western, contemporary and Christian folk music of today? After several years in Broadcast Management, various responsibilities in church music and con tinuous contact with the religious recording indus try, I have come to the following conclusions about the significance of music in presenting the Gospel by means of the Broadcast media: F irst: Music is a TOOL which can be used to com municate the message o f Jesus Christ. Like the other tools of the broadcaster, its application is to be made selectively for the special target audi ence to whom the program is directed in accord with the image which the programmer or radio station desires to project. Second : Music is a legitimate “bait” to attract, inter est-, captivate and retain the attention of listeners for a presentation of the Gospel. Music may also itself become the means of conveying the message and should, in most situations, be selected with this clearly in mind. In certain applications, what the song says is far more important than the style or the performance, as in the case of one listener who heard Tim Spencer’s “ It’s Your Life” over a Southern California broadcast and, through the message of the song, was brought into fellowship with Christ. Third : Only in direct worship is music an end in it self; that is, when the singing or playing of the song itself is, for the participant, an act o f wor ship. Fourth : Sacred music is a legitimate form of Christian entertainment. Youth rallies, camps, evangelistic campaigns, extended blocks of recorded sacred music on radio stations and the enormous volumes of recorded sacred music sold to Christian homes solely for entertainment and background music illustrate this fact adequately. Fifth : Music is an instrument to aid and stimulate worship and praise. On certain radio programs noted for their long-standing success, music is pri marily used to “prepare hearts” for the message. Music has been employed for years in churches, mass evangelism and other public meetings to pro duce desired attitudes and emotional climates for the entire service with the evident approbation and blessing o f the Lord. Sixth : Music in itself, apart from the text, cannot be said to be moral or immoral, spiritual or un it
spiritual. Nor can the effect o f melody and rhythm on the listener be supposed to be the same for each individual. Seventh : Music is a highly subjective, emotional and environmentally oriented instrument of communi cation. Individual tastes and interests differ with the type of personality, the type of home from which the individual comes, the type and level of musical education, the geographical orientation and many other factors. In the Broadcast media, an attempt is made to reach all areas of the spectrum within the limita tions o f the station’s coverage and desired image. At times, attempts are made to do this in a single program. Generally, the knowledgeable broadcast er uses his tools to direct his program to a nar rower and more specific audience. Music, in such cases, is selected for its effectiveness in attracting the attention o f his specific audience and in com municating to them within the context of their musical interest. In the broadcast station, decisions effecting the choice of music should be put in the hands o f the people who have done the research, know the spe cific audience, have determined the program goals and have designed the program. Such a person should be fully conversant with organizational policy, have the capacity to be totally objective and possess experience and expertise as a com municator. Mention should be made also o f the need in any broadcast station of any size for an incisive and complete music policy outlining in unmistak able terms the administration’s philosophy and objectives in musical programming. The communicator recognizes that music is a programming tool and uses it creatively and effec tively. Bold experiments are being carried on in widely removed locations and different types of Christian-controlled and operated stations. Special ized music is being used, in one instance, to pene trate the hippie mentality. A Midwest station is using uptempo, contemporary folk and folk rock music to speak to the youth and young adults on the other side o f the formidable “ generation gap.” In another university center, music of a special variety is being used to reach the alienated stu dent factions and response has been enthusiastic. In the controversy-charged musical climate of today’s evangelical church such inventive use of the Broadcast Media is not without criticism and outcry from some church-oriented listeners. E d it o r ’ s N o t e : Comments are invited from K.B. readers and especially from those working in the broadcasting field. Address your letters to The Editor, KING’S BUSINESS Magazine, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, Calif. 90638. Thomas E. Steele is Director of Broadcasting for radio station HCJB, Quito, Ecuador. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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