Christmas songs on the radio

[koopkooper]

So have the radio stations you guys like to listen to started playing Christmas songs. At the commercial station I work at we have just started playing some and it will be ramped up as the weeks go by. Personally I love this time of year on the radio as I love the warm fuzzy feeling I get hearing these songs.
I am also looking forward to Christmas night as I'll be working on air from 6 till midnight playing wall to wall Christmas songs....ahh bliss.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

We have an "easy listening" station that started playing Christmas music ONLY 24/7 and started the week before Thanksgiving. They do it every year. Listen for a few hours and it will drive you mad!

 

[Rosie]

The same here. I think CD 101.9 does that, Christmas music 24/7. It can drive a person mad. <---- except he's really going crazy.

 

[Rosie]

Ha, I just realized I wrote almost the exact thing as J.M. Stovall. I must be going mad. lol

 

[BegintheBeguine]

So, what the government researched about Muzak was true after all.....
My Frank station has started playing Xmas music all the time and I won't listen because last year I NEVER heard Christmas in Killarney, by Bing of course;, I had to drag out the record I bought at my library's sale years ago. Never thought I'd have to resort to that.
The worst is when rock stations start playing only Christmas music. Ugh. Getting disgusted. Where's my Amer Picon?

 

[WideBrimm]

Here in Denver, soft rock KOSI 101 started 24/7 with the Christmas music on 16 November as they do every year. It's nice to switch to the Christmas music once in a while for a short time and then switch back to something else.

The reason these stations go all Christmas all the time in November is because they provide the "elevator music" heard in retail stores this time of year.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I haven't heard any on the radio yet. I'll have to tune in to 2CH Koop. I've had Bing (of course!), Dean, Nat, etc on at home courtesy of my CD collection this past week. The Mrs has a compilation of Christmas songs on one CD, mostly modern funky rubbish like Mariah Carey that really sucks!

And now, back to Bing . . .

 

[panamag8or]

The station I used to work at starts a day or two before thanksgiving. I like to listen for a little while each day. Shoot, I'll listen to Christmas music in July!

 

[Hawkcigar]

I listen mainly to XM satellite radio now. They have several stations of Christmas music that tends to cover most of the different musical genres. There's something for everyone and you can listen in whatever size dose is right for you. Once I get a little tired of Christmas music I can turn back to the 40's channel or Frank's Place. Best of all worlds for me.

The other thing I enjoy is I can transmit the feed from my computer to all my old radios. Very enjoyable.

 

[koopkooper]

found this interesting article

Found this interesting article about Christmas programming.

Radio airwaves full of holiday cheer
By DAVID SHARP

PORTLAND, Maine

The holiday classics haven't changed that much -- radio stations still turn to Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Burl Ives to spread yuletide cheer. But your chances of hearing them on the radio are growing fast.

As of Monday, 399 stations from Maine to Hawaii were playing Christmas tunes around the clock to bring in listeners and advertising dollars. Portland has two stations competing over holiday listeners, and some cities have as many as five or six.

Most of the programming kicked off after Thanksgiving; the earliest station made the switch in October before trick or treaters made the rounds.

"It's gotten to the point of ridiculousness," said Tim Moore, operations manager at Portland's WHOM-FM, which began broadcasting its holiday programming on the day after Thanksgiving.

Ridiculous or not, Americans can't get enough of it, said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, a trade publication owned by Clear Channel.

The number of stations playing those timeless holiday songs already outnumbers the previous record of 386 in 2003, the first year Inside Radio began tracking the numbers, Taylor said from his office in Trenton, N.J.

"Christmas music, for most people, puts a smile on your face. Even if you resist it for a while, you can't hold out forever," he said.

The deluge of Christmas airplay may yield a few humbugs, but it succeeds nearly universally in boosting ratings, industry officials say.

For listeners, the nostalgic music creates a soundtrack as they shop, wrap presents, decorate trees, bake cookies and go to parties.

"It's like a counterpoint to all of the misery in the world. That's the only thing I can figure out," said Phil Crosland, executive vice president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in New York.

Behind the holiday cheer and goodwill are strong ratings: Portland's WHOM sees a 38 percent bump in the number of listeners after it switches its format from adult contemporary to 24-7 holiday music.

In New York City, WLTW-FM sees a 25 percent increase in listeners even in one of the most nation's diverse markets, said Jim Ryan, programming director.

In Milwaukee, WMYX-FM saw a jump of nearly 50 percent last year despite holiday competition from three other radio stations, said Brian Kelly, operations manager. The year before that, the station's listenership grew nearly 100 percent in December.

"People from the outside may ask why we do this," Kelly said. "The answer is because it works, and that's what our listeners want."

The vast holiday treasure chest includes offerings from artists as varied as Jessica Simpson, B.B. King, Barenaked Ladies, Regis Philbin, Bruce Springsteen and Twisted Sister.

At WHOM, it's Moore's responsibility to review the countless new holiday offerings each season. Most of them end up in the trash bin because they can't compete with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," "Let It Snow" and other classics.

Occasionally, newer artists manage to break into the rotation. A couple of recent examples are Josh Groban's "Believe" from the movie "The Polar Express" and Faith Hill's "Where are you Christmas?" from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," he said.

But listeners seem to prefer the old songs like Crosby's "White Christmas," Cole's "The Christmas Song," Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas," Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" and Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Round the Christmas Tree."

"It's a sad fact and a sad reality that there are 30 to 50 Christmas songs that research really well. We already know them," said Moore. "They don't want Clay Aiken's version of 'White Christmas.' They want Bing Crosby, for the most part."

For some, it's just too much.

"It's terrible. It kills me every year. It's the same songs over and over," said Jake Millett, 21, of Portland, who's subjected to it every Christmas Eve at his grandmother's house. He rolled his eyes when a co-worker talked about "the holiday spirit."

At the other extreme is Stacey Milliken, who can't get enough. She likes the fact that oldies station WYNZ is giving WHOM some competition this year, and she flicks back and forth between the two stations while driving in her car.

"I think it's a great idea. It gets everybody in the spirit, but I can completely understand how some people would get sick of it," said Milliken, 30, of Portland.

It's hard to say exactly when the trend began, but one consultant traces it to the 1980s when he began recommending that radio stations play holiday music on the day after Thanksgiving, a time when Americans flock to malls to begin their Christmas shopping.

Eventually it got to the point that many adult contemporary stations extended the holiday music from Thanksgiving to Christmas, said Dan Vallie, president, chairman and CEO of Vallie Richards Donovan Consulting, who's a pioneer in recommending the format.

"I think it's one of the most significant and successful programming strategies in the past couple of decades," Vallie said.

The holiday change can make sense for a radio station trying to stand out in a time of change: radio advertising has been flat and radio executives worry about listeners migrating to podcasts, MP3 players and satellite radio.

"A 30-day music format change is evidence of the need by radio stations to chase dollars in a shrinking ad environment," said Laura A. Martin, senior media analyst at Soleil Securities in Pasadena, Calif.

Though it's an inexact science, a bump in ratings typically means a bump in advertising rates.

And advertisers likely see a correlation in either goodwill or sales by getting involved in the holiday format, said Matt Feinberg, senior vice president and director of radio for Zenith Media in New York.

"It's a tradition," Feinberg said. "From an advertiser point of view, it's an evergreen special they can buy into."

 

[J. M. Stovall]

For some, it's just too much.

"It's terrible. It kills me every year. It's the same songs over and over," said Jake Millett, 21, of Portland, who's subjected to it every Christmas Eve at his grandmother's house. He rolled his eyes when a co-worker talked about "the holiday spirit."

This youngster moans now, but when he's 40 he'll look back at those Chistmas Eves at grandma as a very special time. Youth is wasted on the young.

 

[CharlieH.]

I haven't turned on the radio since June, but the thread brought back a fond memory. It was around these dates last year when I got my Philco back from the shop. With all the eagerness of a 5 year old on christmas morning, I plugged it in, hooked up an aerial and as I searched for a suitable station, I picked up a christmas song (can't remember which) by Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters, followed by one by Doris Day. Siiiiigh!

 

[jazzzbaby]

So have the radio stations you guys like to listen to started playing Christmas songs. At the commercial station I work at we have just started playing some and it will be ramped up as the weeks go by. Personally I love this time of year on the radio as I love the warm fuzzy feeling I get hearing these songs.
I am also looking forward to Christmas night as I'll be working on air from 6 till midnight playing wall to wall Christmas songs....ahh bliss.

I love listening to Christmas music for he exact same reason. I feel it is loving music & it brings great joy to my heart. In Los Angeles there is a radio station called the KOST that has been playing 24/7 Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving. I have yet to overdose on it...lol!

When I was a little girl in Tennessee every Christmas we would listen to "Cash Christmas" ... Johnny Cash & his family would have a live Christmas feed from their home. I do remember it distinctly and it was part of our Christmas every year. I have downloaded some of his Christmas music to attempt to keep that memory alive during this season.

 

[Roger]

There's a station in San Francisco that has been playing only Christmas music since Thanksgiving and I think they'll do it until New Years Day. The ladies in the office have their radio tuned into that station.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

For every Bing there are 25 crappy artists

If I never hear Boney M again I will be happy.