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  Deborah Smith Pollard, Ph.D., is the host and producer of "Strong Inspirations", a weekly Gospel radio show airing Sundays, 6 to 10 AM on FM 98 WJLB in Detroit, Michigan, and won the prestigious Stellar Award for "Announcer Of The Year" in 2005. Smith Pollard writes "Static Free" for GOSPELflava.com, a regularly-appearing column in which she addresses all and any matters relating to Gospel radio. July 14, 2007 Recently, some of gospel music's best-known artists have taken to the airwaves, not to sing the music themselves, but to introduce the music in their role as radio announcers. Among them are Yolanda Adams, BeBe Winans, and Pastors Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, and Marvin Winans. They follow a list of other well-known names who at one time or another both sang the gospel and served as radio personalities, including Dottie Peoples, Evelyn Turrentine Agee, Albertina Walker, Vickie Winans and, in the more distant past, the late Rev. Milton Brunson and gospel pioneer Sallie Martin. When we consider that there are approximately 300 stations programming "black gospel" during the broadcast week and that there are 1400 announcers presenting the songs, the number of marquee-value singers-turned-announcers seem few in number. But their potential impact is great. For not only can they make a station more visible and help to attract more listeners, they can also shake up the employment roster since frequently (though not always) when their syndicated shows are brought in, some other local announcer or announcers are fired. Now, it's likely that most who have been replaced by a big name gospel artist realize that it is just one of the many things that can happen in the commercial market place. And make no mistake about it: radio, including gospel radio, is serious, commercial business. Still it was disheartening to read a few months ago in the Belle Report that some announcers, apparently upset by losing their on-air slots to big stars, were boycotting the artists-turned-announcers by not playing their recordings. Sheilah Belle suggested in her commentary that everybody could benefit from a face to face meeting to work through their issues. This strategy of hiring big names with the goal of drawing big audiences has been occurring in secular Black radio for more than a decade as local air personalities who have been replaced by Steve Harvey, Tom Joyner, Wendy Williams and Russ Parr can tell you. Just in case it's here to stay for gospel radio as well, here are a few things I'd like to suggest for all of my colleagues who have been or might be affected in the future. (By the way: these suggestions just might work for anyone in ANY field of ministry who has lost a position to someone else):
By Monday AM, McDonald's of Southeast Michigan (thanks to my friend Pat Welch) was asking me to run a gospel music competition for them, one that was so new, it did not yet have a name.... That led to twenty-two straight years of producing big outdoor gospel music concerts, like the McDonald's GospelFest and the Motor City Praisefest... and getting back to radio. In fact since 1994, I've been host and producer of "Strong Inspirations" on the station that let me go all of those years ago, FM 98 WJLB.com. And guess what? They called me! So yes, I know about the pain of being asked to hand over the mic. But I also know about the excitement of seeing God do a new thing in your life. The truth of the matter is this: whether the station lets you go in order to bring in a bigger name or because they are in search of bigger ratings, go out with class, grace, and faith. For the station, it's probably about revenue. But for those who believe their steps are really ordered by God, that firing could lead to an expansion of the kingdom as well as to a career-expanding opportunity bigger than you ever imagined. Until next time.... DSP
July 14, 2007 Column Archives. 
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