping for fresh air. It’s why the flight attendants say to put on your oxygen mask before helping others. We need oxygen to be able to help others, and your station can be that for your community.

Tommy Kramer, my brilliant friend of more than 40 years, puts it this way…

“The Coronavirus isn’t the subject of every single break (you still want to be entertaining, too), but the virus IS the ‘backdrop’ of everything.

If a large portion of the content is people sharing about what the virus means in their lives, then remember that it’s not just their sweet stories, but also their concerns, and what that means in terms of being a good wife/husband/neighbor.”

Sports stations will never have fans that aren’t also sports fans.

Country stations will never have fans that aren’t also country music fans.

Christian stations will never have fans that aren’t also devout Christians…

…unless…

It’s the new normal. We’ve adapted to working remotely, conference calls on Zoom that look like we’re on the Brady Bunch, and to dealing with social separation at the grocery store and Home Depot.

Let’s hope it won’t last much longer.

Patrick Lecione shares interesting insight on leadership during such a time as this on a recent podcast with Andy Stanley. While his concepts are focused on organizational leadership I believe you’ll see valuable lessons that can be applied to a station’s relationship with its listeners, advertisers, and donors.

He shares…

We’re living it. Right now.

The bad news is at our fingertips, on our TV screens, and evident in the streets where we live. Everyone is talking about it. There’s no doubt we’re living in unusual times, but our stations have a different role to play than CNN or FOX News. Certainly there is bad news. But all the news isn’t bad news.

Since 1963, the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center has conducted nearly 700 field studies on floods and earthquakes, and on-site research reveals the same results every time: the vast majority of people stay calm and help each other.

“Whatever the extent of the looting, it always pales in significance to the widespread altruism that leads to free and massive giving and sharing of goods and services.”

“I don’t know what you’re seeing,” a psychiatrist tweeted, “but I’m seeing people wanting to help all over the place. By following official recommendations, or something practical like doing someone’s grocery shopping…”

Imagine this. Your radio station goes away. Protests flood social media. People start petitions to get your station back. And get this; the people who start this movement are people who DON’T even listen to your station.

In the book “Deep and Wide,” Andy Stanley shares his hope that the church’s presence be good for the community, even viewed that way by those who don’t attend. He shares his desire that the church is seen as such a good neighbor that people would miss it if wasn’t there.

There is no better time than this current coronavirus pandemic for Christian radio to be a good neighbor.

In his book “Know What You’re For,” Jeff Henderson shares that most businesses see their customers as fans in the stands rooting for the business. His suggestion is transformative. Imagine your customers are on the field and you’re rooting for them.

We’re really good at talking about ourselves, how “real” we are, and what we want from our listeners (“help keep us on the air”), but frankly, we often fall short in demonstrating what our listeners and our local community mean to us.

I’ve heard some remarkable radio this past week.

I’ve heard stories of the helpers, whether those in hospitals and research labs, or those restocking grocery shelves late at night, or those knocking on a neighbor’s door to see if they are okay. (Our neighbor’s daughter is quarantined because she flew in from London).

I’ve heard radio stations stop what they usually do to put their “flag in the ground” and share faith in inspiring and practical ways.

“When the story of COVID-19 is just a story we tell let’s make sure our stories are stories worth telling.”

Andy Stanley

I’ve heard fresh perspectives in contrast to what is heard from mainstream media, perspectives that can actually be helpful to people.