Greetings Friends!

Just over a decade ago I was a radio personality for a local (now defunct) FM radio station. From 6:00 am to 9:00 was our "Morning Show". This was followed by 9:00 am to 5:00 pm random programing featuring Christian Contemporary and Rock. From 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm was our "Evening Show". Then my show..."The Master's Metal" from 8:00 pm - Midnight. I had a revolving door of co-hosts (usually members of Christian bands from both local and surrounding areas).

That is where the foundation of my desire to continue reaching out further for a larger audience was formed. That is were my desire to balance ministry with entertainment was forged. That was the birth of my understanding that something as simple as a song CAN change lives!

Now, here was are in 2010 and things are SO much different! We no longer are shackled by the distance of our radio towers (and the restrictions of the FCC). We are on the WORLD WIDE WEB! We have this great potential to not only reach out to people on their computers, but also their Wi-Fi and 3G devices, modern gaming consoles and satellite HD radios!

Before we launch a huge campaign to pull outside audience in, I would like to treat our current state as a "Beta Testing" of sorts. We are going to rely on you (our beta testers) to report back to us with feedback on what things we are doing right...and what things we are doing wrong. We want you to be completely open and brutally honest with us.

Our goal is to become THE station that people tune in to for Christian Metal!

If you do not feel comfortable posting your responses here, feel free to send a PM to any of us DJ's! Fair enough?

sound good!

feel free to post anything you guys wish on my promotional myspaace.its not just for bands..be glad to help you w/ the campaign in anyway i can..just let me know.very proud supporter of all our great christian djs and the musicans they represent! gods best and blessings always to each of you


the only complaint and its not really one..perhaps a little less death metal and maybe more power metal and thrash..and maybe more contests..also,i would love to find a way..sorry thinking like a promotional manager here..to make our chat more band/musican friendly..to make it a great place for fans and bands to interact in the chats..i mean we do have our loyal ones.but,it would be great if more musicans would drop by for an occasion visit and give us all updates,cds,gigs,tours etc..thanks for all you guys do,sherri promotional manager to Ultimatum and co-mod of a band forum here

I'd love to see this thing go Satellite more people listen to the radio in their cars than on their computer. Just saying that is my vision and dream.

I haven't the slightest idea on how to go about that...but you are not alone. Several people have mentioned that very same dream.

Forget the FCC, RIAA, MAFIAA, etc. This is a new age! Blabber Jesus Radio will kill them all!!

I think that you guys are doing an AMAZING job at running the station, the only problem I see is that their is a lack of DJ microphone time, usually it's a quick shout out, the song names, and kablam!! another segment of music. I wish the DJs would take a small portion of each show to talk about anything, whether it be the serious news out there or just tell a joke or two. It would lead t an extremely balanced format.

Usvart Jorge wrote:

. I wish the DJs would take a small portion of each show to talk about anything, whether it be the serious news out there or just tell a joke or two. It would lead t an extremely balanced format.

I like this idea. At the moment, most of the shows might as well be a pre-recorded podcast, rather than a live broadcast.

Garrison4JC wrote:

Before we launch a huge campaign to pull outside audience in, I would like to treat our current state as a "Beta Testing" of sorts. We are going to rely on you (our beta testers) to report back to us with feedback on what things we are doing right...and what things we are doing wrong. We want you to be completely open and brutally honest with us.

I would like to take a moment to reply to this as one of the BJR DJs...

Firstly though, a brief history lesson...

In the beginning was Open Grave Records (Label and Web Store), and operating alongside Open Grave Records was Open Grave Radio. Open Grave Radio was used to promote Open Grave Records label releases and web store stock, as well as playing other music.
Open Grave Records webstore and radio both contained a mix of Christian and secular music. I may be wrong about this, but if I remember correctly Metal Pulse Radio with Dale was the only exclusively Christian metal live show on Open Grave Radio; I think there was one show which contained a mix of Christian and secular music, and the rest of the live shows were secular.

Move forward a few years and you will find a few changes had occurred...
- An offshoot of Open Grave Records web store arose, specialising in Christian metal; this offshoot become known as Divine Metal Distro.
- Open Grave Radio become Blabber Jesus Radio, and become a Christian metal and hard music station.
- The Open Grave Records label continued, but alongside it a number of other labels come into existance, each with its own focus and intended demographic.

One thing did remain constant through all this though; Blabber Jesus Radio, Divine Metal Distro, Open Grave Records, and the labels that developed parallel to Open Grave Records were all owned/co-owned by one person, and like the relation between Open Grave Web Store and Open Grave Radio, Blabber Jesus Radio is used extensively to promote the DMD store and releases on the OGR and parallel labels. This is all perfectly understandable in terms of business sense... but...

Move forward about half a year or so further... A call went out for more people to host live shows on the newly formed Blabber Jesus Radio, alongside Metal Pulse Radio, which continued over from Open Grave Radio to the new Christian format station, and indeed MPR even expanded.
The second(?) new show to be added to the Blabber Jesus Radio was the first show to be hosted by a non-American; an Aussie was to take to the BJR "air-waves" with aims of:
1. Presenting a live BJR show which would better suit Australian listeners, and others around the world too. (All other shows were, and still are, during the American days / evenings)
2. Providing an outlet to show to the world the talent of the Australian Christian metal scene, and to support it.
3. Continuing the tradition of supporting OGR/Sullen/etc. releases, and Divine Metal Distro when appropriate to do so (Which was and is quite often due to the more extreme metal focus of the show and of OGR/Sullen/etc.)
4. To play a variety of music from around the world that wouldn't be likely to be played on the other BJR shows, and to give exposure to it.

My personal assessment of "The Aussie Hour" is that it has successfully achieved aims #'s 3 & 4. It has met aim #1 in the past, and I am currently looking at making some changes that would help it better meet that aim into the future.
Where I feel "Aussie Hour" hasn't performed to its full potential however is in aim #2. And the reason for this failure... The background to BJR that I outlined above.
While I believe it has been effective in bringing increased exposure to the Australian Christian metal scene, where it has failed dismally is in really supporting the scene.
The problem? With maybe one exception, no Australian Christian metal band is on a label owned/co-owned by the owner of Blabber Jesus Radio / Divine Metal Distro, or an affiliate with close enough ties to really promote the availability of this great Aussie music.

As a DJ trying to announce the latest news in Australian Christian metal, and latest releases, I always find myself checking myself before I let slip by mentioning that a new release is available at a certain distro other than DMD, or from a certain independent web site, etc.
With Aussie Christian metal releases being released on Australian labels, or independantly... They have often been out for a month or more by the time they make it to the DMD store, that's IF they make it at all. Now, obviously I can't tell James what to stock in his store and when to stock it, and I often end up awkwardly getting out something along the lines of "Hopefully we'll see this release becoming available through DMD in the near future" when it is sitting right here in Australia begging to be ordered, and for the band's ministry to be effective. The past history of BJR and the stations original purpose of promoting DMD is, in my opinion, stifling the effectiveness of BJR as a ministry and as a support to the Christian music scene as a whole, not just Australian, but the world wide scene.

I shall sum up with my dream for BJR into the future:
That petty rivalries be put behind, and that BJR becomes a station where all can work together to further the world wide Christian metal scene, and that (to borrow from Eternal Mystery) it isn't a case of "It's all about MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...." but rather "It's all about God, and His work in the world through the ministry of Christian bands" supporting these bands regardless of what country / label / distro they are with.

Due to the link between BJR and DMD, I have no problem as a BJR DJ with having to promote releases as being available at DMD if they are indeed in stock or available for pre-order there; It is bands and releases that are NOT stocked at DMD, or that wont be stocked for quite some time, (also bands that have independent / other label pre-releases with special features etc.) that I feel are the big losers at this time though, with DJs not being able to fully promote them, and their ministry fully.

- Necromanicide (Host of The Aussie Hour live show on Blabber Jesus Radio)

I agree with Necro. I think the smaller, more independent international Christian metal bands are the ones losing out. I fully understand why BJR/DMD/OGR is extremely reluctant to promote bands that are not/will not be on their label/store, but it's some of these bands that DO need recognition and promotion.

Sorry if I offended anyone or said anything wrong....