I’ve turned down that easy yes before. Not because the song was bad. It was just safe in a way that didn’t do anything for the station. I’ve also sat through the follow up calls asking why. That part isn’t fun. But it’s the job.

Barrett Media wrote something a while back that named exactly what I couldn’t quite put into words during those calls. Rigid music testing and focus groups sanitize stations. They strip out the texture that actually builds listener loyalty.

In the article I read, Barrett Media called them chocolate chips. That’s the phrase that stuck with me. The surprise song. The song nobody expected in that slot. The one moment in the hour that breaks the pattern before the listener even realizes they were bored.

You cannot lean on this every week, because I’ve watched programmers take this idea and run it into the ground. If every add is a stretch, your station isn’t distinct anymore, it’s just unpredictable, and unpredictable doesn’t build habit any better than boring does. This works precisely because it’s rare. Listeners can tell the difference between a station that occasionally takes a real swing and one that’s just guessing week to week.

When it lands though, there is nothing safe that touches it. It’s the song somebody texts a friend about. The song that makes a listener say did you hear what they just played, instead of reaching for the next preset on their way to something else.

Play it safe often enough and you get a station that sounds like every other station in the format. Take the right swing at the right moment and you get something people actually notice.

The post The Safe Add Is Safe for the Label. Not for Your Station. first appeared on CMB.

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Prefer to read? Here’s a summary:

Congratulations to 88.3 Life FM in Bakersfield for sharing its $17,000 television advertising award with local nonprofits throughout the year, and to WHIF 91.3 Hope FM in Palatka for receiving a $5,000 Community Impact Grant to expand its outreach. These stories are a great reminder of the impact CMB Member Stations are making as they faithfully serve their communities.

To celebrate CMB Digital Day, we’ve released a free collection of professionally captured artist videos that your station can download and use across social media. Featuring artists like Anne Wilson, Megan Woods, and Patrick Mayberry, the collection includes everything from favorite Scriptures to fun behind-the-scenes moments, along with practical tips from Ryan Roach on how to maximize engagement.

Registration is now open for our fall lineup of events, including the all-new CMB Summit, Gold Member Gathering, and CMBU. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your leadership, strengthen your station, or connect with peers across Christian media, each event offers unique opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow.

The post CMB Update – July 2026 first appeared on CMB.

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Here are two areas to be mindful of if you’re wanting to connect deeper with your listener.

1. Especially in the beginning of your radio break, try to use the widest welcome mat possible that attracts the widest audience listening.

 That means that you can’t assume that anyone listening is anything: married, a parent, a Christian, goes to church, or is a fan of your radio station. 

Here’s an example:

 “It’s summertime and your kids are headed off to VBS.” 



That assumes that everyone listening is a parent, has kids, and knows what a VBS is. Recent research showed that 70% of Christian radio listeners don’t have an eighteen-year-old or younger living with them.



How to adjust: “It’s summertime and a kid in your life may be headed to a camp.”



Using a phrase like, “a kid in your life” is relevant to parents, grandparents, babysitters, older siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers, next door neighbors, etc. Also, summer camp is a broader term that includes VBS. 



Being inclusive without sounding exclusive welcomes more people to feel like they’re seen. Every listener wants to feel like I BELONG HERE when listening to your radio show.



2. Listen to almost any Christian Radio station and you’ll hear the DJ handing out spiritual advice. 

Here’ an example:

 “So, the next time you find yourself in that same situation I was in, remember to trust Jesus and worry less.” 



This is so cliche’ (and bad) Christian radio. Stop handing out (maybe unwanted) advice, and start being a good example.



How to adjust: “So, the next time I find myself in that same situation, I’m going to trust Jesus instead of worrying so much.”



In faith breaks, be self-evaluating and self-examining so that you can model honesty and vulnerability. Every listener wants to feel like I’M NOT ALONE when listening to your radio show. They come to you for encouragement, not admonishment.



HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY


The 2 big ideas for Christian Radio shows (I BELONG HERE & I’M NOT ALONE) are powerful ways to attract people to your radio show and connect with them at a deeper level. That builds trust and forms habits, and that’s something streaming music can’t do.

The post 2 Big Ideas for Christian Radio Shows first appeared on CMB.

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– Dave Gordon, Senior Director – Market Manager, Northwestern Media

The post CMB Industry Shout-out – Jon Hull first appeared on CMB.

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More stories! More vision! More reasons why! More reminders that the phones are open, the website is working, and a matching gift is apparently sitting somewhere with a stopwatch.

But what if the true shortage in fundraising isn’t money?

What if it’s attention?

People’s phones are blowing up daily with texts, socials, headlines, ads, emails, podcasts, and refrigerator notifications. (Finally! In 2026, humanity’s long wait for this is over).

Then, 3 times a year, we disrupt the format and ask them to stay tuned and give now.

I understand that urgency in most breaks IS essential.

But urgency and intensity are not the same thing.

Urgency says, “This moment matters.”

Intensity says, “We are convinced you will not hear us unless I show up.”

Intensity is 2 or 3 people on mic for 6 minutes, with few pauses, talking over a music bed and sounding like they are trying to be heard by a friend at a loud club (A club that just happens to need 10 more leadership gifts in the next 2 songs).

Add in a host who maybe views the next 5 minutes as a verdict on their effectiveness as a fundraiser, and you get a recipe that always seems to call for us to do more, More, MORE!

But here is the truth: intensity does not create attention. It divides it.

Every voice, stat, sound effect, and emotional tweak competes for limited cognitive space. We may be making the message harder for people to hear.

Intensity’s answer is always more. But, attention grows when fewer things compete for it. 

Now – a fundraiser SHOULD be joyful, and alive and at times, intense. But constant intensity flattens it all. When every story is “powerful”, every update is big, and every hour is one of the most important, people cannot tell what matters most.

Worse, they may stop believing any of it does.

Urgency needs some contrast.

One voice can carry an idea long enough to land. Genuine emotion does not need someone driving the point home for another 90 seconds. Silence is not dead air if its purpose is to take a few seconds and let the listener breathe.

Brothers and sisters, we are not selling an extended car warranty. We are telling the truth about the work God is doing through people who give and extending the opportunity to join in. That truth carries its own weight.

The Holy Spirit does not require us to try to grab attention by smashing the hype button before He moves someone toward generosity.

Urgency gathers attention around what matters.

Intensity merely proves that everyone in the studio has had coffee, and that was never really in question.

The post What if the Real Scarcity in Fundraising Isn’t Money? first appeared on CMB.

The post What if the Real Scarcity in Fundraising Isn’t Money? appeared first on CMB.

– Tim Dukes, President, Hope Media Group

The post CMB Industry Shout-out – Jim Marshall first appeared on CMB.

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For more than a decade, RAB’s Annual Digital Benchmarking Report, produced by Borrell Associates Inc., has helped radio leaders understand how local advertising is changing and what it takes to stay competitive.

This year’s findings confirm what many broadcasters are already seeing.

In 2025, radio’s digital advertising reached $2.3 billion, accounting for nearly one quarter of total industry revenue. Digital growth offset continued declines in core radio, stabilizing overall revenue for the industry.

Selling digital is no longer an experiment or an add-on. It is an expectation.

As Marketron CEO Jimshade Chaudhari explains, “Broadcasters, advertisers and sales teams now assume digital is part of the conversation. The challenge is no longer demand. It is execution.”

As radio looks ahead to 2026, success will be defined by how well organizations deliver integrated radio and digital campaigns consistently and at scale.

1. Treat Digital as the Core Growth Business, Not an Add-On

The 2026 report makes one thing clear: digital has moved from supplemental to essential.

Since 2022, radio digital revenue has grown at an 8.3% compound annual rate, while core radio has declined at –2.2%. In 2026, Borrell forecasts that 9.5% digital growth will once again offset a 3% decline in core radio, resulting in continued revenue stability for the industry.

That stability, however, is not evenly distributed.

Companies that have made digital a core part of their strategy with clear expectations and disciplined execution are pulling ahead. Among publicly traded radio groups, digital now represents more than 36% of total revenue on average, and significantly more for the strongest performers.

The takeaway is straightforward: growth is no longer tied to market size or ownership scale. It’s driven by execution.

2. Shift Sales Conversations from Products to Measurable Outcomes

Local advertisers are more sophisticated than ever. Nearly half of radio advertisers now employ at least one full-time marketing professional, and the number of “master-level” marketers continues to grow.

These buyers still value branding, but they increasingly expect accountability.

The report shows advertisers allocating more budget to video, streaming and digital channels that offer measurable performance. While radio continues to rank highly for ROI, it’s also perceived as harder to measure, creating both risk and opportunity.

Stations that pair radio with measurable digital extensions such as streaming audio, streaming video and targeted digital campaigns are better positioned to deliver the results advertisers expect.

“Radio and digital perform best together,” Chaudhari notes. “When sellers lead with outcomes, confidence follows.”

3. Make Training a Continuous Discipline, Not a One-Time Initiative

Execution depends on people.

For years, station managers have consistently identified training as the most effective driver of digital revenue growth and 2026 is no exception. Confidence in digital strategy rebounded significantly in 2025, supported by:

• More frequent training
• Clearer expectations to include digital in every pitch
• Improved confidence in sales teams’ digital capabilities

Half of stations now conduct digital sales training at least weekly, and those that do report stronger performance across the board.

Digital success isn’t accidental. It’s built through consistent enablement, reinforcement and leadership alignment that protects seller confidence as digital volume and complexity increase.

4. Improve Conversion Before Chasing New Customers

One of the most persistent gaps in the data remains conversion.

On average, only one in four radio advertisers buy digital products from their station, and digital-only customers represent just 10% of total client bases. That means the largest growth opportunity still sits within existing advertiser relationships.

High-performing stations focus on:

• Mandatory inclusion of digital in proposals
• Clear packaging and pricing
• Reporting that reinforces value and performance

Before investing heavily in net-new acquisition, stations that deepen existing relationships are seeing faster, more sustainable growth without sacrificing margins.

5. Use AI as a Competitive Advantage: Not Just a Productivity Tool

AI adoption accelerated rapidly in 2025. Nearly all stations now use AI in some capacity, particularly for prospecting, communication and sales support.

At the same time, concern is growing. Nearly half of managers who are aware of advertisers using AI for media recommendations believe those recommendations don’t favor radio.

This creates urgency.

Stations that strengthen their digital credibility, measurement story and integrated narrative are better positioned to influence how radio is represented in AI-driven buying decisions. As AI increasingly shapes how advertisers plan, radio must show up as a measurable, scalable and integrated solution.

Turning Stability into Sustainable Growth

The 2026 RAB -Borrell Benchmark shows that radio has reached a turning point. Digital has stabilized the industry. The next challenge is turning that stability into sustainable and profitable growth.

The opportunity is real and increasingly achievable for stations of all sizes. Success will depend on leadership alignment, disciplined execution, continuous training and technology that supports scale without friction.

Radio’s future isn’t radio or digital. It’s radio and digital working together to deliver measurable results, efficiently and reliably, for local advertisers.

Link to Original Post

The post Industry Insight: 5 Next Steps for Radio first appeared on CMB.

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– Amanda Bridle, Brand Manager / Graphic Designer, 91.3 WCSG

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Nationwide listener research measures that by asking audiences to score songs. Artists with more songs earning strong scores rise to the top of the rankings.

Here are the 10 artists with the strongest overall listener scores:

1. Chris Tomlin
2. Casting Crowns
3. MercyMe
4. Lauren Daigle
5. Elevation Worship / Elevation Rhythm
6. Third Day
7. Jeremy Camp
8. Phil Wickham
9. Hillsong Worship
10. Matt Maher

These artists have built deep catalogs of songs that continue to connect with listeners — proving that powerful music and meaningful messages never go out of style.

Coming up in August: From the 2025 Finney Media Why Listen® Survey, new observations on The Top Five Reasons Your Listener Listens.

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Prefer to read? Here’s a summary:

Three longtime Christian radio leaders, Bill Ronning (Family Life Radio), Allen Power (Salem), and Steve Lawhon (WRBS) have each retired after decades of faithfully serving the industry, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, mentorship, and ministry that has shaped Christian radio for years.

Momentum’s highest-rated speaker, Steve Cuss, encouraged leaders to stay rooted in God’s presence and lead with calm, connection, and awareness in an increasingly reactive world. His message was the highest-rated presentation from Momentum 2026 and is available now through Momentum On Demand.

The latest industry trends offer encouraging news for Christian radio! Recent Radio Ink articles point to radio’s continued strength alongside streaming and reaffirm that trusted personalities—not just stations—are what build lasting listener loyalty. While technology continues to change, these insights serve as a timely reminder that people remain at the center of Christian radio’s impact.

The post CMB Update – June 2026 first appeared on CMB.

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