Difference between revisions of "Rob Green"

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Rob Green in 1984

Who is Rob Green?

Rob Green is a radio pioneer, broadcaster and publisher. He produced and aired a contempory Christian music radio show called Joyful Sounds on radio station CKAN in Newmarket, Ontario from October 2, 1982 to 1988. Prior to that, in 1980, Rob hosted Joyful Sounds on Jarmain Cable TV (later called Rogers Cable) community access channel in Newmarket. The cable show was syndicated on Cable outlets in southern Ontario, including Scarborough, Ajax, Pickering, Fergus, Elora and Aurora.

Exactly two years, on the program's second anniversary, the station demanded a switch to a country format (which they had made a year earlier) and Joyful Country was formed. Coincidentally, that same night Rob was presented with an award from GMA Canada for the Joyful Sounds Show.

A listener in Richmond Hill, Ontario named Michael Cheng contacted Rob to say he had made an introduction for him at CHOO, a country station in Ajax owned by Golden West. CHOO's program director, Joe "Conrad" Frechette quickly took Joyful Sounds where it ran from 4-7pm. Joyful Country ran 9-midnight.

A year later, CKAN dropped their country format, and Joyful Sounds returned to that station as well. But during its brief run, Joyful Country presented a number of problems. Besides Cristy Lane and Barbara Mandrell, there wasn't much Christian Country music available. Sure, there was country gospel, songs about going down by the river... and of course, southern gospel, whose similarity to country music in the 1980s was tenuous at best. Most notable at this time was the reinvention of the southern gospel group, The Dixie Melody Boys, as The DMB Band. Aggressive Christian Country, this group fell afoul with the powerful southern gospel lobby and after two albums found themselves shut out of southern gospel venues. Deep contrition were necessary, and the Dixie Melody Boys were allowed back, and this foolish talk of Christian Country was not mentioned again.

In October 1988, on the programs' sixth anniversary, they became syndicated. Joyful Sounds, the original CCM show was carried on a number of stations including CKLY in Lindsey, DC103 in Orangeville, plus stations in Barrie, Collingwood, Wingham and beyond. The new country show, "County Line" was carried in other communities, including the CHUM-owned Country FM station in Peterboro. It was because of the same host being on competing stations in the same (Lindsey-Peterboro) market that Les Roberts was "born".

From 1998-2000, Rob was Christian Music Director of CJMR in Mississauga, a station managed by Michael Cain. Even before the CRTC was licensing Christian stations, CJMR was playing mostly Christian music

Syndication carried Joyful Sounds and County Line across Canada, including virtually all of the BC interior, and stations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Shortly after, stations in the U.S. and overseas began carrying the show. Both shows were designated Canadian Feature Segments by the CRTC and maintained Canadian content levels.

In 1994, after a weekly run of 12 years, Joyful Sounds was retired. By this time Christian radio was picking up in Canada, and the program was merely a duplication of many successful U.S. programs.

In 1995, the County Line program had continued to grow in popularity and influence and was joined by a handful (perhaps 20) other Christian Country radio programs being produced in the United States (and one in Europe). On failing program, Gospel Country, was turned over to Rob who merged the two together and kept the Gospel Country name.

At its zenith in the mid 1990s, Christian Country music was being put out by a number of labels. A full-time Christian Country radio network was on satellite by Morningstar (later Salem Radio) and even CCM Magazine had a Christian Country chart. Its decline was almost as rapid as its ascent however, and within a few years, coincident with the formation of the Christian Country Music Association, the Morningstar net, the CCM magazine chart, and many of the labels folded. It may have simply been that the rise of the genre was simply too fast, and that, while the river was plenty wide, it was only a few inches deep. A strong push toward "positive country," that is, a watering down of the lyrics to make music acceptable for mainstream radio, probably had a significant influence on the decline.

Les Roberts, that is, Rob Green using his pseudonym, is still host of internationally syndicated Christian country show Gospel Country which still runs on VOAR nationwide and one maritime station and Rob Green (as himself) is publisher & editor of ChristianMusicWeekly.

ChristianMusicWeekly, originally called CCRB, was the first publication to support Christian Country as a radio format. Other publications, notably The Gospel Voice, Cashbox, Christian Country Revue (all now ceased) and Powersource.

Established in 1991, ChristianMusicWeekly (CCRB) went on to expand to pioneer a second radio format, the Praise & Worship radio format (now called simply "Worship") and currently contains weekly airplay charts for 9 distinct Christian radio formats.

Somewhat of a crusader for chart accuracy, Rob insisted that radio stations must report accurately all the songs they play. Up to this time, radio reporters were mostly reporting what was expected of them and had frequently been threatened with the loss of reporting status if they didn't supply data that was consistent with industry expectations.

Besides Joyful Sounds, in both Canada and the US, which covers the radio show and ChristianMusicWeekly, Rob Green runs his own businesses called Bluffwood Creek Honey, and The Tech Support Dept (computer repair & consulting). He also founded the Indiana Beekeeping School, a Charitable non-profit for education to counter the mounting losses in the honeybee population. "It's not Christian music," says Green. "But it's less stressful than the Gospel Music industry. It's often been preferable to stick one's head in a beehive than deal with some of the goings on in 'the industry' in Nashville."

On June 12, 2016 at Oak Ridges Brethren in Christ Church at 8 Aubrey Avenue in Richmond Hill, Ontario., Rob Green and his wife held a reunion of the radio show Joyful Sounds. He shared about God's miraculous healing of his wife from cancer and announced his commitment to continue producing his radio show now called Joyful Sounds Solid Gold.

Rob Green during the Joyful Sounds Reunion on June 12, 2016

Contact Rob Green

Rob Green web site: http://ChristianMusicWeekly.com

Facebook.com page: https://www.facebook.com/JoyfulSoundsSolidGold

Personal Testimony of Christian Faith of Rob Green

Rob Green was born again on April 15, 1973.

Rob Green's was conversion was due, in large part, to the influence of a dead author and a college friend. The author was C.S. Lewis, and while a student at Montreal's Dawson College department of Information Technology, Rob was searching for spiritual fulfillment. As was required, all of Rob's humanities classes were thinly veiled indoctrination classes for Hinduism and Transcendental Meditation.

As an IT student, the logic of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" appealed greatly to him. A college friend, Diana Beaulieu Salonen was also a great influence.

Rob says, "I found myself confronted with having decided on the reliability and authenticity on the Bible itself, and having to deal with Jesus. He never claimed to be a great teacher or philosopher. He claimed to be God Himself. and confronted with that logic, and my earlier conclusions, I had no choice but to deal with the critical decision of "Who is this Jesus and what must I do as a result?"

A very non-emotional but very logical going-forward at a church altar call on Palm Sunday 1973 resulted in Rob being prayed for by "some brother" and having hands laid on him.

Since then, it has remained largely unemotional but very logical, and constantly updating. "God has specifically called me into several things," he says. "Often while reminding me of His faithfulness and my own lack of it."

Home Church: The Blended Church in Indianapolis

Favourite Bible Verses of Rob Green

This is a difficult one, because they change.

One lasting favorite is this:

COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER SAYS THE LORD. THOUGH YOUR SINS BE AS SCARLET, THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW. Isaiah 1.

This is an important one for me, because it matches my experiences with God perfectly. He pursued me through my teenage years and my conversion was based on fact and logic... reasoning together.

Education and Training of Rob Green

DEC 1974 Dawson College, Montreal, Information Technology
BCS 1978 Concordia University, Montreal, Information Technology
MBA 1998 Indiana Wesley University, Indianapolis.

Rob was a student of Tom Kelley (real name Ron Hauser) at KRDS, a Christian station in Phoenix, Arizona in 1982.

Mission Statement of Rob Green

Rob Green's mission is to listen carefully and be obedient.

Present Media Ministry of Rob Green

Rob Green is producer and host of Gospel Country using the pseudonym Les Roberts. He publishes Christian Music Weekly under his own name.

Christians Who Have Impacted the Life of Rob Green

The following Christians have impacted the life and media ministry of Rob Green.
C.S. Lewis
Diana Beaulieu Salonen
Catharine Green
Pastor Larry Sharpless

Media Friends of Rob Green

The following people are media ministry friends of Rob Green.

• Steve Burchell
• David Spencer

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