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Morning glories

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Times Staff Writer

IT’S morning drive time in Los Angeles.

Howard Stern is hosting “Stump the Perv” on KSLX-FM (97.1), which features a male contestant pitted against a Nevada call girl in a porn trivia contest. He wins and gets five minutes alone with her in Howard’s bathroom.

Meanwhile, Jamie, Jack and Stench on KYSR-FM (98.7) are talking about gay bull riders, crotchless hazmat suits and their white-trash childhoods -- all topics that would be applauded at most of the ratings-hungry morning shows on the radio dial.

That is, except for one show -- “The Family Friendly Morning Show” from 5 to 9 a.m. hosted by Billy Burke on KFSH-FM (95.9), a Christian-themed station often referred to as the Fish. On one recent morning, Burke is discussing one of his favorite promotions, Random Acts of Kindness Day, where listeners are encouraged to phone in their stories of good deeds either witnessed or performed.

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A mother tells Burke that her three children are donating all the money earned from part-time jobs and allowances to their godmother so she can pay for chemotherapy. “Kids are doing good things,” said Burke, a veteran of Top 40 stations and a father of two children, ages 13 and 8. “The majority of kids are good kids.”

The family-oriented show stands virtually alone in the lion’s den of the morning drive time, a fiercely competitive programming block known more for its raunchiness than heart. The feel-good format itself is not unique to Los Angeles, but one of about 10 that broadcast around the nation in such cities as Sacramento, Nashville and Atlanta.

Rolled out over the last several years by Camarillo-based Salem Communications, which owns more than 100 mostly Christian-oriented radio stations, the idea is quite simple -- air a morning show that parents and children can tune into without wincing.

“Our goal is to offer an alternative to all the dreck,” said Chuck Tyler, the Fish’s director of programming. “We want to offer something fun that parents don’t have to shield their kids from and right now we have the market cornered on that.”

As with all of Salem’s family-friendly morning shows, you’ll certainly hear preaching about family values but not about politics or religion. The absence of overtly Christian talk distinguishes the morning show from most other Christian broadcasters, who hammer away at religious themes all day along. The morning show, by design, keeps its Christianity in the background.

“We’re not hiding that we’re Christian,” added Tyler, whose station’s call letters are a nod to a secret symbol of early Christianity. “But we’re not beating people over the head with a Bible either. We don’t want to sound too churchy. We want to be welcoming to everyone.”

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To be sure, the morning show’s music, at least lyrically, is unmistakably religious. It spins what is known as the contemporary Christian format, a polished rock and alternative sound that could easily be confused with Top 40 music. “The production values are up there with U2,” said Burke, a former disc jockey for KIIS-FM (102.7). “This isn’t vanilla church music.”

Burke’s morning show recently played “Glory Defined” by a group called Building 429, a named derived from the New Testament’s Book of Ephesians. Its lyrics include:

” ... I will finally bow at your feet

“I will lift up your name in honor and praise

“When I cross over Jordan

“I know that I’ll be running home to you.”

Orange County audience

Burke’s energetic but easygoing style, coupled with the modern Christian rock playlist, has translated into decent ratings in Southern California, particularly in Orange County (the signal is weaker in Los Angeles County).

Among Orange County women between 25 and 54, Burke’s show has been ranked as high as 10th among morning drive-time shows, according to the Arbitron ratings. In Los Angeles, however, it typically falls out of the top 20 for that group.

But despite the relatively small audience, Christian broadcasters say there’s a place for morally based programming, as long as it’s presented in a palatable form.

“There’s a backlash in society against what people would call edgy radio that has created a need for a station you can listen to with your kids,” said John Frost, a Florida-based consultant to Christian radio stations. “And Christian radio stations have become much more sophisticated in knowing how to use radio to reach them.”

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Burke’s morning show originates from a high-rise office building in Glendale inside a broadcast room nicknamed “the Fish Tank.” Behind its glass wall, a portion of the electronic equipment is housed in a colorful display of tiny lights in the shape of a fish. Behind Burke, a large-screen television is tuned into a Fox News station, but is muted.

On this morning Burke, a hard-muscled martial arts black belt who is wearing two small hoop earrings, jeans and a striped cotton shirt, is exhorting his listeners to get into the spirit of Random Acts of Kindness Day -- a promotion he started when he was a DJ at Southern California’s country-western station KZLA-FM (93.9). Thank somebody, ask a parent about their children or, heck, even let someone get into your lane in traffic, he says.

“We’re like a conduit for kindness,” said Burke, who when he isn’t on the air enjoys watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” with his two children.

His switchboard lights up with calls throughout the morning. One is from an Orange County cop who heaps praise upon his community for raising $8,000 to help pay for medical care for his brain-damaged son. The officer also thanks his police station co-workers for giving him more than four months vacation.

Later, a call comes in from a diabetic mother of a 1-year-old baby who says a stranger saved her life after she passed out in her car in a grocery store parking lot in Tustin. Another proudly notes that her 6-year-old son opens the doors for women.

“You’re raising your son right,” Burke tells the mother. “It all starts at home.”

Despite the program’s wholesome atmosphere, Burke insists he shares a bond with the other, more popular morning drive-time hosts.

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“I know it might be bizarre to say I have anything in common with Howard, Jamie or [KXTA-AM’s] Mancow,” said Burke, whose career in radio began at age 15 in a small Texas town. “But we do. We all have an intensity, a passion. We’re entertainers and we love and believe in what we’re doing.”

But one thing Burke doesn’t have in common with the others is this: His favorite Bible verse is posted on his station’s website. (It’s Mark 11:23.) Still, on the show, he doesn’t flash his religious preferences.

“I don’t want to force-feed anybody, I just try and stick true to what I believe,” he said. “Given the chance and if the situation is right, I’ll witness to people and give my testimony absolutely. I’m very proud that I’m a Christian, but there’s a time and place for everything.”

No FCC worries

Unlike other morning DJs, Burke doesn’t have to be concerned about the Federal Communications Commission cracking down on him over matters of taste. They’ll joke around on the show, but it’s all good, clean fun.

“We never have to worry about the boundaries,” Burke explains. “I’m a parent too.”

Sometimes the tough self-editing comes when the show has to deliver news of horrific current events, something it generally tries to avoid. However, during the terrorist bombings in the London subway last month, the show alerted listeners to the news, but was careful not to use any number of potentially upsetting words like “maimed,” “murdered” or “killed.”

“We don’t dumb-down the news, but we don’t want to put anything on the air that would be upsetting for kids,” said Tyler, who added that his station has turned down advertisements from television stations that were deemed too violent or titillating.

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These choices are all consciously made to appeal to the station’s target audience -- thirtysomething mothers who often are the decision makers when it comes to spending the family’s money. Burke empathizes with that audience.

“The woman of today is not like the mom of the ‘50s, my goodness,” said Burke, who regularly reads magazines like Family Circle or Cosmopolitan to keep up with their concerns. “Their middle name today is multi-tasker. How can you be a mom, a taxi driver, have a career, and yet dinner is on the table and dad is happy? How can you not respect that?”

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