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Flip to Christmas Music
- Thread starter skiwest
- Start date
It is usually always the second Friday of November for WMJI so look for November 14th but they could go earlier cause I looked up WDOK the response was for Monday November 10th. 95.5 in past always went after Thanksgiving with the weekends leading up to Thanksgiving being Christmas music. (But now K Love owns them so who knows)
Didn't Star 102 always flip around the time of the I-X Christmas Connection? I remember a couple of years ago, it was one of the featured stories on Fox 8 News in the Morning, too. It seems like it would be that Friday morning at around 8:30, right before their "continuous block of music" kicks off.
Of course, with there not being an I-X Center anymore after this year, who knows when they'll do it after this year, but I'd bank on it happening during that event, especially if it's the last time they'll be able to do the tie-in. I checked the I-X Center website, and they have it down for the 21st-23rd of this month, so it'll likely be that Friday, a week before Thanksgiving.
As for WMJI, that's anyone's guess, really. I guess it'll be whenever iHeart sends out the memo that morning that says "we're switching everyone over to Christmas music effective at 8:30am."
Of course, with there not being an I-X Center anymore after this year, who knows when they'll do it after this year, but I'd bank on it happening during that event, especially if it's the last time they'll be able to do the tie-in. I checked the I-X Center website, and they have it down for the 21st-23rd of this month, so it'll likely be that Friday, a week before Thanksgiving.
As for WMJI, that's anyone's guess, really. I guess it'll be whenever iHeart sends out the memo that morning that says "we're switching everyone over to Christmas music effective at 8:30am."
It's basically going to be iHeart Christmas slop on WMJI vs. Audacy Christmas slop on WDOK: the same burned-out 40-50 songs in a perpetual loop until noon on December 25. People will complain here and on social media but both stations will have high ratings during the holiday book. Moreso now as 95.5 is no longer a competitor and no station is (as of right now) planning a format flip after the holidays.
I don't plan on listening to either station but such playlists were never built with me in mind. And I accept that. It's slop but it's slop that is successful and lucrative and one of the few consensus mini-formats that are very reliable in performance.
I don't plan on listening to either station but such playlists were never built with me in mind. And I accept that. It's slop but it's slop that is successful and lucrative and one of the few consensus mini-formats that are very reliable in performance.
I'm not going to repeat what I've been saying for the last several years about the Christmas music on these stations. All I ask is for a much larger playlist with a better variety of songs. By the time Thanksgiving comes around, I'm already burned out by the same 40 songs on the iHeart stations, which will continue to get played until Christmas. My personal music library consists of a better variety of Christmas music, mostly with songs that haven't been heard on the radio within the last 15+ years. On the other hand, WAKR is a bit better with their selection of Christmas music. Last year I heard a few Christmas songs that haven't been played on the radio in a long time, including one that I never heard before; A New York City Christmas by Rob Thomas, which is already over 20 years old at this point. However, I still can't escape from the torture of Mariah Carey and Wham!
Ah but you see, that's the format that is tried-and-true and will result in big ratings for WMJI and WDOK (usually WMJI). It's meant for a specific demographic that we aren't in.
At least there are at least two other artists that have covered the aforementioned artists. It does cut down the repetition of the original artist's versions a bit, but still...
I am willing to bet that at least 60% these stations will kick off their all-Christmas formats with Mariah Scary leading the parade.
I am still from the school of adding 2 Christmas songs an hour beginning on Thanksgiving, then adding 1-2 more per hour each week leading up to the obligatory 24 hours of Christmas music beginning at 6PM-ish Christmas Eve.
I suppose ratings are higher because it gives listeners a break from the same burned-out songs that the aforementioned stations have been playing for the past 10 months.
When radio listeners make their own playlists, they fill them with those "same burned-out songs." People like familiarity. When it comes to Christmas music, the most streamed song is Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." The song is SIXTY-FIVE years old:
New Old-Fashioned No. 1: Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Tops Hot 100, 65 Years After Its Release
The song rewrites multiple records as it tops the Hot 100 for the first time – 65 years after its release.
www.billboard.com
Fun fact: after Brenda Lee topped the charts in December 2023, Mariah Carey sent a bouquet of flowers to her:When radio listeners make their own playlists, they fill them with those "same burned-out songs." People like familiarity. When it comes to Christmas music, the most streamed song is Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." The song is SIXTY-FIVE years old:
New Old-Fashioned No. 1: Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Tops Hot 100, 65 Years After Its Release
The song rewrites multiple records as it tops the Hot 100 for the first time – 65 years after its release.
Mariah Carey Sends Brenda Lee Congratulatory Flowers as 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' Hits No. 1
On Thursday, Mariah Carey sent Brenda Lee flowers after her holiday hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" hit No. 1 on the the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time.
All I know is that I have very rarely heard my favorite Christmas song on the radio and I expect the same to be true this year.
(It's the second verse that makes the song controversial in some circles. Many critics call it "the atheists' Christmas song.")
(It's the second verse that makes the song controversial in some circles. Many critics call it "the atheists' Christmas song.")
If the songs were “burned out” those stations would not be playing them.
I probably say this every year but I m convinced that stations could start Christmas music on Christmas Eve and there would still be people complaining it is too early. 30 years ago this might be a problem with limited listening options but now if you like what WMJI or WDOK normally play you can find so many other options streaming. I actually prefer the streaming stations online vs any terrestrial when it comes to Christmas music, I used to like the Fish's combo of music it was a nice mix of traditional and religious songs.
Speaking of "The Fish,", I wonder which Atlanta radio station will be carrying Christmas music now that WFSH-FM is no longer doing it (at least not early). I don't think I've ever heard either WSB-FM or WSTR-FM play all Christmas music before Christmas Eve.
There are P1 Christmas music listeners that rarely, if ever listen to the stations from January-October. The P1s for the Christmas format are fiercely loyal and aren't always P1s the rest of the year.
Is "slop" the right word to use? Are "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Frank Sinatra slop? Christmas or not, those are great songs, timeless classics, written by some of the best composers of American music.
Do we like the same songs played over and over? I guess we do. I got into popular music and radio based on WABC, which had a 14 song playlist with a few songs coming up and a recurrent once or twice an hour. Hasn't the current #1 station in Los Angeles, KRTH, played the same 350 classic hits over and over for years?
Maybe Christmas music isn't your cup of tea. But it's hardly something to feed pigs.
That is just not true. Look at the WABC "hit lists" they gave out at record stores and watch what they played in Gavin, R&R and the like. They were truly a Top 40 station, and they played oldies. In fact, it was not until well into their time as a Top 40 station that they (and many other Top 40 stations) played recurrents; most of us thought that recent hits should rest before becoming flashbacks / gold / memories or whatever
Look at the actual playlist covering a 4 to 6 week period and there are many more songs than that.
Agree, totally, here.
10 months? Try 10 years.
While I like SOME of the old classics, I don't want to hear the same ones every other hour. There's enough New Wave, Punk, etc. type version of Christmas songs out there that I've made mix tapes [mix files? Mix CDs? Mix USB drives?] that I've played at parties and clubs that I've had people come up and ask me for copies of them. And there's plenty of different versions of above stated styles on Youtube.When radio listeners make their own playlists, they fill them with those "same burned-out songs." People like familiarity. When it comes to Christmas music, the most streamed song is Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." The song is SIXTY-FIVE years old:
New Old-Fashioned No. 1: Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Tops Hot 100, 65 Years After Its Release
The song rewrites multiple records as it tops the Hot 100 for the first time – 65 years after its release.
If stations want to play the same version of songs to appease the 30-40 year old female listeners and ignore everybody else more power to them.
Fine. That's why there are music services where you can create your own playlists. No one forces you to listen. If it's not for you, change the station or turn the radio off.