An Easy Christmas on Easy 93.1

[TroyG]

I was thinking about the new Soft AC station and I was wondering if that station has plans to change its format to Holiday music before Thanksgiving. Many radio stations (Mostly Soft AC)out there in the country are making the flip to Christmas Music as we speak. It's time to break out some Old Andy Williams...

 

[Ai4i]

Last January, they came out of Christmas music with an all-new music format.
Maybe New Year's 2012 will hear them playing all Polka!

 

[TroyG]

How are they doing ratings-wise? I thought to myself that WFEZ would become Miami's #1 Workday Music Station, and Their Soft AC format is patterned after WDUV-Which is Tampa Bay's #1 Workday Music Station.

 

[davideduardo]

How are they doing ratings-wise? I thought to myself that WFEZ would become Miami's #1 Workday Music Station, and Their Soft AC format is patterned after WDUV-Which is Tampa Bay's #1 Workday Music Station.

Up till July, it had been around 19th in 25-54, but since then has averaged somewhere around 13th in the sales demos. This is also around where WDUV hovers... 13th to 14th in the core sales demos.

 

[Groove1670]

Probably still generates revenue with little or no expense.

 

[Gregg]

Will Easy 93 go All-Christmas? Not if WFLC does. Cox wouldn't want two All-Christmas stations in the same market. But if the decision is made to keep WFLC in its regular format, Easy 93 will do it, to compete with WLYF.

In Tampa, The Dove keeps its regular format with a few holiday tunes per hour until Xmas Eve so co-owned WWRM can have the All-Christmas format. Both stations are all-Christmas on Dec. 24 and 25. It's the only time of the year when WWRM zooms up to #1 and WDUV is #2. Every other month, WDUV stays at the top.

Here's a question. Do any Spanish stations go All-Christmas? Or maybe Chistmas sentimentality is not as big with Latins? I know on Good Friday some Spanish stations suspend regular programming.

Gregg
[email protected]

 

[davideduardo]

Here's a question. Do any Spanish stations go All-Christmas? Or maybe Chistmas sentimentality is not as big with Latins? I know on Good Friday some Spanish stations suspend regular programming.

Christmas music is not a large tradition in most of Latin America. A few things are factors, starting with the fact that the heritage is almost 100% Catholic, so secular Christmas music was not a factor historically. The music of Christmas consisted of villancicos, songs sung to the baby Jesus.

Another factor is that there was not, until most recently (last 50 years at most) a Santa Claus tradition... that is an import. Nor is the snow, door to door caroling, and even Christmas trees (I usually had, in the 60's, a white-painted branch that figures were hung from, not a tree). In fact, gifts were given on Three Kings Day, not Christmas.

The exception is Puerto Rico, where aguinaldos, a type of Christmas music that sings of gifts, visits to friend's homes, drinking, parties and such are very popular. Many of the songs are even humorous or a full of double entendres. A number of stations have gone all seasonal, but the usual thing is to play several songs an hour on nearly all formats that are not pure youth formats.

THis is, of course, the same Puerto Rico where in 1968 the first pure top 40 station, which did not break format on Good Friday, was burnt to the ground by angry residents.

Few stations don't operate on Good Friday now, but many tone down the music and morning shows.

I can recall in 1986, while programming a station in the Dominican Republic, the government issued an edict that all stations should play classical music or instrumental music. Our morning show said, that to respect the edict, Z-101 would comply... and play instrumental music. The instruments selected were the saxophone, the guiro and the maraca... they basis for a merengue band. Because the morning show had something like a 40 share and was highly political, the government did not touch us... but that does illustrate the difference in programming for such occasions.

 

[Muzikboyfl]

Coast doesn't normally flip to Christmas. For the past 3 or 4 years, 939 MIA has flipped to Christmas which is CC. 93 Rock flipped to "Holiday 93.1" last year to dump the rock format and stunted Christmas music for 2 months until January 1, 2011 when it became Easy.

Unless, Easy is going to flip to Christmas to compete with 939 MIA, I don't see it happening. WLYF hasn't flipped to Christmas at all (only 24-36 hours of Christmas music on Christmas Eve).

West Palm - Sunny 104.3 has already flipped to Christmas and will have competition as always with KOOL 105.5 when they flip to Christmas. (this has been almost a 10 year battle) -

 

[wprt949]

i will make a prediction and say 93.1 will flip on new years eve to CHR

 

[Muzikboyfl]

i will make a prediction and say 93.1 will flip on new years eve to CHR

- lol wow, I wish we could make a money wager on this. I'd win easily to say that's not going to happen

 

[lb7906]

As much as I think both 93.1, 93.9 and 103.5 should all make a switch my bet is none will flip.

 

[transitfan]

As of today, MIA is still in its regular format. Only possible change is that they dropped Michelle Visage from the morning show? (Unless she's on vacation) ???

 

[Muzikboyfl]

Nope, I think she's gone. She's off the website and instead of Michele and Johnny in the morning, the website says MIA MORNINGS with a pic of just Johnny. She should have stayed at Sunny!

 

[transitfan]

Too bad, I liked her (although I would just hear brief excerpts, as I usually listen to Paul and Young Ron on Big 105.9, and just run over to MIA during their commerclal breaks). Didn't hurt that she's a MILF to boot ;D

 

[transitfan]

Listened to MIA briefly around 7 AM today, there was a woman broadcasting w/ Johnny, but I didn't hear who it was. Kinda sounded like Michelle, but just heard a brief clip, hmmmm...