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CTP (S3ENovSpecial1) Why We Took Christian Radio Off The Dial And Onto Your Phone

• Joseph M. Lenard | Christian Activist & Author in Politics • Season 3

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CTP (S3ENovSpecial1) Why We Took Christian Radio Off The Dial And Onto Your Phone
We welcome Worship Road Radio’s CEO, Scott Fehrenbacher, for a candid look at building a national Christian music community without ads or fundraising fatigue. We explore digital reach, the AM vs streaming debate, Canadian broadcast limits, and how tech serves the Great Commission.
• career path from Idaho to Vancouver and three decades in faith-driven media
• why a .com domain and strong U.S. audience despite Canadian base
• national access through apps, web players and smart speakers
• advantages of digital audio over fragile terrestrial coverage
• AM radio’s range, emergency alerts and market vs mandate tension
• Canadian regulation limiting faith-specific terrestrial licenses
• no-ads, no-fundraising model to keep focus on ministry and music
• technology as a multiplier for hope, worship and daily encouragement
• http://WorshipRadio.com  

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SPEAKER_01:

Hello, welcome to another episode of Institutionalist Podcast. I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard. That's L-E-N-A-R-D. It looks French. It's not it's Leonard without an O. Thank you for tuning in. As Graham Norton used to say on his show, let's get on with the show. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Episode. I already can't talk again. And only I hit record and the mouse stops working. Why does that keep happening? I can talk perfectly fine when the record light isn't on. At any rate, welcome to the show, Scott Fehrenbacher. It sounds like F-A-R. It is spelled F-E-H-R-E-N-B-A-C-H-E-R. Welcome to the show, Scott. How are you?

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks, Joseph. I'm good. How about you?

SPEAKER_01:

I I always say, could be better, could be worse, right? Before I complain too much. Right at it. Before I complain too much, I remind myself a lot of people got it a lot worse than I do, right? As the as the joke goes, morning came and we were on the right side of the lawn. That's so true. Not six feet under, right? So at any rate, Scott Fairenbacher is CEO of Kanuckian Lands National Christian Radio Station. So uh I went uh how are things on I oh on the other side of the river or are you in another province?

SPEAKER_00:

No, we're uh we're in Vancouver, Vancouver, DC.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's I thought so, right. I'm Detroit area, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, just across the river, obviously. I did go to worshiproad.com and I thought I did see that you were indeed uh the left coast there. So but but I didn't remember exactly, which brings me to my first question. I'll skip the usual first worshiproad.com, not dot CA. What's up with that?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, we uh while we're the national radio station, uh Christian radio station in Canada, uh, we have more listeners from the states than we do Canada just because of numbers. So we uh I'm an American living in Canada for 10 years, and so we have a really broad uh listener base in the states as well.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Okay, so uh you you fled the US, huh?

SPEAKER_00:

We'll just leave it that I live in Canada. How's that?

SPEAKER_01:

For the benefit of the transcript, we're laughing, we're joking here, right? Please calm down, people gotta say that for the transcript, or I might get a nasty gram later, right? Probably anyway, well now let's go back to the usual first question: Who is Scott Ferenbacher? Where were you born? Where were you raised? We know the where are you now answer, but where were you born and raised in those kind of nitty-gritties? What made you go to where you are now in that answer?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I'll try and not bore your audience too much, Joseph. But uh, I'm originally from Idaho, and uh my uh career sent me uh to a number of places. I lived in Washington, DC for seven years. Oh, my condolences. And I don't live there any longer, obviously. I lived in uh Colorado Springs for seven years, I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for seven years. Um and I've been in what I call the business of faith for three decades, and uh that's that's been how my career has moved me around the the country. And about 10 years ago, I got an offer from Canada's uh leading Christian university here in Vancouver to come up to be uh senior vice president, and it was a job that um I couldn't pass up. So my family moved up here, and we've been up here ever since.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, despite the bad exchange rate, yes, yeah. I I used to vacation in Canada all the time when I was younger. 9-11, of course, made bordercross a mess. So I I haven't been over there in uh Lord knows how long, but I used to vacation uh Native Sun, uh uh uh uh Gordon Lightfoot, Aurelia, Ontario, Canada, Aerial Sparrow Lake. I used to vacation there all the time. So uh and very nice. Yeah, back in the 80s, uh, we get 50 above our uh US. What is the exchange rate these days?

SPEAKER_00:

It's still very nice. It's for you guys, it's about 35 percent.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, it's a lot higher than what I thought it was because for a while it dropped significantly, and the Canadian dollar almost got equivalent to US dollars for a while, and I think the late 90s, but uh at any rate, yeah, yeah, yeah, almost on par. Yeah, but we're not here to discuss currencies. No, definitely not, but you know, most people listening, uh, you know, they're not a northern state, they don't know anything about Kanuckian land, so you know educate them a little. There's like Canadian currency. I didn't know they had their own currency, you know, and I I love the Canadian currency the way uh I especially love the blue five-dollar pill. But again, you're not here to discuss currency. Uh but oh, and I'm getting all kinds of beeps and dings and clangs because you got the extra note takers going on there. Uh what is this telling me? Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Okay, I don't care. All right, click. Back to the important stuff. Uh so you say there are more listeners in the stakes, but how is the listener? I take it the point is to try to grow the listenership in Canada, though, yes?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yeah, absolutely. Uh, we um if if you take a moment to look at the geography of Canada, Joseph, um it's so large and it's full so cold. Much of the country is cold. Uh Vancouver's not cold. Um, I have friends that are.

SPEAKER_01:

That's why that's why 80% of all Canadians live in a five-mile radius of the southern border of Canada, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it's too cold further north. Yeah, it's not necessarily five miles, but it certainly is close. But so the the you know, there's never been a national community uh on Christian radio in Canada because it's so geographically uh diverse. With the technology we have today, you know, we can reach um Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Yukon back to Nova Scotia. And so that's um that's really what I call democratizing access to Christian music in a way that's never been done in Canada before.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, now I again I did go to worshiproad.com. I hit the contact form and re-I don't know if you saw the reach out I did over there, but I don't remember. Is there uh like you said, technology, right? Streaming. Is there a listen live button on worshiproad.com that people anywhere on the planet can go to worshiproad.com and hit listen live?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, there one of the uh top buttons says listen, and so you can do that. Most of our people listen uh on their phone. Uh we have free phone app, whether it's Google uh or Apple. Uh we have a lot of people who listen to smart speakers. So you can say, um, I can't say it because I have an Alexa right here, but if you uh if you give the appropriate command, yes, yeah, say play worship road radio after you say the word Alexa. Uh and so smart speakers are also away, but you know the fact is, Joseph, that is that uh phones are the way all content is being consumed right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so you know I actually use my phone as a phone, I'm one of those odd people. Everything else I prefer all the social media, and you know, or if I'm gonna listen, I I'll do on my laptop. I yeah, I don't want to hear tinniness out of that little speaker, but hey, you know, whatever floats people's boat, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, you know, uh, so for example, uh, I'm sure you know you you can put your phone in some pretty nice speakers. It doesn't have to come through the phone, right?

SPEAKER_01:

With Bluetooth now, yeah. Like my sister does that all the time. She gets in her car and immediately the phone sinks to the radio and she listens to Pandora or whatever through yeah, via Bluetooth through the car speakers. Then it, yeah, it sounds really, really good because car audio these days is really, really good.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's right. So uh we don't, you know, we actually see that the digital quality of the music is so much more enhanced than hoping that that fm signal is is good, you know. We uh we actually have a partnership with a Christian truckers association because they have, you know, you either have a stale playlist or you get a different station in every city, and then between the cities you get nothing. So uh we're we're perfect for that kind of a lifestyle where it's always accessible anywhere in the world, anytime during the day. So that's what we're doing, that's what we're all about right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Is worship road radio, though, carried on terrestrial stations?

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, we're not. No, and that's that's by choice. Um, one of my um earlier career paths was a company, uh Nasdaq traded company called Crosswalk.com. And we um I was the CEO in Washington, DC. Back in the you know, 1999. Um we had to explain to ministries and organizations what the internet was, and we had so many people saying, Well, you know, who knows if the internet's even going to be here next year? Um I was given an award by the National Religious Broadcasters in 2001. We were the uh top internet destination for Christianity, uh, and we won that award. But when I was introduced, uh the guys, the guy that introduced me, uh, a well-known comedian, he he said, Well, who knows if the internet's even going to be here next year? This may be the only time we give an internet award. And so I find that you know he was a real forward looker. Yeah, right. Exactly. Well, uh, Joseph, I believe we're at the same spot right now with radio, and you can see it, you can read it. Uh that we're we're talking to people about embracing new technology that allows us access, greater access than we've ever had before. So, what's wrong with that? Especially if we're talking about the gospel, isn't that kind of what we're obligated to do in the Great Commission? But you know, I do find that the Christian space generally is not a first adopter, if you know what I mean. Uh, usually reacting and behind the curve when it comes to new technology.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I'm gonna pivot temporarily to U.S. politics here. I'm one of the people fighting the move towards eliminating AM radio. We need still an analog signal and station, and like in Detroit here, WJR760 AM, one of the licensed super stations. They broadcast at such a level that it's heard on some days west of the Mississippi. I mean, the signals that could, right? Uh our TV, all the stations pivoted to digital. I don't see that as a great thing. It's it's good for quality if you're close enough to the transmitter to get the digital signal, but the analog signal reached a lot further. More people actually got it. And same with FM, a lot of them have gone to a digital broadcast signal, and the range just isn't as great. I want to save our AM stations both for talk radio, and we have several Christian stations that are local, they're fairly low-powered, they don't reach very far, but I don't want to limit their reach even more by making them go digital, and they won't reach as far. Your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I I would tell you, first of all, um I think you are an early adopter, you have a podcast, it's digital. I can follow you in Vancouver. Yeah, I've been I've been a guest on WJR, it was a very uh active show. Uh, but I can't get WJR here. No, no, get I can get Joseph Leonard here.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, and thank you for pronouncing the name right. It looks French, it's not Lennard, especially Canadians will think, oh, it's French Quebecan, right? It's Lennard. No, Joseph M. Leonard, Leonard without a no, and I have to use my middle initial because there is a Joseph Lennard out of South Carolina who is also a Christian author like me, so I gotta make that distinction. But yeah, and I'm a for yeah, yeah, could tell you did, and I'm a former IT guy, so yeah, I I I've been online before there was an internet.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and good for you. I mean, you you are seeing the value of that, but this is what I would say since you asked. Um, I think AM stations should be there as long as the market's there, but I don't I don't really like legislation to mandate uh cars to keep AM radios. I mean, what if why do we need a lot? It wouldn't that be the same as a law that says, okay, uh Henry Ford, you can build this, uh you can build this automated car factory, but by law you have to keep uh you have to keep a blacksmith in the corner. Well, you know, if if Henry Ford would have done, you've heard the quote, I'm sure, if Henry Ford would have done what the customers said they wanted, he would have, you know, it's like we want faster horses. No one none of the customers said, hey, we want we want automated cars because they didn't even know. And so I've been on many AM stations, you know. I mean, uh, I love talk radio. I'm a news guy myself, but I just don't think that the I just don't think that you should have laws mandating it. Let the marketplace tell you where where to go.

SPEAKER_01:

I normally I'm a thousand percent a free market guy, with it, but the government already meddles regarding regulation, and usually they they're the ones forcing the digital rather away, and it's not just about car radios, it's about all radios. If we are going to maintain this thing called the emergency broadcast system, that's true, the AM analog signal needs to remain there for the use and implementation of the emergency broadcast system. So, yeah, normally I'm anti-regulation, but in that regard, which is not to say digital radios are in the cars, right? Like my car too's got an MP3 player, and like my sisters, a Bluetooth, I could make the phone sync to the radio. I want all the options, not an option eliminated, is the way I'm looking at it.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. Well, and interesting you mentioned that uh most, in fact, almost all Americans don't understand, and I didn't myself, that in Canada, if you are if you have a terrestrial radio license, you cannot be by law a Christian radio station. Because the the mandate by law is that you have to reflect all faiths or no faiths, and so another reason in the digital world, I don't have that encumbrance. Uh, I'm free to be a truly Christian station, and uh, you know, that's an important point.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm glad you brought that up. I had on Tim Curry, aka Kid Curry, a guy that's been in radio forever, uh, and he's peddling the fairness doctrine. No, no, no. Uh, Buddhists, uh, Muslims, uh, whateverists, atheists, do not get to demand on your station that they would in the US if the fake fairness doctrine were forced in place again. No, no, mark it. Go where your message is, you know, willing to be received. If a station will have you on, fine. If not, as you said, do your own podcast. No, you do not get to force your message on worship radio network. I oppose the fairness doctrine. I oppose the bogus uh what's what's the Internet Control Act thing? Again, they they give these bills flowery names, right? And oh, we're gonna promise internet for everybody, it's internet fairness. No, it's government takeover, government control, which means government ultimate at the end of the day can then decide to censor you if they choose. Yeah, we know that. Yeah, uh so at any rate, yeah. Sirius, well, Sirius XM, it's their merged, it's just serious. Well, it's serious XM now. They were separate. Everybody just calls it serious now. Are you a channel with Sirius? Have you reached out to Sirius to be a digital my radio in my car? Has access to XM or Sirius now uh radio. You thinking about doing that at all?

SPEAKER_00:

We've considered it, but uh part of the distinctive that we have is that uh you shouldn't have to pay a subscription. You know, you should have free access to this music. And so at least our brand, I think that we would be degrading our brand. I know we'd get more listeners, uh, but but if you know Christian radio, music radio, uh you know that the what I would call the very complacent and old school business model that exists in Christian music radio is that um the data shows that for every 60 minutes of programming, 27 minutes is either ads or fundraising. So, you know, I mean it's very fatiguing and uh it takes the ministry out of the ministry. And so we're pioneering this concept of access to a Christian music live community 24-7, no ads, no fundraising. We're not questioning your salvation if you don't send in a five-dollar uh donation by the end of the hour. Amen. I hear you.

SPEAKER_01:

I uh Dennis Quaid, I which I'm upset, I'm jealous to a degree, coined the because I coined the term Christitutionalist. He coined the term Christianity or churchanity. And indeed, a lot of these are just humanist clubs with a steeple, they're not really a church of Christ anymore, it's all about the Benjamins, right? Oh, don't preach that part of the Bible because it might upset somebody and they won't give us the 20, right? Right. Well, you said two more right now. What you said about serious, I I I understand what you're saying. If it were your only outlet, I would agree with you, but as an additional uh opportunity to reach, it makes sense, and I understand and agree with what you're doing with your model. Yeah, you want all of the time to be the mission of Christ, not the mission of fundraising, as you put it, right?

SPEAKER_00:

And you know, look, that's how Christian music radio has grown, and that's fine. But I I think with technology, it's time to evolve. If we have the opportunity to to get our message out broader, better, why would you say no?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's not like Jesus at the invention of the automobile would say no, stick with the horses. Right. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

So the automobile and the telegraph, even though you know, which then of course led to the radio and the telephone and TV, allows us better opportunity to use the technology of the time to spread Jesus' message. And you're a great example of that, Joseph. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. Uh the checks in the mail. I appreciate the paid promotion. Oh, but seriously, all kidding aside, uh, I'm I am going to start to wrap it up. Thank you for coming on. Worshiproad.com. Any question I didn't ask, anything you want to wrap up with?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and I appreciate the offer to do that. I would just say that if uh if anyone in your audience finds value in Christian music, and uh a lot of people do, especially in unstable times, uh to put the message of hope, inspiration, and God's promises in our heart, in our head during the day, uh is is a pretty valuable thing. So if anyone wants to do that and and test us out, uh download our app, Worship Road Radio is what it is, or go to worshiproad.com or just check out Alexa and ask her to see it too. So and uh Joseph, I hope you do that as well and let me know what you think.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I I love Pat Boone as a person, uh, and I kind of enjoyed his acting, his singing, not necessarily so much, but wham radio here in Michigan out of Ann Arbor, the signal is I listen to them via whamradio.com and they carry the Pat Boone Christian Music Radio Hour every Sunday at 11. I'm always tuning in to that. So don't find that here, no. No, so I'm dead. Right. Uh as other day options than Sunday, I'm gonna definitely have to check out worshiproad.com for the listening aspect. Thank you, Scott, for stopping by. Appreciate it. Take care, God bless. Thanks, Joseph. Appreciate it. Like and subscribe to Christitutionalist Politics Podcast and share episodes. We need your help. Thank you for having tuned in to another Christitutionalist podcast show. I really appreciate that you stop by. Again, please like, share, subscribe. We need you to help spread the constitutionalist movement. Thank you again. Take care. God bless. Love you all.

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Joseph M Lenard

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