Making Radio Waves
Christian talk radio's high-wireless act is soaring. But without strong accountability structures, it could lose its balance.
John W. Kennedy

Christian talk radio's high-wireless act is soaring. But without strong accountability structures, it could lose its balance.

The defining moment for Christian talk radio happened February 24. In the previous ten days, programs such as James Dobson's Focus on the Family and Marlin Maddoux's Point of View had urged listeners to call congressional representatives to protest a provision in a $12.4 billion federal education bill that could have virtually outlawed home schooling.

Nearly one million callers jammed the House of Representatives' phone lines to protest HR 6. Lawmakers approved an amendment, 424 to 1, that stripped the home-schooling portion of the bill. Thus, Christian radio's small but loyal audience dramatically influenced the political agenda in Washington.

Although the vote was not a watershed event in America's political history, the effective alliance between Christian radio and largely conservative Christian activists may foreshadow their influence on the issues of health-care reform, abortion, and countless other social concerns. With new satellite technology, extensive mailing lists, and phone networks, Christian broadcasters are able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of concerned listeners on short notice.

Christian radio has mushroomed to the extent that it is now the third most-common format on the dial, behind country and adult contemporary. The National Religious Broadcasters Association (NRB) says 1,600 stations—one in ten—have a Christian format, more than two-thirds of them for-profit. Reflecting a trend in the larger culture, talk has become the hottest format in Christian radio, with 15 nationally syndicated shows. The success of pre-eminent talkmeister Rush Limbaugh—heard by up to 20 million people weekly—has done much to inspire Christians to follow his formula. Factors spurring the popularity of talk radio include its low production cost, immediacy, and ability to reach a nonprint-oriented audience.

Although programming and station outlets have grown, Stephen Winzenburg, communications professor at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa, says Arbitron ratings show Christian stations attract under 2 percent of the total audience, even though 10 percent of all stations have Christian formats. Winzenburg says the regular core audience is between 3.5 million and 4 million, and consists primarily of women.

"Most stations are barely making it, and very few are profitable," says communications professor Quentin Schultze of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He says the increase in the number of stations has not automatically translated into more listeners.

Of the commercial Christian stations, 440 are talk oriented, compared to 900 in secular talk radio. Even though the NRB and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) regulate fundraising and, to a lesser extent, morals, ministries are not required to join in order to start broadcasting on the airwaves.

KING OF THE AIRWAVES
The undisputed king of Christian radio is Focus on the Family president James Dobson. His daily half-hour show, on the air since 1982, is heard by nearly twice as many listeners as any other in Christian talk radio, via 2,300 stations and broadcast translators. In some urban areas, Focus may be heard two dozen times—on half a dozen stations that play it four times daily. Dobson also has a five-minute daily commentary on 1,150 stations.

Focus's own research indicates an average audience of 4 million during the week. Dobson's broadcasts are only one avenue he has to reach people. He has written 14 books and hosted two film series for churches. He also has a question-and-answer column in 370 newspapers and is at the helm of a magazine- publishing company with eight titles. Focus brought in more than $79 million in donations last year.

As a nonprofit organization, Focus cannot be directly involved in political lobbying, but the ministry can use its resources to inform people and motivate them to act, including flooding Washington, D.C., switchboards as the need arises. "The government is becoming increasingly bold in its intrusion into areas that traditionally have been the purview of the family," says Focus vice president Paul Hetrick. "Radio gives us an instant response indicator."

Dobson's national standing has turned his ministry into a lightning rod for liberal ire. Homosexual activist Mel White, a former ghostwriter for Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, has written a book about his "coming out" and has become a vocal critic of the traditional Christian teaching that homosexual behavior is wrong (CT, June 20, 1994, p. 35). In July, White staged a one-week "Fast for Understanding" outside Focus's new headquarters in Colorado Springs. Hetrick says, "We're the premier example, in Mel White's view, of a religious organization that totally misunderstands the Bible and God's will for homosexuals."

Yet, in the minds of conservative voters, Dobson conveys trust. "Dobson is extremely reputable," Winzenburg says. "He doesn't ask you every day to call your senators. You know when he does ask, that means it's pretty serious stuff."

While the Christian audience may be small compared with those of secular programs, they are avid listeners. "They respond in terms of money. They respond in terms of political pressure. They respond in terms of letters and protesting and boycotting," Winzenburg says. Talk radio's ability to telegraph the need for urgent action has become one of its most useful features.

"The beauty of live radio is that many times we are able to call our listeners to action," says Carmen D'Arcy Stanczykiewicz, director of broadcast marketing for Beverly LaHaye Live, heard by 750,000 people on 100 stations daily.