Religious formats growing at fast pace

A poll found that about 28 percent of non-Christians listen to Christian radio.
MANASSAS, Va. -- With the advent of Easter, millions of Christians throughout the world are celebrating and reflecting on the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ.
As it has been since 1944, the mission of the National Religious Broadcasters -- the world's largest association of Christian broadcasters -- remains the same in its commitment to proclaim the Gospel message on public airwaves.
Americans are tuning in, in record numbers. According to a report just released by The Barna Group (www.barna.org) more people now tune in to Christian media than attend church.
Barna reports nearly half of all U.S. adults (46 percent) listen to a Christian radio broadcast in a typical month.
Although the vast majority tuning in indicate themselves to be born again Christians, nearly 28 percent of non-Christians listen monthly as well. The Barna poll also revealed that one out of every six U.S. adults (16 percent) listens to Christian radio on a daily basis.
NRB President/CEO Frank Wright says one shouldn't be surprised by these numbers, "People are increasingly seeking out faith, and Christian radio is a very viable resource."
Growth
Numbers from Arbitron indicate similar trends. Within the last five years the number of U.S. radio stations grew by 4 percent, from 13,307 in 2000 to 13,838 reported for 2005. Religious formats continue to be one of the fastest growing segments today.
The "religious" category, as defined by Arbitron, includes: "Gospel and 'Contemporary Christian' formats as well as nonmusic based religious stations specializing in 'teaching programs.'"
Although the total number of U.S. stations has grown only 4 percent since 2000, the number of religious formatted stations has seen a substantial 14 percent increase over the same five-year period. The only other format growing at a faster rate, when looking at the total number of U.S. stations, is News/Talk/Information. This format grew 26.39 percent in the number of stations over the same five-year period mentioned above.
Country music stations, on the other hand, have dropped 9 percent to 2,066 stations. At this rate of attrition, religious broadcasting stations may likely surpass the number of country formatted stations within the next one to two years.
The listening audience for religious stations also has grown on average between 20-26 percent from 1999-2004, depending on what quarterly season you compare. This is found in Arbitron's Format Trends Report located at www.arbitron.com.