24/7 Christmas music (for Rock)

[Kitesgot]

It helps nothing, and blows up your station.

It's great, especially, if you are the first and only station that does it, then you're golden through the holiday season!

It's been proven via Arbitron that the numbers during fulltime Christmas music are horrible.

Yeah, but advertisers love it!

It sucks.

There are only a handful of listeners, but that 'handful' listen to it all day long, so the 'share' doesn't drop too much since the listeners you DO have
have so many quarter-hours per day!!

Screw off.

Eat me.

Suck it.

Okay, I've got it started-------take off from here people.

[Rock]

Bless your heart.

[Dave Allen]

For the first time ever WVOW is doing all Christmas this year. I will be drinking starting November 15th or so. Burl Ives was the antichrist.

[Jet Black]

I like Christmas music. The problem with Christmas music on the radio is, current thinking is 24/7 or none at all. Nobody in rock radio anymore starts adding Christmas music in a bit at a time, heavy the week of Christmas and maybe all-Christmas on Christmas Eve and day. I guess it's like TV - by December tenth, they figure the advertisers have sold everything they are going to sell, running Christmas programming no longer does any financial good, so forget it. I'd like to get my Christams music in does from regular radio, not in an IV. Hey, no rule says you can't slip a little Ames Brothers into a rock format. It's Chrstmas, for petesakes.

That said, If I hear Bruce Springsteen sing Santa Clause Is Coming To Town one more time, I'm going to run over the first Salvation Army volunteer I see. The very start of those jingle bells over the piano tinkeling is enough to set me off. Watch for a story about the crazed Christmas Killbilly on FNC this year, you'll know it's me. Nunley, you program Bruce at Christmas, you'll know in your heart, it's just like murder.

[Rock]

Our Adult Standards sat-fed AM will go All-Christmas starting Thanksgiving Day. Since we inherited this no-revenue station, this could be the right vehicle for our area (and our holiday sales.)

[genlock]

For the first time ever WVOW is doing all Christmas this year. I will be drinking starting November 15th or so. Burl Ives was the antichrist.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas, Dave.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Our Adult Standards sat-fed AM will go All-Christmas starting Thanksgiving Day. Since we inherited this no-revenue station, this could be the right vehicle for our area (and our holiday sales.)

1410 in White Sulphur?

[Arp2]

I'll comment early.....and be done with it?

The supposed consensus belief is that this will be the biggest Christmas music year yet. I, on the other hand, feel (note that word...just "gut" here) the concept has some burn and, if it does draw new and big for the reasons previously brought forward by others elsewhere, will probably net out about zero in ratings though maybe not shares. If the environment allowed for it, I wouldn't go too early this time....I feel (note that word again) people are still trying to figure out where summer went and why it's dark so dang early and, making a sharp turn here, will need some separation from and resolution to the political year (and eleven-twelfths).

More Christian stations are pulling the "All-Christmas" trigger and have opportunity, but I think the biggest opportunity for doing it and seeing growth is still in the country format and was thrilled to see it done in Atlanta last year (though that may not have been the ideal place for it). This certainly isn't just an AC thing, and, especially for country stations that have suffered apparent phase III loss to ACs year after year, I wouldn't concede it to them...I'd even suggest you have the better, broader, and fresher library to start with and can easily get away with cherrypicking the strong traditional tunes from your AC competitor if and when you so choose.

[Clay JD Walker]

Here's my take on it.

Times are very tough, and people are looking for familiarity, safety and thoughts of the good times. We're losing jobs, wondering how to keep our houses, keep our kids fed and happy...all that crap. Listen, now is a better time than ever if you've got brand that is starting to slip...go Christmas, take the time to retool, or come out of the season with a new station, then watch. You'll have a killer final phase in the fall, and plenty of sampling in the Winter.

And for the record, I hate Christmas for my own reasons, and dislike the music even more, but ya know, give 'em what they want.

[Rock]

Our Adult Standards sat-fed AM will go All-Christmas starting Thanksgiving Day. Since we inherited this no-revenue station, this could be the right vehicle for our area (and our holiday sales.)

1410 in White Sulphur?

Yup. Their deal, not ours. We were actually looking at stunting the Oldies for all-Christmas. Probably not, now.

[Hoosier Daddy]

That was just a guess on 1410.
Youse guys have a bunch of neat little 1000 watters all along I-64 in the southeastern corridor.

Is there still a "KEY Radio" Oldies outlet on 1340 right around the Virginia state line?

[Rock]

Here's my take on it.

Times are very tough, and people are looking for familiarity, safety and thoughts of the good times. We're losing jobs, wondering how to keep our houses, keep our kids fed and happy...all that crap. Listen, now is a better time than ever if you've got brand that is starting to slip...go Christmas, take the time to retool, or come out of the season with a new station, then watch. You'll have a killer final phase in the fall, and plenty of sampling in the Winter.

And for the record, I hate Christmas for my own reasons, and dislike the music even more, but ya know, give 'em what they want.

Those are legitimate points, Clay. Irrespective of what shape the economy is in, the perception is 'It's tough out there.' I'm not saying it isn't, just repeating an old adage that's still as pertinent today as it was yesterday..'perception determines reality'. Christmas, and the accompanying soundtrack, holds more meaning for me as I get older.

[Rock]

That was just a guess on 1410.
Youse guys have a bunch of neat little 1000 watters all along I-64 in the southeastern corridor.

Is there still a "KEY Radio" Oldies outlet on 1340 right around the Virginia state line?

Whoops, I made a mistake. It's 1310 in WSS, 1400 in Ronceverte. 1310's 5kw daytimer, 1400's 1kw 24-7. Yep, WKEY's still broadcasting in Covington. The 2 Covington stations, and the 2 in Clifton Forge, are the Virginia arm of my Boss' parent corp.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Are you guys connected with the AM in Rainelle? WRRL, if I recall.
They used to have an FM station on 96.7 decades ago
At one time, Denny Tincher (sp?) owned both of them as a simulcast operation, probaby late 70s ...

[Rock]

Nah, WRRL is our 'competitor', as well as their FM, 'Power 95', WRLB. Denny's taken over as marketing head for Alleghany Motors, in Covington. He still makes the odd spot, now and then.

[AC Carter]

A station I previously worked for started Christmas music on Thanksgiving and wrapped it up on Christmas day. One out of three songs was a holiday tune, then 24/7 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For us, it was the best of both worlds. The folks who wanted a lot of Christmas music got a solid dose without the station totally losing its identity for a solid month.
The "Christmas Switch" is a lot easier at a Christian radio station since there's such a large body of work out there that can be adapted for the various Christian radio formats, inspirational, CCM, So. Gospel, etc.

[jag]

Perhaps one of the reasons that Christmas music is so loathed by so many is that so much of it is so bad. Let's be real, here--just as some people shouldn't try to sing opera, there are some people who shouldn't try to do Christmas music. They can bring nothing to the songs they're performing other than a bloated awareness of their own over-inflated, self-indulgent pseudo self worth. And while a fresh approach is always a good thing to consider, people too often try to do something "new" in Christmas music for the simple reason that it's "new" and not necessarily that it's good. Needless to say, that's an egregious mistake. Rock and pop performers who would be mortified if liberties were taken with their musical "traditions" seem to think nothing of having no regard whatsoever for traditions that draw upon more than 2,000 years of cultural and societal consideration.

On that note, why is it that so many programmers try to "get around" the holiday by playlisting only secular tunes? Is anybody going to be offended by hearing Joan Sutherland sing "O Holy Night," or MUST we hear "Blue Christmas" by Pelvis Suppressedly ad nauseam? Do we have to be subjected to "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," ever again, or will the wrath of political correctness not afford us to embrace the exquisitely understated eloquence of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear?"

I, too, like Christmas music. And, I like good Christmas music. Good Christmas music, like good music in any genre, should embrace the spirit of its purpose. A love/breakup/hookup song that has a reference to December 25 is no more a "Christmas" song than a song mentioning a Mercedes is a "car" song. If it's going to be Christmas music, then let it be that--not some thinly veiled every day pop/rock drivel.

[Arp2]

And while a fresh approach is always a good thing to consider, people too often try to do something "new" in Christmas music for the simple reason that it's "new" and not necessarily that it's good. Needless to say, that's an egregious mistake.

A core artist is coming with a Christmas album (already has, actually...and, if I ever say "project," just shoot me through the brain right then), and it's a surprisingly melancholy one. The two songs pretested were the most melancholy of all....why? "That's the original stuff."

Yikes, zoinks, and jinkies..... ....and, given a campaign full of point-of-purchase, print, internet banner, radio, and TV, there ain't gonna be any gettin' out of it or around it.....

Good Christmas music, like good music in any genre, should embrace the spirit of its purpose. A love/breakup/hookup song that has a reference to December 25 is no more a "Christmas" song than a song mentioning a Mercedes is a "car" song. If it's going to be Christmas music, then let it be that--not some thinly veiled every day pop/rock drivel.

Indeed......but, ultimately, the listeners -- the collective of them, interested in Christmas itself or not -- decide.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I just found out who you are, Arp.
I'm impressed!
You're regarded as a really smart cookie on this, uh, 'radio programming' stuff.

'Nuf said. I still need to get your politics straightened out. January 2009 is coming soon, Comrade.

Carry on ...

[cgarison]

Honestly, I don't care if a stations blows itself up and becomes 24/7 Christmas. In Philly, I will not be listening to B101 from mid-November thru the end of December. When in the tri-state for 3 weeks in that time frame, I will not be listening to Magic in Huntington if it flips. I have an iPod. It will be used heavily if all I can find on the dial is 24/7 Christmas music.












Wow, I have got a lot of time off between now and January 3rd.