Can I receive professional consulting to achieve the best sounding broadcast, format and presentation?
Yes. Technology keeps changing, but let’s first look at what sound equipment you have. Then we can determine what, if any, additional equipment you may need. As for the program format, the most common approach is to have someone record your worship service and then fit your sermon into a daily or weekly broadcast. By the way, we can do the program open and close for you, making it easier for you or the person producing the broadcast. In regard to presentation, nothing would change in your pulpit style. If you do a broadcast in the studio type approach, then speak to the one person listening beside each radio, preferably someone you know. However, that concept is being multiplied, like the loaves and fishes, over and over. Should we discuss all of this with you, someone within your church, or both?
How can I find the investment needed for an effective radio ministry?
We’ve seen different ideas used over the years. Typically churches include their radio ministry as a part of their missions or outreach budget. However, on various occasions we have seen one individual within the church underwrite the full year agreement. In other instances, different individuals within the church have agreed to pay for one or multiple broadcasts in the course of the year. Just as special needs and projects come up in the course of the year for which your church does special fund raising, the same creative ways can be applied to underwriting your radio ministry. Are you willing to consider these ideas, or give thought to other creative ways to develop the investment?
How do I get the broadcast to you?
The most common form of delivery today is through an FTP site on the internet or through email. Alternatively, your broadcast can be live from your church, using equipment designed for that purpose, or we can receive it through the internet. Also, you are welcome to mail or hand-deliver your program to us. When recorded, we prefer to have it in a digital format, such as on a CD-R disc, as a “WAV” file if placed on a FTP site, or as an “MP3” file if emailed to us. Which method would work best for you, or is there someone on your staff with whom you would want us to discuss this?
How long of a commitment do I need to make?
We ask for a 1-year agreement. (Many of our broadcasts have been on WEMM-FM for more than 10, 20 or 30-years or more.) However, if you are unable to complete the year or change your mind. We require a 1-month notice. Call to let us know you will be doing four more weeks of programs and then you will be concluding your broadcast agreement. That is fair, isn’t it?
I don’t have the technical knowledge, what should I do?
We are glad you asked. Most likely God has placed someone in your life that would welcome the opportunity to take care of the technical aspects of your broadcast. Who is the first person that comes to your mind that might welcome this chance to get into radio? Who is the second, who is the third?
In ministering to others, what is my greatest passion?
Perhaps you have a passion to help families stay together. You may enjoy teaching on Bible prophecy. Or, teaching discipleship through evangelism may be the heartbeat of your life. Possibly we could help you fulfill the Lord’s calling on your life. Is there a dominant theme in your Sunday school teaching? What emphasis do you typically place on your weekday evening service? What about Sunday morning, Sunday night? Now, if we could help you get that Bible message to the masses, would you want us to work toward that goal?
May I have sponsors on my program?
Typically the question of sponsorship is a question of whether you can have businesses pay for the broadcast and then announce they paid for it. If a must, we can permit this, but there are restrictions on what can be said. You may thank your sponsors and name them, giving the business name and city. However, we ask you not give any kind of commercial. Thus, “We thank our sponsors: ABC Business, Huntington, ABC Company, Milton, and ABC Store, Barboursville for making today’s program possible.” Any sponsorship announcements would need to be approved in advance of broadcast by our station management. We also reserve the right to approve the selection of sponsors. And, of course, some business would be rejected because their nature could be considered adverse to a Christian radio station.
Should your broadcast ministry be Monday – Sunday, Monday – Friday or on the weekend, once or twice a week?
Apart from a special weeklong meeting at your church, when do you ever get the privilege to minister to your congregation all week? Thus we recommend a daily radio ministry. Then on Saturday, invite listeners to your Sunday and midweek services, advertise special events, interview a guest speaker, a leader within your church or have a member give their testimony. Sunday, broadcast your Sunday service. Consistency, frequency and longevity are key to achieving your ministry goals. May we tailor our radio station to your capabilities, desires and needs?
Should your church have a radio ministry?
We don’t know. Perhaps radio isn’t for you. If we gave you, say 60-seconds to say anything you want to our radio listeners, what would you say? What would you say if we gave you one-hour?
We are hiring another staff member. What can we do when our funds are allocated?
Feature your new staff member on the radio. Let him be involved in a once a week program, promoting the church and his specific ministry. Then as your church grows, you could expand your broadcast ministry with us. Letting our audience know about this exciting new growth of your church would be all right with you, wouldn’t it?
We are in a building program, how can we have a radio ministry without the budget?
This is a time to start with what you have and grow. May we suggest a once a week broadcast ministry for now, then as your budget permits, we could expand?
What about denominational differences?
We do ask that prayer cloths not be offered over the air nor speaking in tongues take place on the air. Both of these practices tend to cause listener tune out. So as to keep our listeners for the next program, we request our broadcasters be respectful of others. As the saying goes, “If you can’t say something good about someone, then don’t say anything.” In the event you do feel the need to express disagreement, then be certain you are expressing your opinion on an issue, and not making an attack on a person, organization or religion. Even then, can’t the presentation of the Gospel message be made without first making a statement of disagreement?
What about political candidates and issues?
Particularly during an election or voting period, it is critical that there not be any endorsement of political candidates or issues that are appearing on the ballot, even if those are moral issues that are up for vote. In that regard, we ask that a political candidate running for office not be a guest on your program. As for moral issues appearing on the ballot, teaching the scriptures is one thing; referencing it from a political or voting perspective is another. Simply stated, our radio station is not a political platform. If there is any question about what you would say being political in nature, don’t say it. Instead, call our station management to discuss whether what a topic or conversation is appropriate. Do you have someone in mind or a concern that would need clarification?
What does it cost for a broadcast?
That depends. Please call us at 304-525-5141. We custom tailor our radio station to your needs. Please tell us what you would like to have in the way of a radio ministry. Then let’s determine the needed funding. Finally, let’s decide what each of us needs to do to make what you want a reality. That would be all right with you, wouldn’t it?
What equipment do I need to do a radio broadcast and where do I buy it?
We will be glad to evaluate what you have, suggest needed equipment and let you know where it can be purchased. You may already have what is needed. Please tell us what recording equipment you currently have. Alternatively, may we discuss this with your sound committee, or the person who presently runs your sound system?
What is the best time to reach the people to whom I want to minister?
That depends. Radio reaches different types of listeners at different times. So, for us to answer your question, we need to know the type of people you want to reach. Describe to us the typical listener you visualize speaking to through radio. That will help us to determine the time for your broadcast ministry. As a sidebar, though, let us just say we’ve observed it isn’t so much the time of the broadcast, as it is what you make of the broadcast. People typically eat two or three meals a day and often snack in between. Feed the listeners God’s word, and they will come and dine, regardless of the time of day (or night). How good of a “Chef” are you? How appealing can you make the scriptures?
What results will my church receive from having a radio ministry?
May we ask you what results you want? You know, I’m thinking of various churches that have seen weekly visitors to their church, new members, e-mails, and etcetera. First, pray and determine if this is what the Lord Jesus wants you to do. If so, then do it, regardless of whether you see results or not. For many people, the radio ministry that first reached their heart for Christ never ever heard from them! Many listen to Christian radio for years and never write or contact any of those broadcasters. Did they get results? Yes. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).” So, are you willing to step out in faith through Christian radio, as you did in becoming a pastor?
What times do you have available?
It isn’t so much a question of what times do we have available, but where would your program best fit. That is we want the listeners that are there when you come on to listen to your program and then the broadcast that follows you. Thus we want to know your doctrinal beliefs, speaking style, program format, and etcetera to be able to recommend a time. Thus before we answer the question of available times, we need to know more about you, your church, and the type of audience you want to reach. To begin, may we ask you to tell us about your self and your ministry?
When I’m already too busy, how can I possibly add the time for a radio ministry?
We have many pastors on the air who’ve had that same question. Over the years we’ve seen creative ways to provide an effective radio ministry while minimizing the pastor’s time, or not taking any of their time. Typically, the person who operates the sound equipment welcomes the opportunity to be the announcer on your program and to prepare your pulpit messages for radio. A brief segment of studio time with you, to perhaps answer a question or dialog with your program host, can add a personal touch. When can we get started?
With today’s internet, is radio the best choice for our media ministry?
Absolutely. Our radio station already has a huge audience before your program begins. So, that will give you a head start on cultivating listeners for your program. Imagine how this can give your church an extensive a ministry beyond your church walls. You would like that, wouldn’t you?
Call us at 304-525-5141. Let 107.9 WEMM be of service to you.
Our broadcasters are welcome to record their radio programs at WEMM where we have the needed equipment and staff to record your program for you. Please call us at 304-522-2277 to reserve a once a week recording time. Typically, though, within the first year our broadcasters want the convenience of recording at their church, home or office. To record a radio broadcast, you will need a quality microphone and computer with sound editing software. If you wish to add recorded music or preaching, then you will also need a mixer and a playback unit, preferably a CD player.
Microphone: To begin, you need a broadcast quality microphone. Select a name brand microphone, such as AKG, Audio-Technica, Behringer, Electro-Voice, Sennheiser or Shure. Plus or minus $100 should buy a good microphone for speech recording. We can make recommendations on specific microphones when you call us. Regardless of the recording equipment, use an external microphone rather than a built in microphone or the inexpensive microphones that come with some equipment, including conference microphones.
Mixers: If you want to add recorded music or preaching to your broadcast, then a mixer will let you add either to your broadcast while recording it. A simple mixer would also give you a volume boost if needed for your computer sound card. Today’s mixers let you make a lot of adjustments to the sound. We suggest keeping the tone set to flat (no bass or treble boost or cut). There are numerous good mixers available, such as Behringer, Electro Voice, Mackie, Sony, and Yamaha.
CD Recording: A CD recorder is an excellent means of recording a broadcast; however, CD recorders are increasingly hard to find. CD recording is giving way to computer recording. We get our best FM sound quality from wave files; for example, using Adobe Audition, save as a Windows PCM .wav file.
Computer Recording: We strongly recommend a Sound Blaster sound card, rather than the built in sound card that comes with your computer or notebook. Regardless of the sound card, request that you be able to plug a line level mixer into the card and/or a microphone into the card or directly into the computer. If you plan to send your program to us on computer discs, also ask that your computer have a CD burner. To send your program via email, we strongly suggest you have a fast broadband internet connection.
Editing Software: Like a word processor, audio editing software lets you add, delete and move different sound files around within your radio program. For example, to put together a ½-hour broadcast, use a recorded introduction and close, recorded music and perhaps a sermon you preached elsewhere. Then, add some personal comments and put it all together in the desired sequence. However, a simple recording where you speak from the start of the broadcast to the finish, without inserting any prerecorded audio, also sounds good. We have broadcasters doing just that, using their pulpit sermon notes or outlines as the basis for their WEMM radio broadcast. Adobe Audition and Sound Forge are industry standards in editing software. Both make professional and scaled down versions of their programs. Audacity, Cake Walk, Fast Edit, and GoldWave are other programs that have been recommended to us.
When starting a new recording session in Adobe Audition, a sample rate of 44100 is CD quality. When saving the file to your hard drive as an MP3 file using Adobe Audition, save it as an mp3PRO© (FhG) (*.mp3) file. To save the file as CD quality, choose 44100 Hz.
FTP Site: While you can bring or mail a CD to us that you record on your computer, you can also upload your program to an FTP site on the internet or email the audio file to us. An FTP site, typically associated with a website, is a password-protected location on the internet where you can place your radio program. WEMM can then retrieve it from that internet FTP site, saving you the cost and time of bringing or mailing us your program.
Timers: Rather than watch the clock, use a countdown timer to keep your broadcasts on schedule. In the studio, office or home, a personal timer or stopwatch that counts down is all you need. Note: Our timing is very precise. Therefore if your program runs over and gets cut short, call and request help in the recording and timing of your broadcast.
Remote: Broadcasting live from your church, office or home is still feasible. We can discuss ways to achieve this and the equipment you will need to make it work.
If all of the above seems overwhelming or beyond your present financial capability, then use the “shop at home” principle. As a pastor, could you use the sound equipment at church or do you already have some equipment at home or the office? Buy what you need, but don’t buy “all the bells and whistles” at once to get started. For example, all you need to get on the air is a microphone and a computer. Later, you could add a mixer, software and a CD player.
Finally, please don’t get hung up on perfection either in getting the sound just right or spending lots of time editing out a cough, mistakes or putting together an impressive broadcast. After all, radio used to be live and church services are recorded before live congregations. So, you don’t need to make a “big production” out of it. Our WEMM listeners simply want to hear the preaching and teaching of God’s Holy Word. So, keep the recording process simple and focus on communicating with your listeners. As for the technical stuff, call us at 304-525-5141 and we will help walk you through what you need.
Disclaimer: Bristol Broadcasting Company pays ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR licensing fees for you to broadcast music over our air. However, any recording of copyrighted music or materials by you for other purposes needs to be covered by obtaining your own licensing agreements. You will also be required to have your own licensing agreement for use of copyrighted music or materials not licensed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR
