A couple of weeks ago I shared the upside of being wrong.
“The good thing about being wrong is that you don’t have to be wrong anymore. When you learn a better solution you can leave the old concepts behind.”
I promised then to share some things about programming that I’ve been wrong about. But I don’t have to be wrong anymore.
Coming to Christian radio from several decades of secular radio I realized the format’s biggest challenge was lack of familiar music. After all, everyone’s favorite radio station is the station that plays their favorite music, right? No hits, no stars, no format.
In the early days we created promos attempting to demonstrate how styles of Christian music sounded like secular music. (I’m sorry, but I did). My faulty logic assumed that comparing an attribute of ours (songs, deejays, promotions) to an attribute of the secular guys would minimize the obstacle.
I was wrong.
Fortunately, I’ve been involved in dozens of research studies that have enlightened me that CCM’s success is not based in a set of attributes at all but something more important. (See Frost Advisory #646 – New Year’s Resolution: A Flag In The Ground).
In my early programing days I thought it was wrong to play female vocals back to back. (I’m sorry, but I did). This misguided notion was several generations removed from the logic of the Top 40 pioneers (namely Todd Storz and Gordon McLendon) with tight playlists spinning similar sounding artists like The Crystals, Ronettes, Supremes, and Martha and the Vandellas. (A future Frost Advisory, don’tcha know).
Yes, I was wrong about those programming ideas. But with new knowledge and experience I don’t have to be wrong any more.
“When we don’t control our thoughts, our thoughts control us. If our days are full of broken soundtracks, thoughts are our worst enemy, holding us back from the things we really want. But the solution to overthinking isn’t to stop thinking. The solution is running our brains with better soundtracks. Once we learn how to choose our soundtracks, thoughts become our best friend, propelling us toward our goals.”
Jon Acuff, “Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking“
Maybe you’d like to share what you were wrong about. Oh, come on. These are confessions of a learner.
