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KRTH playing "Feliz Navidad"

Weiserguy said:
What it shows, to me at least, is there's not much of true substance to discuss in this industry, at least not at the present moment.
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As BigA mentioned, there is indeed a lot going on in the industry to talk about. Just look at the recent financial issues with major groups. Look at how Wall Street has shunned traditional media. How radio stations trying to slide into the digital world are running into problems because they're late to the game. How the music industry has changed and whether radio has/will need to adjust. The current state of advertising, and the differences between small and large market stations. Needless to say, I could go on much longer.

Weiserguy said:
Most of what's being discussed herein is rehashing old controversies, flogging dead and dying horses, repeating oft-spoken conventional wisdom, because people feel the need to chat in a community of common interests. (Look at that other board, the one littered with arrogance and dental floss. It's become nearly moribund in recent weeks. Barely anything worth discussing about radio in The Great City.) So "Christmas music, Christmas format changes, "Brenda Lee is #1, finally, after 176 years" (or whatever), all they're doing is keeping the typing fingers lubed for when a real topic of interest rears it's ugly little head.
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I get it, many of the contributors on this site are relegated to being listener fans of radio/TV growing up, and don't bother to read the trades or keep up on the industry. Their only reference to behind-the-scenes is having watched WKRP on TV, or listening watching the Howard Stern movie growing up. But, are they so shielded from the industry they love to hate that their sole focus is on what station flips to Christmas in which market, or who is playing what song when? The topic just seems so (for the lack of other terms) dumbed down to the simplest thing to discuss, let alone in so many parts of the site.
 
TheBigA said:
The thing about user-generated content is anyone and everyone can initiate a topic. So if the current ones don't offer enough substance, you're welcome to start a topic yourself.
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Actually, I think I just did. Though it may need to be cleaved off from the Great Feliz Navidad Conspiracy into its own thread. (Uhh, paging David?)

Kelly, BigA, if you follow the trades closely enough to launch substantive topics, please do. I don't follow them closely anymore, no more so than those computing/I.T./telecom trades I used to live for in my active career days. (I could launch topics about, say, the slowness of the buildout of fiber to the home, or the delays in overbuilding due to the shenanigans of the entrenched cable MSOs and telco ILECs, but I doubt anyone on radiodiscussions is going to care a whit for topics like those.)
 
michael hagerty said:
Look, good for Brenda, and I'm not out to deprive a lady who turns 79 next week of a reason to celebrate.

But honest to God---if you're a hit musician, you know what number one means in relation to number two better than anyone else. Especially today.
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I am also not here to rain on Brenda's parade, BUT... This clearly did not happen organically. Somehow both in the public and behind the scenes there has been a big push by, several like-minded and powerful people and commercial organizations to make this happen. How they managed to do this for a 65 year old Christmas song is by far the more interesting story.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
I am also not here to rain on Brenda's parade, BUT... This clearly did not happen organically.
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Correct, and I previewed that earlier in this thread. The record label went out of its way devoting staff and resources to do this, and they released a new EP and video for the song to goose interest. Brenda herself did TV appearances to drive airplay. Nothing wrong with any of that. It's how the music business works. Mission accomplished, and the press release is the victory lap.
 
TheBigA said:
Correct, and I previewed that earlier in this thread. The record label went out of its way devoting staff and resources to do this, and they released a new EP and video for the song to goose interest. Brenda herself did TV appearances to drive airplay. Nothing wrong with any of that. It's how the music business works. Mission accomplished, and the press release is the victory lap.
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By chance, did you happen to read the main Billboard page on Brenda’s accomplishment? And she’s also now number one in the Holiday 100 as well.
www.billboard.com

Billboard

Music Charts, News, Photos & Video
www.billboard.com www.billboard.com
 
TheBigA said:
They don't use the Hot 100 chart as basis for the show. They use the Billboard Radio Songs chart, which tracks radio airplay.

www.billboard.com

Radio Songs

THE WEEK’S MOST POPULAR SONGS RANKED BY ALL-FORMAT RADIO AIRPLAY AUDIENCE IMPRESSIONS, AS MEASURED BY MEDIABASE AND PROVIDED BY LUMINATE.
www.billboard.com www.billboard.com
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They use neither. It's total spins from stations which carry the show.
 
Why isn’t anyone asking why Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE played “Feliz Navidad” during one of their Christmas weekends?
 
I've heard quite a few Christmas songs lately on K-Love. They're sounding similar to the commercial holiday music stations.
 
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101tm said:
Why isn’t anyone asking why Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE played “Feliz Navidad” during one of their Christmas weekends?
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Because K-Love likely believes there are satanic messages involving Hillary Clinton and Pizza restaurants. Okay I'm kidding, but to even suggest they're not playing one particular secular Christmas song because it's...secular, is one of the most inane conspiracies ever.
 
Weiserguy said:
Actually, I think I just did. Though it may need to be cleaved off from the Great Feliz Navidad Conspiracy into its own thread. (Uhh, paging David?)

Kelly, BigA, if you follow the trades closely enough to launch substantive topics, please do.
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BigA, David and I all have brought up radio and music industry topics many times that usually have low numbers of replies, probably because they don't involve Christmas music, FM translators, LPFM, or music from the 50's and 60's. In other words, as it involves actual industry topics being popular, the bar to get over is pretty low. Set any higher, and most of the radio nerds around these parts can't get their senior minds around it.
 
I have a better question…
michael hagerty said:
Why wouldn’t they? It’s positive and encouraging. Do they play other secular Christmas records?
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I don’t think what I wrote was worded the right way. If KRTH - with THEIR playlist where the song fits quite well, is being questioned for playing a song that even K-LOVE is playing, it shouldn’t be a question. Questioning K-LOVE playing it would even be more logical than KRTH

And yes - K-LOVE has brought Perry Como, Karen Carpenter, Andy Williams, Bing, and the whole gang out of the archives.
 
michael hagerty said:
So, I guess the question here is, has KRTH been playing Brenda Lee this year?
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Not yet, but as we get closer to Christmas, they should. It's not really about that it was released in '58 (although that in itself is amazing), it's about its popularity. And it's obviously very popular in 2023 with its #1 status. Have you seen Billboard's Hot 100 top 20 this week? Most of the Christmas tunes are 40-70 year old classics, except for Mariah and Clarkson. People want the classics. Btw, the song at #23 this week is “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, originally released in the early 40’s, eighty years ago, go figure.
 
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Kelly A said:
BigA, David and I all have brought up radio and music industry topics many times that usually have low numbers of replies, probably because they don't involve Christmas music, FM translators, LPFM, or music from the 50's and 60's. In other words, as it involves actual industry topics being popular, the bar to get over is pretty low. Set any higher, and most of the radio nerds around these parts can't get their senior minds around it.
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Not sure insulting fellow commenters is the way to accomplish your goals. Just sayin'.
 
oldies76 said:
Have you seen Billboard's Hot 100 top 20 this week? Most of the Christmas tunes are 40-70 year old classics, except for Mariah and Clarkson. People want the classics. Btw, the song at #23 this week is “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, originally released in the early 40’s, eighty years ago, go figure.
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Yes, that's been the norm in the all-Christmas format from its inception.

There are only eight records in this week's Holiday top 30 that are from 1970 or later----Mariah Carey ("All I Want For Christmas Is You"), Wham! ("Last Christmas") Jose' Feliciano ("Feliz Navidad"), Kelly Clarkson ("Underneath the Tree"), Ariana Grande ("Santa Tell Me"), Michael Buble' ("It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"), Paul McCartney ("Wonderful Christmastime") and the Eagles ("Please Be Home For Christmas").

The newest record on that list is nine years old. Only four of them were recorded since the all-Christmas format launched in 1990 (Mariah, Kelly, Ariana and Michael).

And again, the Holiday 100 is based on research-driven airplay and internet streaming----and the vast majority of people do not make their own Christmas playlists. So you're talking about a predictable pre-programmed Spotify or Apple Music playlist that has those songs and boosts the number of plays for songs that might not be your favorites on that list along with the ones that are.
 
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