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Another consequence of this target audience is dangerous. "Christian radio is a microcosm of the church, and often reflects the racial segregation that's present in the church," says veteran radio promotions executive Chris Hauser.

Hauser recently helped promote the debut release from Ayiesha Woods, and had that perceived segregation in mind when developing a release strategy. "We circulated the single with no name and no photo, and simply called it the first single from the newest Gotee Records artist."

That song, "Happy," became the most added song on Christian AC radio on April 18. Although it is impossible to measure the impact of the promotion strategy, Woods is the first black female to hit with a non-ballad in recent memory.

Perhaps the most visible effect of Christian radio's choice of a specific target audience is the branding of radio stations.

"The 'Safe for the Family' message had a huge impact when the Salem stations adopted it a few years ago," notes an industry insider who wished to remain anonymous. At its most basic level, stations realized that Becky is often carpooling with the kids, so they made a point to ensure that she understands that nothing she hears on that station will offend her or negatively influence her children.

Salem's trademarked slogan for their Fish stations is "Safe for the Whole Family." K-LOVE calls itself "Positive and Encouraging." Air 1 is "The Positive Alternative," Tulsa's KXOJ is "Your Choice for the Family," while KCMS is Seattle's "Family-Friendly Radio Station."

KCMS Vice President and General Manager Tony Bollen was quoted in Billboard Radio Monitor describing the approach: "We don't want to shelter our listeners from the reality of life, but we position ourselves as safe for the whole family, so there has to be a certain amount of decorum."

A voiceover on Fish stations defines the stance this way: "What does 'Safe for the Whole Family' mean on The Fish? It means the music is always positive and encouraging."

The implications are broad. Advertising dollars are turned away when the content or the company might be questionable, DJ dialogue is sensitive to the possibility that young ears might be listening, and song lyrics are chosen to match the adjectives in the slogans: safe, upbeat, encouraging, uplifting, positive.

While many listeners applaud the unwavering shelter in what has become a dangerous radio landscape, it is the lyrical content implication that riles some in the industry.

Groves has no qualms about stations that are safe for the family, but notes particular dissatisfaction with other branding.

"'Always upbeat and positive,' that's profaning God's name," he says. "Much of the Bible in neither upbeat nor positive. We can never make a station as big as God is, but we shouldn't limit him."

Webb is equally outspoken. "'Safe for the family' is a terrible and counterproductive slogan. If anything, artists are called to radical truth-telling, which can be very subversive, very dangerous. Artists should challenge what we believe. We can't be safe any more than Jesus was safe."

In reality, AC radio may not be all that saccharine. A random sample of midday content from one of the country's largest Christian AC stations suggests that while content is certainly safe from profanity or vulgarity, it might not in reality be always upbeat and positive. The midday sampling certainly included positive, uplifting songs, but these were interspersed with other lyrics about a person lost, distant from God and seeking to return to the fold, or about regret over missed opportunities for evangelism.

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