Mark Ramsey

Portland

Research Analyst and Podcaster at Freelance

Maker of Podcasts: SCROOGE: A Christmas Carol. FADE IN, DARK SANCTUM, and INSIDE Psycho/JAWS/Exorcist for Wondery, AFTERSHOCK w/David Harbour. @CriticsChoice.

Featured in: Favicon

medium.com Favicon

kcrw.com

houstonchronicle.com Favicon

mediavillage.com Favicon

missourilife.com Favicon

rainnews.com Favicon

radiotoday.com.au Favicon

moviejuice.com Favicon

anchor.fm

jdsupra.com + 1 more

Articles

What You Don't Play CAN Hurt You

1 month ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

It's an expression as old as radio programming: "What you don't play can't hurt you." But is it time to revisit this truism? For the record, I come to you as a thoughtful guy with knowledge in marketing and branding and years of experience on the radio sidelines. But I am not a programmer. Never have been. Never have pretended to be. But maybe that makes me the perfect vehicle for this message:Sure, what you don't play can't hurt you. But what you don't play also can't help you.
You Are Not A Radio Station

1 month ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

As I explained in my presentation to the Christian Music Broadcasters earlier this year (available through CMB for you Gold members), we - Christian radio stations - are actually not radio stations. Nope. We are a Christian Media Ministry of which radio is only one part. In his recent book Earn It, audio marketer Steve Pratt shares a key idea:Ecosystems are greater than Platforms. What does that mean? Well, a radio station is a platform. So is a TV station. So is a newspaper. So is TikTok.
Where's Your Community?

1 month ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

Too often, radio stations are "all about me" - the station. Listen to me. Pay attention to me. It's all about me. Positioning, after all, is designed to differentiate one radio station from others - one me from all the other me's. We don't advertise for you, Ms. Listener, we advertise for me. We want you to know me much more than we want to know you. Knowing you requires some audience research. Knowing me requires only some Nielsen ratings.
Do You Celebrate Your Heroes?

2 months ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

One of the things I'm working with clients a lot on nowadays is the topic of last week's Faithbright, Atomic Statements. These are the statements of identity that resonate with your fans and with your brand's mission. These are not simply positioning lines, they are rallying cries that make your listeners' hearts beat faster. Just as rooting for the local sports team does. It's not just baseball, it's YOUR team.
What's Your Atomic Statement?

2 months ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

Everyone's familiar with positioning statements - they're your way of making your brand different from the brands around it so that folks looking for something in particular can more easily find it. That's the goal, anyway. Positioning is great, but it has its flaws. For example, what happens when your radio station competes not just against other stations with other positioning statements but against a panoply of every medium under the sun offering every particle of content under the sun?
How Do We Create More Digital Content?

2 months ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

Okay, we all know that Christian radio needs more content on more platforms (especially digital) and in more places. But where is all this new content supposed to come from? Do you need to enlist interns? Do you raise expectations on talent, regardless of their enthusiasm (or sometimes, lack thereof)? Do you need more headcount? And where do you begin? By doing what? These are the questions which paralyze us in the trenches of Christian radio, but they shouldn't.
What’s the Matter with Kids?

2 months ago | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

It's not only a lyric from a more-than-60-year-old theater musical (Bye Bye Birdie, for all you Dick Van Dyke fans). It's also a question being asked by parents across the land, especially thanks to the timely new Netflix hit Adolescence. You've probably seen it already, considering after only three weeks. And the views are not coming only from the U.S. and the U.K., but from countries around the world. It is - in every sense of the word - a phenomenon.
Gen Z May Save Us

Mar 5, 2025 | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

We all know the stats on Christianity's vigor in the U.S. haven't been moving in the right direction. From The Economist:In 1972 some 90% of Americans said they were Christian, compared to a mere 5% saying they had no religious affiliation (researchers call them “the Nones”). By 2021 the Nones had swelled to 29%, a rise that was mostly consistent across lines of race, sex, income and education. On average, each successive birth cohort has been 10% less Christian than its predecessors.
Where Are Your "Exceptionals"?

Feb 26, 2025 | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

So the recent Super Bowl scored almost 128 million viewers, and did it across numerous platforms, including Fox, Fox Deportes, Tubi, Telemundo and NFL digital properties. The streaming numbers alone were up 27% year over year. That's a new record - the event's largest audience in history. Now, would you call that the best game in Superbowl history? Of course not (with all apologies to the Eagles, who were certainly my sentimental favorites).
Why Many Christian Music Fans Don't Listen To You

Feb 12, 2025 | faithbright.ghost.io | Mark Ramsey

"What do listeners want?" Is there any question so regularly studied, asked, and - presumably - answered? Yesterday, I was honored to speak at the CMB Momentum Summit in Houston, and I presented some new research you'll be hearing more about over the coming months. Unlike most of the research you see, this wasn't sketchy Nielsen data, nor was it a survey of your database or Christian radio audiences or donors or even just folks who listen to the radio. Nope.