Sports Radio As A Ministry Opportunity

[writerdan33]

God is in the business of doing what man says can't be done. This is one of those things.

I've been given a chance to bring a midday sports talk show to a radio station in Cincinnati that will have a Christian perspective. The cost of the airtime is fairly steep, especially for all three hours. And people I talk to there are telling me that there's no way it will work.

Well, if God wants it to work, it will. The station is a small AM, but covers all of Greater Cincinnati and beyond during the daytime. No issues at all. The show, again, will be sports talk. But we will most definitely explore the Christian faith of our guests, and how living for Jesus Christ applies in today's secular world. It will also give us a chance to focus on some of the good things going on in the community via the high school sports programs, smaller colleges and, yes, the big boys in town.

It's a unique concept. It's not something the market is accustomed to seeing. It certainly isn't something the corporate radio shills are going to do.

And yes, the odds against it succeeding are long. But again, God will be the determining factor. If He wants this show to succeed, He will make a way.

Just asking for prayers. And if you have an interest in the idea on any platform - sales, production, etc - please let me know via email.

Thanks...and God Bless.

DAN

[JaxRed]

I assume based on this, you are "buying" the time slot from the station? How do you intend to raise revenue?

[writerdan33]

Title sponsorships would be the preferred way.

[JaxRed]

Without much more information is sounds like you are going to lose a bundle. This kind of sounds like vanity publishing to me.

I can't get a publisher to buy a book from me to publish..... But I can pay THEM.

You can't get a radio station to put you on the air with this idea, so you pay them for the air time and hope someone gives you money to make it work.

You haven't said if you are going to have regular commercials, etc, but if you can't find sponsors, and preferably a Title Sponsor in ADVANCE then I think you are going to throw a lot of money away.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by JaxRed

Without much more information is sounds like you are going to lose a bundle. This kind of sounds like vanity publishing to me.

I can't get a publisher to buy a book from me to publish..... But I can pay THEM.

You can't get a radio station to put you on the air with this idea, so you pay them for the air time and hope someone gives you money to make it work.

You haven't said if you are going to have regular commercials, etc, but if you can't find sponsors, and preferably a Title Sponsor in ADVANCE then I think you are going to throw a lot of money away.

I agree with this. In todays technological age, paying someone else to put you on the air seems crazy to me. The internet can reach billions of people. While there clearly aren't as many Reds fans, how many fans are you going to be able to reach on an obscure station that needs programmers to pay to be on their station?

[Hoosier Red]

While I agree that a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted for the reasons mentioned here, best of luck if you wish to go forward with this. You're a talented host, if you don't mind doing the legwork to sell your own air time, anything is indeed possible.

[Dom Heffner]

Nobody here can tell you if it is a good idea financially- I don't know you personally, so I wouldn't want to steer you based on finances alone.

But I would tell you that a long time ago I had the radio bug- and I know from someone who has been there that it's tough to squash.

Sounds like you have not much to lose. My advice is to do everything you can behind the scenes to give the best shot at success. And then the rest is up to you on the air.

Much will depend on the content- if you have access to a few guests to get you started, I doubt very much you will have a difficult time getting some more to follow. There would have to be people who would love to talk about their faith.

I wish you luck as well!

[The Baumer II]

If you want to pursue a different model in the future, I would recommend looking into podcasting. You can get a very good setup (2 good mics for you and possible guests, mixer, digital recorder) for less than $350 and monthly podcast host fees are $10-25 per month depending on how much episodes you plan on doing a month. Adding your show to iTunes podcast directory is free and anyone in the world with an Internet connection can listen & subscribe to your show for free, anytime they want, on demand. You can eventually turn listenership into ad revenue if you're good at marketing & business minded.

Good luck on your show!

[JaxRed]

Originally Posted by Dom Heffner

Nobody here can tell you if it is a good idea financially-

I disagree with that totally. There's a bunch of smart people on here that if given the facts can tell him if its a good ideal financially. He's given very little information, but what he has given so far sounds bad financially.

[Dom Heffner]

Originally Posted by JaxRed

I disagree with that totally. There's a bunch of smart people on here that if given the facts can tell him if its a good ideal financially. He's given very little information, but what he has given so far sounds bad financially.

Based on what he's given is what I meant. Obviously if he laid it all out anyone could opine. I wouldn't expect that on a message board.

[The Baumer II]

The reward for following a passion transcends financial viability. It's hard to discourage folks who have the money to burn or are not risking others' financial well being in their quest for artistic/personal/religious expression.

[Dom Heffner]

It's a little strange, he made a post in which he said, "Just asking for prayers.." and he gets a bunch of "Don't blow your money...it won't work" responses.

[The Baumer II]

I think folks, naturally, are projecting their own situation, feelings, and attitudes on his scenario. Money don't buy happiness, we can all agree. So, if you are able to understand the risks and rewards and accept them, why should money stop you from doing what makes you happy or having interesting life experiences? IMO, podcasting is more freeing and fun and forward leaning but nothing will give you the radio experience like actual radio.

[kaldaniels]

Best of luck!

Not an expert, but I have to think in this day and age you will have to have some sort of social media component. A blog. Twitter updates. Whatever floats your boat.

And yeah, getting some good guests right off the bat will be a key. A guy like Frank Pastore, RIP, would have been someone who would probably would have loved to help you out. Sean Casey maybe? It's an intriguing format, and could certainly catch on, but you will have to come bolting out of the gates or catch fire via social media.

[5DOLLAR-BLEACHERBUM]

I worked in radio for a while and I can tell you first hand that I would first shoot for church sponsorship. Look for a church that has a younger membership. I found on a regular basis that the money is there for them to spend if they feel it can be benificial to the church by bringing in fresh faces. Another thought would be covering some local sporting events. Play by play, halftime show ect. Always the easiest sell for local businesses. Good luck to you!