Oh, Joy.

I have to remember to change my car presets today and remove 99.1 as one of them. I'm not sure with what I'll replace it. It won't be JOY.
I'm not sure which is more bothersome: losing classical music or gaining CCM (contemporary Christian music). Perhaps it is losing one to gain the other.
I would not agree that the assesment of "JOY's Listeners as enemies of high culture--champions of derviative, evangelical schmaltz who killed off Brahms to win souls in St. Louis County." They didn't really kill classical. They seized an opportunity. That's business. In an era of arts-cuts, this is symptomatic of a different ailment, but that's another topic. Regardless, the classical station in the Gateway City will cease broadcasting tonight c. 10pm.
As for JOY winning souls, who knows? Their poster misquotes Joshua 6:16--gaining a radio station is not tantamount to the taking of Jericho. The article indicates people who call in and say their life has changed by listening. How permanent of a change are we talking here? Which soil, so to speak? Those who hear the word and receive it with joy and then fall away when trials come, or good soil? We can't say how the Holy Spirit works, but who's to say that Classic 99 didn't bring souls to Christ with some of their programs? Why does it have to be CCM?
As for people not wanting "to hear dirty lyrics when they get in the car with their kids;" sure, they lyrics aren't dirty, but do you really listen to the lyrics? There isn't much about Jesus there either. Come to think of it, the only Christian band I really listen to has the d-word in their lyrics. Their message about Jesus is quite explicit, too. Classic 99 music didn't have dirty lyrics either, as I recall. Why do we want to swap advanced music for CCM? The article is clear that the target audience is the same as those who listen to soft rock. I heard a snippet of CCM the other day as I was traveling. It sounded exactly like soft rock. I can hardly take soft rock for too long on a good day; to add ego-centered lyrics under the guise of being Christian is hardly tolerable. And I fit the demographic of JOY!
The whole premise bothers me. CCM is like undercooked hot dogs. Might be nourishing, but more often than not will make one ill. Christianity is all about Jesus. They say a Christian radio station is "more of a Christian community than entertainment," and they're "not church, but. . .a daily connection you don't get in church." Thanks. I'll take my church with Jesus as the focus, you can keep your praise choruses. . .we love you, so much for what you've done for us. . .what was that, exactly?
As a Post Script, buried in the article were two interesting comments: "The Lutheran Church has its own mission, and that's not classical music," and "We were told in our first meeting with KFUO, 'We're only going to sell if we get top dollar.' " In the words of Uncle Marty, what does this mean?

Why I don't listen to Christian Radio

When my husband served a parish in the land of the frozen chosen, invariably certain "civil-religion-minded" (those people who are rather like civic-minded community members) members of the congregation would ask me, "Do you listen to Christian radio?" I would always say no, and then they would become offended. That would be like a pre-teen girl not liking High School Musical, or something of the sort. I'm sorry, I just don't like Christian Radio, generally speaking.

It may go back to my maternal grandmother. The woman had a Christian radio obsession. She listened to so much of it that I thought Fibber McGee and Dr. McGee were the same person. I knew of Biola University because I heard it's name so often as the sponsor of some show. I truly believed that the music for the Valley Furniture commercial was the music for a religious show.

It may go back to the time when I listened to Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith (and they still talked about God in their music), and I was unfamiliar with the concept of Christocentric music. I remember when a new Christian Radio station began broadcasting in the valley and I was excited to listen. I was first introduced to artists like Steven Curtis Chapman and Carman. I still didn't see that the music was theologically challenged. I stopped listening to said station when they stopped playing the kitschy '80s artists and starting playing Christian rap. I have no use whatsoever for rap--of ANY kind.


When I lived in the land of SPAM, the Christian radio station played the kind of Christian music that I had come to know and loathe. It was either in the genre of Donny and Marie Osmond or it talked nothing about Jesus. So much for Christian. I only listened around the time of President Barry's death to see if other people were talking about the passing of such a wonderful man.

Fast-forward to a couple years ago. . .I began listening to KFUO. It was Christian radio of a different sort. It was LCMS. Sure, the music they played during "Jubliation" wasn't always the best, but they did much well. They had devotions from Portals of Prayer and Higher Things which actually talked about Jesus. They talked about the "Today's Light" Bible study. I could listen to worship services. Most of all, I began listening to Issues, Etc. I, a pastor's wife and a Lutheran teacher, learned much from Issues, Etc. I can't even begin to relate what I gleaned from the conversations.

Now Issues, Etc. has been pulled from KFUO. I have pulled my support from KFUO. (Okay, not entirely true--I will still listen to "Sing for Joy" because I like to hear good choral music, but I don't listen in the car to/from work anymore.)

So if you ask, NO, I don't listen to Christian radio. I listen to WARH and, excuse me, my favorite song is on now--". . .I wanna rock 'n' roll all night, and party every day. . ."