Every once in a while, a programming hire lands that deserves more than the usual industry treatment.
You know the routine.
Executive hired.
Stations listed.
Previous job mentioned.
Everybody moves along.
NOT THIS ONE.
Because Mike Couchman is moving into a programming position that puts five very different radio brands — spread across three major regions of the country — under his leadership.
Couchman, currently Operations Manager for Gateway Creative Broadcasting in St. Louis, is joining Pillar Media as Chief Programming Officer, taking responsibility for a portfolio stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey to Denver.
And when you look at what he’s being handed…
this isn’t simply another programming job.
This is an opportunity to influence how contemporary Christian radio can sound, connect and compete in several very different American markets.
Five Stations And This Is Definitely Not One Size Fits All
Couchman’s new responsibilities will include Christian AC Star 93.3 WAKW Cincinnati, Star 99.1 WAWZ serving the New York and New Jersey region, and Star 101.5 KSRC in the Denver market.
Then things get even more interesting.
He’ll also oversee Christian Rhythmic Flo 107.1 KFCO in Colorado, along with heritage Christian outlet AM 910 KPOF in the Denver area.
That’s quite a programming sandbox.
Christian AC.
Rhythmic Christian programming.
Heritage AM.
Multiple markets.
Multiple audiences.
Multiple competitive environments.
And multiple brands that absolutely should NOT sound like somebody copied one programming strategy five times and changed the call letters.
That’s where the fun begins.
Because Christian Radio Is Changing
For years, Christian radio has sometimes been painted with an incredibly broad brush.
Play familiar contemporary Christian music.
Keep everything positive.
Don’t scare anybody.
Wash.
Rinse.
Repeat.
But today’s Christian audience isn’t monolithic.
Not remotely.
There are listeners who love established Christian AC artists.
There are younger listeners discovering faith-centered Hip-Hop, rhythmic music and emerging artists through TikTok, YouTube and streaming.
There are listeners who want encouragement.
Listeners who want worship.
Listeners who want companionship.
Listeners who want substantive conversations about faith.
And there are people who may never describe themselves as Christian-radio listeners but could absolutely become fans of a compelling station that happens to approach life through faith.
THAT is the opportunity.
Christian radio doesn’t have to sound like a category.
It can sound like great radio.
And Flo 107 1 Makes This Assignment Especially Interesting
Let’s talk about Flo.
Because a Christian Rhythmic station presents an entirely different programming challenge from Christian AC.
And frankly…
GOOD.
Christian radio should have room to experiment.
There is an enormous generation of listeners whose musical vocabulary was built around Hip-Hop, rhythmic Pop, R&B and contemporary production.
Their faith doesn’t suddenly mean their musical ears stopped working.
A station like Flo can occupy a space terrestrial Christian radio historically hasn’t always pursued aggressively.
That’s exciting.
But it also requires somebody to understand that you can’t simply take the philosophy of an AC station, replace the music library and call it innovation.
The attitude matters.
The imaging matters.
The personalities matter.
The language matters.
The digital presence matters.
The cultural credibility REALLY matters.
If you’re going to do it…
DO IT.
Don’t apologize for it.
Don’t make it Christian AC wearing sneakers.
Build a legitimate rhythmic radio station whose worldview happens to be rooted in faith.
That’s an enormous opportunity.
Then You Have Three Star Brands In Three Very Different Places
Cincinnati isn’t Denver.
Denver isn’t New Jersey.
And New Jersey — particularly within the enormous New York metropolitan orbit — is certainly its own animal.
That’s why the Chief Programming Officer title matters.
Couchman’s challenge won’t simply be creating consistency.
It will be knowing where consistency should stop.
There should absolutely be a recognizable philosophy connecting the organization.
Mission.
Values.
Standards.
Programming discipline.
Talent development.
Digital strategy.
But great radio still has to feel like it belongs wherever the transmitter happens to be sitting.
A listener in Cincinnati should hear a station that understands Cincinnati.
A listener in Colorado should feel Colorado.
A listener in New Jersey shouldn’t feel like the radio station was assembled somewhere else and shipped into town.
MISSION CAN BE CENTRALIZED
RELATIONSHIPS CANNOT
That’s the line every multi-market programming executive has to walk.
And Dont Forget AM 910
This might be the most fascinating part of the entire portfolio.
Because alongside contemporary Christian music brands and a rhythmic station sits KPOF AM 910.
That’s a completely different animal.
Different heritage.
Different expectations.
Different listening behavior.
And likely a very different relationship with its audience.
That makes Couchman’s new assignment less about overseeing a format and more about overseeing an audio organization.
That’s a much bigger job.
You aren’t simply asking:
What songs should we play?
You’re asking:
Who are these brands?
Who are their listeners?
What do these audiences need?
Where is terrestrial radio uniquely valuable?
How should these stations exist digitally?
How do we develop personalities?
How do we grow younger audiences without abandoning loyal ones?
And perhaps most importantly for Christian broadcasting:
How do we serve the mission without forgetting we’re still supposed to make compelling RADIO?
That Last Question Matters
Faith-based broadcasters have an incredible advantage.
They have something commercial radio executives spend millions trying to manufacture.
PURPOSE.
There is already a reason for the station to exist beyond quarter-hours.
There is already a mission.
There is already a potential emotional connection.
But mission alone doesn’t excuse mediocre execution.
A Christian station should still have incredible imaging.
Great personalities.
Smart clocks.
Excellent production.
Strong digital content.
Compelling promotions.
Local involvement.
Strategic music architecture.
Talent coaching.
Community visibility.
Being Christian radio doesn’t mean the fundamentals of great radio stop applying.
If anything, the mission should make excellence even more important.
If you’re trying to reach people with something you genuinely believe can improve their lives…
why wouldn’t you want the delivery system to be phenomenal?
Couchman Gets To Think Bigger Now
Moving from an Operations Manager role into a Chief Programming Officer position changes the altitude.
You’re no longer primarily thinking about what one operation needs tomorrow morning.
Now you’re looking across brands.
Markets.
Formats.
Talent.
Strategy.
Long-term development.
Where are the opportunities?
Which personalities deserve bigger platforms?
Which ideas can travel?
Which ideas absolutely should remain local?
Where can digital extend the radio brand?
Where are younger listeners?
What does Christian radio need to sound like five years from now?
Those are fascinating questions.
And Couchman is about to have a pretty significant laboratory in which to answer them.
There Is Also A Proper Transition Happening Here
Couchman succeeds Matt Stockman, whose departure had already been announced earlier this year.
And rather than somebody disappearing Friday afternoon followed by the new executive arriving Monday morning wondering where everything is stored, there’s going to be an actual transition period.
Stockman is expected to remain with the organization until Couchman arrives at Pillar Media’s Aurora, Colorado offices on November 14.
GOOD.
Seriously.
MORE OF THIS PLEASE.
Institutional knowledge matters.
Relationships matter.
Programming strategy doesn’t live exclusively inside Selector, MusicMaster, a shared drive or somebody’s PowerPoint deck.
It’s inside people’s heads.
It’s knowing why something was done.
What worked.
What failed spectacularly.
Which personalities need what kind of coaching.
Which market quirks don’t appear in research.
Which relationships took years to build.
A real handoff gives the incoming leader an opportunity to understand what already exists before deciding what should change.
That’s smart.
An On The Dial Perspective
This is going to be an interesting one to watch.
Mike Couchman isn’t walking into a portfolio where every station is supposed to do exactly the same thing.
That’s precisely why this could be fun.
Three Christian AC brands.
A Christian Rhythmic station.
A heritage Christian AM.
Cincinnati.
New Jersey.
Denver.
Different audiences connected by a broader mission.
The temptation in any multi-market organization is standardization.
Make everything easier.
Create the template.
Duplicate it.
Change the logo.
Move on.
Please don’t.
The opportunity here is much bigger.
Share resources.
Share ideas.
Develop talent.
Build digital infrastructure.
Learn from what works across markets.
Absolutely.
But protect the individual personality of each radio station.
Because whether we’re talking Christian radio, Country, CHR, Rock, News/Talk or anything else…
THE BEST RADIO STILL FEELS LIKE IT WAS MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PERSON LISTENING TO IT.
And Christian radio has an additional opportunity.
It can be uplifting without becoming predictable.
Faithful without becoming stale.
Positive without becoming boring.
Contemporary without chasing everything.
Local without ignoring the enormous possibilities of digital.
And perhaps most importantly…
IT CAN HAVE FUN.
Faith and personality aren’t enemies.
Christian radio can laugh.
It can surprise people.
It can take chances.
It can develop characters.
It can create unforgettable promotions.
It can discover new artists.
It can sound enormous.
It can sound alive.
It can make somebody who never intended to listen stay through another song.
That’s programming.
And now Mike Couchman gets five different canvases on which to do it.
Congratulations, Mike.
The title is bigger.
The geography is bigger.
The responsibility is definitely bigger.
But so is the opportunity.
Make great radio.
Develop great people.
Protect what makes every market different.
And never let the mission become an excuse for playing it safe.
Because if you’re going to use radio to lift people up…
TURN THE THING UP LOUD ENOUGH FOR THEM TO HEAR YOU.
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