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10 Questions with ... Brant Hansen
September 30, 2019
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1. How do you best describe your radio career trajectory leading up to where you are now, with CURE International?
I haven't had a plan. I didn't intend to be a DJ or the host of a radio show.
I wanted to be a baseball announcer. I wound up being a news guy. At WBGL/Champaign, and then KSBJ/Houston, I was used for news and then they left me on the air for a bit because I was odd and amusing. Then I became a morning show co-host on KSBJ.
On WAY-FM, I was a producer/sidekick for the awesome Donna Cruz. Jim Marshall moved Donna to cover afternoons and left me on by myself. I was mortified. I'm still kinda mortified.
I love working for CURE and with so many great radio stations. I'm very, very thankful for the influence I get to have with listeners. I'm always thanking God I get to do this, even as I rarely feel up to the task.
2. On a professional level, are things going exactly as you'd like them to be at this point? One way or the other, how so?
This wasn't a plan, but yes, it's worked out beautifully. I get to walk across our little courtyard and go upstairs into our studio and work with Sherri Lynn. It's hard not to be consciously thankful.
3. Content has always been king for the Brant Hansen Show as long as it's existed. What have your learned is the most effective method for preparing a truly-interesting show on a daily basis?
Thanks for asking this.
We never waste a break. Ever. And the reason we can do that is simple: I spend an enormous amount of time preparing.
Yes, "life is prep," but prep can't be done without intentionality and hard work. I spend hours prepping every day. It starts with a simple question and posture: "How can I be a blessing to people today? How can I add value to someone's life?"
"Relevant" is used as a buzzword, but there's a deeper, truer relevance that's available to Christian music stations, well beyond the headline of the day or the celeb news of the moment. That's where our show tries to live.
4. Both in and out of Christian radio, who are the people you watch for inspiration and personal growth as a person-and as a radio personality?
Lately, the late Dallas Willard has been a huge discipling influence for me.
Honestly, I wouldn't consider him a great communicator. His presentation is a bit dry. His books aren't full of stories, or crackling with delightful turns-of-phrase.
But that gives me a role. I'm not the thinker he was-he was a brilliant philosophy professor at USC-but I can take his thoughts, color them in a bit, and distill them in a way that fits my audience.
I'm also thankful for Mark Sayers and his "This Cultural Moment" podcast and writings.
5. When you're alone with your thoughts these days, what's on your mind most prominently?
Oh, gosh. That's a hard question. My wife asks me this occasionally-primarily to be amused, I think. ("I'm thinking about the Nephilim." "I'm thinking about the battle of the Dardanelles." "I'm trying to remember my phone number.").
With the current cultural discussion about gender, I'm thinking about what makes a man a man. I do plan to write a book about this. I'm kind of excited about it.
6. Go deeper on this new book project. What's the idea borne out of? What is the primary concept you want your audience to take away from it? What, if anything, brings you the most anxiety in broaching this subject?
The new book is perfect timed for election season! It'll come out in March.
It's about how self-righteous we all are, and how we all fool ourselves into thinking we're "good people."
It's called The Truth About Us, and I was hoping to kinda combine Malcolm Gladwell, Tim Keller, and Dave Barry.
It's borne out of the obvious: Observing our culture of virtue-signaling and the ways we convince ourselves of our own right-ness. It's not a problem that's restricted to religious folks. Not even close. I think Jesus is the only way out of it, actually.
7. What's another great idea you're stewing on right now that you sort of don't want anyone to know, but also can put it on record here that you thought of it first?
Not sure if it's a great idea, but today came up with a concept to help CURE partner with corporations to heal kids. We'll see where it goes. I'm scared to say it out loud here. I think it could be big for radio stations, too. Not sure.
I also have this idea for a drive-thru that just untangles things for you: "Mr. Tangles." and the mascot is a rope with big eyes and a cowboy hat. I'm always thinking, Matt.
8. How are you involved in preparing young on-air personalities in this format to step up and continue creating awesome Christian radio for the coming decade or two?
I think I'm doing absolutely nothing. It's a great question and a great cause. I just feel so busy.
Now that I think about it: It's not for young on-air personalities, per se, but I am trying to encourage people in how we can do a better job of fulfilling our mission. I want to help us all be more vulnerable and up-front about Jesus, while creating compelling radio. I'd planned to host a thing before CMB, and it was "sold out" with a lot of interest. We were very excited about it. But it got hurricane'd out. We'll try it again soon, I think.
9. You turn 50 in October. With that in mind, what have you come to determine matters most to you?
That's well-phrased question. I think the list gets shorter as we mature. And my operational definition of wisdom is "knowing the relative value of things": what matters, what doesn't. What matters a lot, what kinda matters but not that much.
I think peace matters a lot. Being joyful. Being humble, above all things. And enjoying the people I come across during the day.
And smooching my wife.
Life is a vapor, and things start simple and then get complex. But I think if we keep growing up, they get a lot simpler again, you know?
Jesus loves me, this I know. So let's find something to laugh about.
10. What are you going to do for yourself on such a milestone year?
Man, I don't know. I'm thankful I'm (seemingly) healthy. I have so much to be thankful for. I'm a pessimist and extreme fatalist by nature, and I have people around me who say I'm a big encouragement to them. How amazing is that?
Willard says God wants to renovate our personalities. I think it's happened, and to the extent that it has, I know who gets the credit.
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