Case for Christian Radio
For decades, so-called experts have been predicting the demise of radio.
Every time a new entertainment technology is introduced into the marketplace – television, Walkman, CDs, iPods and now tablets and smart phones – we hear THAT is the technology that will make radio irrelevant.
Ninety-five years after the launch of KDKA, the first radio station to sign on in the US, radio is still here and is still thriving.
Here’s why:
Radio is unique because it is available 24/7.
Its reach is unparalleled, covering over 91% of the population each week, or 244 million listeners in the US. Radio elicits strong loyalty from its listeners, who say that radio is “central to their lives.” (Radio Advertising Bureau: Why Radio: 10 Reasons to Advertise, 2015) Best yet, radio is FREE!
Radio is one of the most effective communication tools to specifically target an audience by simply choosing the right format and station.
Radio covers over 91% of the population and solicits strong loyalty from its listeners, who say that radio is “central to their lives.”
—Radio Advertising Bureau
Christian radio is no exception.
According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, more than 20 million people tune in to Christian or Religious radio each week, and those who do fit a very highly desirable demographic profile.
Forty-three percent are between the ages of 35-54; 64 percent are married; 67 percent listen in a vehicle; 62 percent are college-educated; 40 percent have a household income of over $75,000/year; and 72 percent use some form of social media (Radio Advertising Bureau: Radio Format Profile Religious/Christian 2014).
More than 20 million people tune in to Christian or Religious radio each week.
—Radio Advertising Bureau
This highly sought-after audience isn’t just passively listening.
They are engaged and supportive of the ministries they hear on the radio. Of all the Christian radio listeners, 31 percent listen to five hours of Christian radio, and 38 percent claim to have made a purchase from a ministry they heard about on the radio in the last year.
Forty-five percent of Christian radio listeners also have donated to at least one radio ministry, and 64 percent have said they have made more than three donations to radio ministries during the year (Salem Media Group/Nielsen/Edison Research: Listener Study, 2014).
As one may expect, the Christian radio listeners who donate to a Christian radio ministry are the most passionate, committed to their Christian faith. Ninety-seven percent of this core audience describe themselves as “Born Again or Evangelical;” 93 percent say that religion is the essential or singular guiding force in their lives; and 94 percent are regular donors to a local church (Ambassador Advertising Agency/Edison Research: Ministry Donor Study, 2013).
Christian radio simply works. Dr. John MacArthur’s radio ministry, Grace to You, has been one of the cornerstone ministries on Christian radio since the late 1970s. Jay Flowers, managing director of Grace to You, describes the impact Christian radio has on their ministry. “Radio gives us the ability to touch large numbers of lives with God’s transforming truth and build relationships that listeners take seriously and see as spiritually significant,” he said. “Radio is instant, it’s personal, it’s portable, and it speaks to the mind. It takes people well beyond entertainment and engages their thinking.”
If you are looking to expand your ministry’s reach impact now and for eternity, we would urge you to unlock the unparalleled reach and response of Christian radio.
Radio gives us the ability to touch large numbers of lives with God’s transforming truth and build relationships that listeners take seriously and see as spiritually significant. Radio is instant, it’s personal, it’s portable, and it speaks to the mind. It takes people well beyond entertainment and engages their thinking.
—Jay Flowers, Managing Director of Grace to You
