Digital podcasts and streaming video might bring Christian audiences inspirational messages in the future, but they aren't bringing in the money that broadcast ministries need to weather a painful economy.
To make ends meet, religious broadcasters are tightening their belts and going back to basics. That means sticking with time-tested formulas, postponing innovations and counting on loyal (largely senior) audiences to keep donating even when it hurts.
The hope is that Christian broadcasters might actually enjoy a competitive edge during tight times that comes from serving a clientele with zeal for the cause.
"You don't find businesses making sacrifices to make sure advertising dollars are paid to broadcasters. That's not part of their paradigm," said Craig Parshall, a senior vice president of the National Religious Broadcasters, a 1,400-member organization that is holding its annual convention this weekend in Nashville.
"But individual families are willing to be sacrificial because of the mission of Christian broadcasting."
Whether they depend on donors, advertising dollars or a combination of the two, mass-media ministries are feeling the recession squeeze:
One Christian radio giant, Salem Communications, sold four stations, cut 10 percent of its work force and trimmed 5 percent off all salaries. Nonetheless, Salem's stock price has tumbled 74 percent in the past year to less than $1 a share.
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the nation's largest Christian TV network, has laid off workers and scrambled to fill programming holes as T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer and other big-name ministries cut costs by producing fewer shows.
Focus on the Family, which has produced James Dobson's radio show since 1977, has eliminated about 450 jobs (30 percent of its work-force peak) since 2004, including 200 job cuts since November.
The industry shows signs of contraction at a time when its future is fraught with uncertainty.
And it's not just the economic downturn that is causing turmoil.
Last year, a study found that the percentage of megachurches with a radio ministry dropped from 44 percent in 2000 to 24 percent in 2008.
Likewise, the percentage with television ministries dropped from 38 percent to 23 percent.
For programs that are still on the air, the challenge is attracting younger audiences who will give as consistently as their parents and grandparents. Cracking that puzzle will require experimentation, but few feel they can take significant risks in today's climate marked by razor-thin margins.
"The industry is at a crossroads," says Paul Creasman, an associate professor of communications at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C., and a former Christian radio personality and producer. "The audience is dwindling, and they have to figure out what to do. But the Web is not the answer because older audiences don't use the Internet ... and younger audiences will go to the Web for content, but they'll probably be less likely to donate."
Moving content online may be broadcasting's future, but it's a nerve-wracking endeavor that doesn't necessarily pay the bills of the present.
"Everyone (in religious broadcasting) is doing it," Parshalls said. "And everyone is asking each other: ‘Are you making money at it? Because we're not.'"
For now, broadcasters are trying to maintain -- and even expand -- the support of listeners who see family-friendly airwaves as one way to serve a higher cause, said Kevin Peterson, who covers Christian music stations for the trade publication Radio & Records.
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