Christian Radio Goes Porn

Some call it revolutionary. Some call it offensive. But for now, it's gone. A formal complaint is on its way to the Federal Government, in response to controversial change to a valley radio station.

A popular Christian radio station suddenly switched to playing sexually suggestive songs. The switch surprised and angered listeners.

The federal government may get involved in the local radio business after a provocative stunt introduced the valley to new ownership on the FM dial.

A Kingsburg-based station turned the valley into a test market for so-called porn radio, featuring sexually suggestive songs and tracked moans and groans. But Thursday afternoon, an announcement replaced the music.

The dramatic shift came on one of the former homes of K-LOVE 106.3 FM. Listeners used to tune in to the Kingsburg based station for Christian music and sermons, but it switched to porn radio.

(K-LOVE, by the way, is listener-supported Christian music radio, and it plays pretty good music.)

[…] Legendary radio consultant Jerry Clifton bought the station earlier this month. Porn radio is his brainchild, and he is well-known in the business for stunt radio. It's a tried-and-true way to get new listeners when you change formats.

"I was shocked," said Kingsbugh merchant June Hess.

I imagine so. Question – if you’re listening in a traffic jam on the way to work, I wonder how long it would take for “something’s not right here” to penetrate the brain? "Wait a minute, just which Madonna are we talking about?"

Kingsburg is better known for its Swedish Festival and raisins, than for anything related to sex. The city has already filed a complaint with the FCC and residents say Clifton should peddle his pornographic music somewhere else.

[…] But Clifton doesn't mind ruffling a few feathers. He says his attorneys assure him the station never crossed the line into indecency, and even negative attention will pay off when he chooses a format.

"I mean, nobody was listening to the station and obviously now they are, or they wouldn't be up in arms about it, so that's a good thing for our future," Clifton said.

Clifton says the station will air music again soon, as they let listeners choose the format, although he's partial to the porn radio format. He's also looking for office space in downtown Fresno, to move the station out of Kingsburg.
(Read the whole thing here.)

And there’s the reality of it. Attention means measurable ratings – even if it’s short term, unfavorable attention. And ratings mean dollars. And the only thing that counts in this universe is how many dollars you have when you croak.

Half of me finds this funny; the other half is appalled. Upon further consideration, I think both responses are appropriate. The event itself is funny, in a raunchy sort of way – like a guy walking into what he thinks is a church and finding himself in a gay bar. It has the potential for a good Saturday Night Live skit (which they haven’t had for years – editorial comment).

What it reveals about the state of the nation is, however, appalling. The best of us can’t rub elbows with this culture and come out clean. Not being among the best, I find it a constant struggle to keep the slime off. I have let way too many things into my head over the years that I now wish were not there. The last thing I need is someone putting more in by trickery. I find this to be in the same (somewhat Satanic) vein as those who run pornographic websites one-letter-in-the-url-removed from a church site. At some point, things cease to reflect human weakness and cross the line to deliberate, intentional evil. Perhaps I'm overreacting; if I am, however, it's because I've gotten sensitized.