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9. Why depend on commercial income? Shouldn’t ‘Christian’ stations be ‘charitable/non-profit’?
Whilst many Christian stations do have commercial activities they usually still avoid on-air advertising because they are concerned that it might ‘compromise’ their message. As a result, they prefer to rely on donations from Christians to fund the station. However, from our experience, the donation model also presents it’s own areas of ‘compromise’. For example, relying on a small number of donors often results in programming being focussed on the needs of those who might donate rather than the more important needs of the wider audience.
It’s clear that both model’s have their strengths and weaknesses. As we want to ensure relevance to a wide audience and our station won’t be overtly Christian, we believe that problems can be managed if they occur at all. Plus, by doing this, we can minimise any effect on the income of other ministries who depend on regular donations. Taking all this into account, we have opted for a commercial approach.
