Brian Utter ’91
Executive Director, Olivet Media Group and associate professor
“When you turn on a microphone, you have six seconds to connect [before the audience disengages],” says Brian Utter ’91, executive director of the Olivet Media Group, and associate professor in the Department of Communication. “So, make sure you always have something to say that matters.”
There is no discernable difference between career and calling for Brian, who graduated from Olivet with a degree in broadcast communications and marketing. He immediately pursued a master’s degree in missiology from Nazarene Theological Seminary, before working as an on-air radio personality for New Life Media. For the next 20 years, he worked for World Mission Broadcast before returning to Olivet in 2013 to serve as managing director of Shine.FM. A few years later, he was offered the opportunity to share his wealth of practical knowledge by teaching multimedia and broadcast classes to undergraduate students.
“I am a builder by nature, so I love teaching,” Brian notes. “Every fall I get new, raw material. Over the course of four years, I get to help students build themselves. It’s so great to celebrate who they become and what they do.”
Utilizing years of international experiences, Brian frequently leads students on global mission projects to encourage the development of local multimedia centers like podcast and production studios. But despite his range of technological expertise, broadcast radio remains his preferred form of media.
“When you don’t have visual elements, radio triggers the brain to create imaginative, emotionally-stimulating visuals,” Brian explains. “That emotional connection is a huge part of the ministry of Shine.FM, which is why what we say matters so much. The audience has to trust you first before they’ll be receptive to listening to the Gospel.”
Such is the enduring relevance of Christian music broadcasting. The FM radio frequency at Olivet was started in 1967, and has continuously broadcast Christian music and uplifting programming ever since. Today, Shine.FM is still owned by Olivet, but the station is self-funded. Annual listener-supported fundraising campaigns and business impact partnerships make up the operating budget for a station that serves 1 million people each month in three regional areas through live radio broadcasts and on-demand streaming.
In addition to Brian’s duties of managing the budget, facilitating a departmental culture which consistently leads the university in the Best Christian Workplace survey, and co-hosting “The Afternoon Adventure” on air, he leads a team of 12 employees and around 25 student workers. His goal as the station director is for his team to focus less on what they do and more on the why the behind the content creation and distribution. In 2024, Olivet’s student-run radio station, Spark HD was awarded the University Station of the Year by Christian Music Broadcasters, validating the academic preparation that Brian and his colleagues provide.
“At Shine we’re all about a value system, and shared values create community,” he says. “People desire authenticity and transparency in the media today. Radio is just the platform we use to point people to Christ.”
Brian and his wife, Lynne, live in Bourbonnais. They are the parents of Jacob ’23 (Julianna) and Michael.
*Photos courtesy of Lynne Utter
