It is just two years since we began a concerted effort to give our wonderful message by radio. Some of the lessons we have learned by experience and experiment regarding proper methods for success in this work, may be summed up briefly as follows:
1. Unparalled Medium.—The radio is without parallel as a medium for carrying the human voice to every ear, regardless, in the main, of where it may be or what walls or other material obstacles stand between.
2. Small-Station Advantanges.—In broadcasting directly for converts in an evangelistic effort, the smaller station holds the advantage. It has the maximum of listeners in the local area, and makes the audience accessible for personal work and for calling listeners together in a hall effort to establish contact and bring them to a decision. At the same time it is less expensive, and easier to conduct.
3. Publicity Objectives.—When the aim is primarily to give publicity to our name and work, the local station is equally efficient, but the larger station gives a wider range.
4. Two-Rate Stations. —The smaller station usually carries two rates—a national, or standard, rate, employed either in network or as a basis for agency discount, and a local rate which can be negotiated directly by a local client, and is always lower than a standard rate unless the latter can be negotiated by an agency. Even in the latter case, a local rate is sometimes lower.
5. Tactful Approach.—After making terms with a station, the first consideration is the nature of the talks to be given. The good will of the public is the stock in trade for a radio station. Therefore it will not usually admit matter of controversial nature, or of religious or racial prejudice. Our approach to religious themes must therefore be tactful. We may work our way into stronger teachings as we win the interest and confidence of both station men and the listening public.
6. Interpreting News.—The interpretation of news events in the light of the Scriptures makes a fine approach and a good feature for continuous use.
7. Questions and Answers.—The questionand-answer method is proving highly successful in drawing out and holding interest.
8. Health Talks.—Health features are widely appreciated, and make a good entering wedge.
9. Spiritual Music.—Good spiritual music, making a strong heart appeal both in its content and in its rendition, is invaluable in its moving influence.
10. Mission Stories.—Mission stories on the power of the gospel to change hearts, are always acceptable and effective.
11. Parent and Child.—Instruction on the care and rearing of children, and features of interest to children themselves, help win the hearts of parents and hold their interest in our teachings.
12. Special Prayer.—Inviting requests for prayer, and praying in response over the air, makes an effective feature.
13. Welfare Interests.—Showing an interest in welfare work is always in place, and is convincing as to our interest in temporal as well as spiritual things.
14. Enlarging Audience.—When once the air is secured, and the nature of the radio talk is determined, the8 next important step is the use of every effective means to enlarge the radio audience. A radio preacher can talk to 50,000 people as well as to I,000—and without extra cost—if only he can get their ears. In addition to newspaper and other ordinary means of advertising, a specially helpful method is for our own church members to visit every home in the station area and place a radio log or announcement in the hands of the people personally, courteously inviting them to tune in. If this is done on a systematic plan, the visit can be followed up from time to time to cultivate friendship and announce new topics or plans. Radio authorities tell us that no other plan is so fruitful in results as house-to-house work.
15. Follow-Up Work.—The third step in the program is of supreme importance,—follow-up work. More radio preachers fall short on this point than on any other. Why raise a crop and not harvest it? Work by mail and personal visit should be kept up constantly through an effort. Many can be won by these means alone. But the all-important thing is to secure a hall where listeners can be called together for personal contact and bringing to decision. A very effective way is to broadcast for a time till an interest is developed, and then start a hall meeting, preferably in a neutral place at first; then shuttle the people into our own church at a proper time. Some succeed well by holding Sunday-night meetings in a hall or theater, and weekday meetings in our own church—a less expensive method. By this plan, a preacher begins his hall meeting with an audience that is already interested and partly instructed, and he can gather fruit in a shorter time. In any case, the radio preaching should be kept going throughout.
16. Continued Effort.—Another highly important factor in successful radio preaching is continuity of effort. It takes some time to develop interest, but once developed, interest will grow more and more if the broadcasting is regular. More than that, continuous effort brings new people continually—one great virtue of the radio method. Short periods on the air or merely conducting devotional services (unless precedent to starting a real effort) are usually the least fruitful.
17. Securing Contributions.—The cost of radio preaching can be greatly reduced by tactful methods in getting contributions from listeners. Request for donations should not come in too early, as it might suggest a mercenary motive. But as the preacher gains the interest and wins the confidence of his listening audience, he can give opportunity to assist on the expense. When people are interested, they will give, and when they give, they become more interested. A good method is to have a simple organization called "Bible School of the Air" or some such name, and offer membership at one dollar a month or five dollars in advance for six months, in return for which free literature may be supplied. Some stations do not allow requests for money to go over the air, but do not object to acknowledgment of donations received. Requests are usually more successful by mail, using names secured by various means. It is a good thing to write a monthly or weekly letter telling how donations are used and what the status of expense is. Many like this businesslike method. Always make it clear, and repeat it often, that none of the receipts go to the profit of individuals, but are all used for the expense of the effort. By these simple methods, radio preachers report receiving all the way from one third to more than costs from the radio audience itself.
18. Evangelistic Adjunct.—The radio does its best work when used in conjunction with our well-established methods of soul winning by evangelistic effort, rather than as a means by itself apart. It will also do highly effective work as a medium for giving•the public correct information on who Seventh-day Adventists are, what they believe and teach, and what they are doing in the world in behalf of mankind.
19. Transcription Records.—By the use of carefully prepared scripts, electrical-transcription records may be used repeated times on radio stations, for either evangelistic or publicity purposes. Radio authorities declare that the transcription record is increasing in popularity and efficiency.
