KADI turns 15, gains sister station

Its first radio station, KADI 99.5 FM, is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. The run has proven a thing or two: KADI stands as a locally owned station in an industry where local stations are becoming an exception rather than the rule, and young audiences do listen to a Christian format.

When KADI first went on the air in June 1990, the station employed approximately eight people; Chicago-based Snowmen Broadcasting Inc. owned it and current owner R.C. Amer was a sales representative.

In the years between, Amer moved into the role of sales manager, then station manager, before purchasing KADI through Vision Communications Inc., a company Amer owns with his wife, Karen. The purchase was finalized in 2000, but Vision Communications had a management agreement with KADI since 1994, the year Amer formed the company.

Staff grew to the 20 there today, and KADI reached the top spot in Arbitron’s ratings for contemporary Christian stations in the 18- to 34-year-old women category, its target market.

KADI revenues reached $1.1 million in 2004, up from the $300,000-range in the station’s early years, Amer said.

And Vision Communications is adding an AM station to its mix. The Federal Communications Commission. has approved Vision Communication’s purchase of 1340 USA, a conservative talk station owned by Thirteen Forty Productions Inc. in Branson. The sale was expected to close May 19. Amer would not disclose a purchase price for the station, which already operates at Vision Communication’s 5431 W. Sunshine facility.

Some of the station’s biggest points of pride, however, are in its community involvement. The station and its listeners have taken on causes from the Good Samaritans Boys Ranch to Ozarks Food Harvest. KADI has helped bring some of the top names in Christian music to Springfield, including Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith.

And 2005 marks several firsts within the community service sector: on May 12 and 13, the station sponsored the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon, which raised more than $30,000. In June, KADI will sponsor two Relay for Life events for the American Cancer Society.

On-air obstacles

Still, KADI had a few obstacles to overcome.

“Early on, we faced a misconception,” Amer said. “We’re not the older Christian radio format – there’s no preaching or prayer on the air. Our goal was to have a good Christian music format.”

The sound of KADI is parallel to the sound of secular radio stations, such as KGBX or KTTS, said Rod Kittleman, program director and morning show host.

“We try to create the same kind of sound as they do, whereas other Christian radio stations try to give it kind of a churchy feel,” he added.

KADI’s target audience is between 18 and 40 years old, and the Springfield area, with its abundance of religious-based universities, is a good market for Christian radio, Amer said.

“We’ve got a fantastic population around here of Christian individuals and people of good, solid, moral fiber,” said Bill Link, Redeemed Music and Books owner and a longtime KADI advertiser.

Against the grain

The station also moved against the tide when industry consolidation became prevalent following the Telecom Act of 1996, which allowed one company to own more than one radio station, Amer said.

“For a while, we lived a David and Goliath syndrome,” he said. “Other stations were being funded by out of state groups … we were doing our best as a stand-alone station.”

KADI also went against the traditional Christian style of radio when it came to funding.

“We’re one of very few stations of our kind in the country. We’re a commercial radio station that plays Christian music,” Kittleman said. “In other words, we have advertisers that pay to be on the radio rather than having listeners pay to keep us on the radio.”

Those advertisers are drawn to KADI’s listening audience for several reasons, but the younger base seems to be an especially appealing draw.

“My daughter told me, ‘Dad, if you’re not advertising on KADI, you should be. That is a very popular station.’ So I contacted my sales rep,” said Jim Cassity, co-owner of Metro Motors.

Link doesn’t advertise on KADI exclusively, he said, but he uses the station because it draws the younger shoppers, in particular the young to middle-aged women. Those listeners are loyal to KADI, he added.

“They’re not necessarily, I don’t think, the largest body of listeners, but they’ve got a real strong, dedicated core of listeners. And that is really helpful to us, because we know they’re going to be listening several times throughout the week rather than just periodically,” Link said.

Amer said the mix between Christian-based and secular advertisers is about half and half.