Perhaps the most well known Christian radio station in the USA is K-LOVE. They have grown so much over the past decade that they now have their own award show! I recently spoke with JD Chandler, a DJ at K-LOVE. We talked about how he got hired and how fun it has been watching the K-LOVE network grow!

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Gabe: Tell me a little bit about what you grew up listening to and some of your background, obviously you like music (laughs).

JD: I grew up listening to rock radio. We are talking about the late 1950’s and 60’s. Everything from Elvis Presley to Buddy Holly to Beach Boys to the Beatles! All of that!

Gabe: So how did you get involved in radio?

JD: Well, I’m an actor…

Gabe: Wow! Really?

JD: Yeah, I’ve done a lot of theatre and all of that. I’ve done Shakespeare and a lot of others. I’m also a musician. I started playing back years ago in the mid 1960’s. I play the keys and the guitar.

K-Love’s JD Chandler

Gabe: You’ve been with K-LOVE since the late 1990’s or so. Is that right?
JD: Yeah that right!

Gabe: How was it for you seeing K-LOVE grow since that time?

JD: It’s been amazing! It really has. Actually, they called me on a request line at the station I was with at the time. The managers called me at the secular station I was with in California. They called and said, “Yeah we have a request. It may seem a little odd (laughs).”

I said, “Oh, Ok… What’s that?”

And they told me, “Well we’ve got this Christian station. We heard you were a believer. So we were wondering if you’d be interested in coming to work for us.” (laughs)

So I went to work for K-LOVE about a month or two later. And it’s grown into what it is now. It’s crazy to see how big it’s gotten. It’s crazy to see how many cities we are in now. It’s pretty crazy!

Gabe: I think one of the craziest things about it is it’s been during a time where music has gone down when it comes to business. And even on top of that, K-LOVE, which is listener-supported, has grown despite having to ask people for money in a time where we had a recession in our country.

JD: Yeah, I really think it has been God that has provided for us. It really isn’t us at all. God provided for us all through the recession. Thankfully, we’re out of that now. But all through that, He provided for us. Not only did he meet our needs but we also were able to grow during that period. That’s so amazing if you think about it.

Gabe: One of the other things that I appreciate that not very many people might not know is you guys have a ministry. You have a help line where people can call in and talk to someone at all times of the day. You guys also support organizations like Compassion International, Food for the Hungry, Teen Challenge, etc. That has to probably be one of the favorite parts of your job.

JD: Oh yeah! All of those things. It really is what God does through us. It’s not really about what we do. We pretty much just try to get out of the way and let God work. We get out of His way and He moves! It’s pretty amazing!

Gabe: Other than that, what are some things you enjoy about your job?

JD: Just how God uses me in people’s lives everyday. It’s not anything that I do. It’s what He does through me. It’s really cool when God uses you. We’re all flawed vessels. When God uses you, it’s pretty humbling. Just like watching the K-LOVE network grow, it’s been pretty humbling.

Gabe: That’s awesome! Thank you for your time!

JD: Thank you!

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Listen to JD on K-LOVE every weekday from 2-5 pm ET. Follow him on Twitter: @JDChandlerKLove