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This site is a tribute to Gospel music on the radio from my perspective as a disk jockey and programmer. Also see my Gospel Aircheck blog archive at http://www.myaircheckblog.com
Neal's personal radio dictionary:
Aircheck: is a recording of a radio or television broadcast made on either professional or consumer level equipment from a tuner, modulation monitor, post audio processor or a direct live feed from the station's broadcast audio console (mixer). Airchecks are often used to demonstrate a DJ's talent, think of it as an audio or video resume.
CHR: Contemporary hit radio is a radio music format geared to a young demographic that focuses on playing current and recent popular music as determined by the top 40 music charts. It was a term coined in the 1980's by Radio & Records magazine. It features DJ's with rapid vocal delivery over tight cues of music, sound effects, etc. A sub-genre of this format, Christian CHR, was reported by CCM magazine and others in the mid-80's. I called it Christian hit radio.
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM): is a sub-genre of Gospel that is a marriage of lyrics expressing a Christian message with the sound of mainstream pop and rock. Sadly, to my young ears in the 80's, CCM didn't quite have the punch of its mainstream "secular" counterparts. Production values were slow to catch up. At WWJD I believe we failed to capture a mass audience due to this gap in perceived musical quality. Today many Christian stations have marketed themselves as "positive" music for the "whole family" dropping the word "Christian" altogether.
A radio brochure from WWJD-AM from 1986
Rate card from Gospel 90 WEAS-AM the forerunner to WWJD
Spec spot: (abbreviation of speculative) is a professional audio presentation or demonstration (demo) made for potential or current ad clients as a "pitch" of a commercial or show idea.
Spec check: is a term I coined that is a combination of speculative and aircheck. It is a studio recording of a simulated aircheck that presents a format idea not intended to be broadcast. I made two spec checks of WWJD-AM J900 fashioned after the secular Contemporary Hit Radio format popular in the 80's, but I haven't presented them publicly until now. See below.
Generic aircheck: is an aircheck (from the console) that the DJ intends to rebroadcast repeatedly. Time of day, weather forecasts and specific mentions are omitted so the recording can be played again at any time without listener notification. I used these vague recordings with success at WWJD-AM when my broadcast hours were extended in 1986.
Southern Gospel: is a form of Gospel music marked by traditional quartet harmonies rooted in the late 19th century brought about by the shaped note singing conventions common to that era. The form has evolved some, but remains true to its roots. I have noted this style appeals mostly to an aging audience, like myself.
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