B98.5 no longer playing Holiday music... now playing Christmas music

[jal]

As the debate over "Holiday" vs. "Christmas" continues, WSB-FM/B98.5 has thrown itself into the mess.

Until yesterday afternoon, B98.5 refered to its all-Christmas format as "holiday music". As of yesterday afternoon, they began refering to it as "Christmas music", although the imaging still says "holiday music".

Without getting into politics, I will say that the timing of everything is odd, given the recent news about "Holiday trees". Yesterday morning, the station's morning show, Kelly and Alpha, were talking about the Holiday vs. Christmas debate.

There is now a poll on the station's website on what the holiday should be refered to as, with Christmas at 77%.

Without turning this into a political discussion, I wonder what the reason could be for the sudden change in references.

 

[TheRealOtherNeil]

> As the debate over "Holiday" vs. "Christmas" continues,
> WSB-FM/B98.5 has thrown itself into the mess.
>
> Until yesterday afternoon, B98.5 refered to its
> all-Christmas format as "holiday music". As of yesterday
> afternoon, they began refering to it as "Christmas music",
> although the imaging still says "holiday music".
>
> Without getting into politics, I will say that the timing of
> everything is odd, given the recent news about "Holiday
> trees". Yesterday morning, the station's morning show, Kelly
> and Alpha, were talking about the Holiday vs. Christmas
> debate.
>
> There is now a poll on the station's website on what the
> holiday should be refered to as, with Christmas at 77%.
>
> Without turning this into a political discussion, I wonder
> what the reason could be for the sudden change in
> references.
>

About time too, even I was getting sick of ALL the Hanukkah songs.

As the token Jew I will give my valued opinion. Since the Chosen ones are in the minority, I think we are used to the phrase Christmas. I mean come one. The country is over 80% Christian; I think the Jews are desensitized by now.

I do get a laugh of those who say Christmas is under attack. Can less than 20% of the population really cause that much of a problem? If you listen to Sean Hannity and his ilk, you would think the Christians are in the minority. Last time I checked, all 43 US Presidents have been Christians. Nice try.
<P ID="signature">______________
It's radio, not brain surgery - Jim deCastro

When in Atlanta, listen to 85 FM DIRK!</P>

 

[Diamondone]

> > As the debate over "Holiday" vs. "Christmas" continues,
> > WSB-FM/B98.5 has thrown itself into the mess.
> >
> > Until yesterday afternoon, B98.5 refered to its
> > all-Christmas format as "holiday music". As of yesterday
> > afternoon, they began refering to it as "Christmas music",
>
> > although the imaging still says "holiday music".
> >
> > Without getting into politics, I will say that the timing
> of
> > everything is odd, given the recent news about "Holiday
> > trees". Yesterday morning, the station's morning show,
> Kelly
> > and Alpha, were talking about the Holiday vs. Christmas
> > debate.
> >
> > There is now a poll on the station's website on what the
> > holiday should be refered to as, with Christmas at 77%.
> >
> > Without turning this into a political discussion, I wonder
>
> > what the reason could be for the sudden change in
> > references.
> >
>
> About time too, even I was getting sick of ALL the Hanukkah
> songs.
>
> As the token Jew I will give my valued opinion. Since the
> Chosen ones are in the minority, I think we are used to the
> phrase Christmas. I mean come one. The country is over 80%
> Christian; I think the Jews are desensitized by now.
>
> I do get a laugh of those who say Christmas is under attack.
> Can less than 20% of the population really cause that much
> of a problem? If you listen to Sean Hannity and his ilk, you
> would think the Christians are in the minority. Last time I
> checked, all 43 US Presidents have been Christians. Nice
> try.
>


I have a strong suspicion that most all of the stations that are doing "all-Christmas" or "all-Holiday" or whatever are getting some backlash over the "Christmas music vs. Holiday music" debate.

As PD of WPEZ/Macon, I'm getting besieged with phone calls from mutants who can barely speak the English language taking me to task because they're hearing us playing "holiday" music, but expressing their "disappointment" that we're not referring to it as "Christmas" music... which we are, frequently.

And they're all basically reading a script. They've all basically said the same thing to me or onto my voicemail box. It's sorta like the "seminar callers" that Rush Limbaugh likes to make fun of on his show. These people have gotten together and are trying to draw attention to themselves by conspiring to lay a guilt trip on us programmers about this.

Don't get me wrong; I was raised a Presbyterian and consider myself a Christian, and as such I celebrate not only the secular aspects of the holiday, but also the religious aspects. But what's next? Are these militant-esque types (who by the way don't have the cojones to confront me in person) going to band together and attack air talent as they come into work in the mornings the way they do at abortion clinics?

Any radio station, TV station, billboard company, etc. that caves to this doesn't deserve ratings anyway.

Oh, and by the way...

Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Joyeux Noel
Happy Kwanzaa
Seasons Greetings
Happy Holidays
Happy Ramadan

(others?)

David Nolin

TDO

 

[WhatYes]

This will be a pretty lengthy response to all this "Holiday vs. Christmas" crap, so please bear with me. It's not DIRECTLY radio-related, even though I'm IN radio, so I'm hoping the moderators will consider leaving this post up. But in any case...

I'm a very devout Christian who thinks the whole uproar is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I've been besieged with all these stupid e-mails telling me I should boycott Lowes and sign this petition and that petition. I recently received an e-mail from another Christian who's sick and tired of this stuff and he worded it better than I could ever hope to have. Here's his reply:

"At the risk of "offending" some, I would like to help all of you - my Christian Brothers and Sisters - to get through this holiday season with a little less frustration and a little more joy. Here are a couple of things to remember when faced with these indignant, boycott inducing emails (please forgive me if the dates are off a bit, I am doing this from memory):

1. Jesus was most likely born some time in September around the Jewish Feasts of Trumpets or Tabernacles. It's too cold on December 25th in Israel for shepherds and sheep to be out in the field at night. Not to mention Joseph and Mary would not be traveling by donkey in the dead of winter and even Ceasar Augustus knew better than to take a census during the winter months especially with the winter solstace festivals going on.

2. The first "Christ Mass" was not celebrated until sometime after 300 AD in an effort by Early Roman Christians to hijack the year-end pagan feast of Saturnalia which honored the gods Saturn and Mithras. For a thousand years, it continued to be the biggest celebration of the year incorporating many of the pagan traditions.

3. In the 1500's our Protestant forefathers broke away from the Catholic Church for many reasons - not the least of which was their practice of elevating church "traditions" above that of the Scripture - including such non-biblical holy days as the Christ Mass. By the 1600's, these Reformers (many of whom sailed to America to pursue religious purity) had OUTLAWED the celebration in England and in the Colonies. Until just recently, Christmas was illegal in every US state - not by the will of liberal politicians but by the will of the bible-believing Christians that were in power.

4. But old habits die hard and by the 1800's Christmas was reapperaing. In the last 200 years or so, it has become widely accepted in our country MAINLY because of it's economic implications and not because of it's religious ones. Now we feel it is our biggest Christian Holy Day, next to Easter (which actually comes from the Babylonian celebration of the Goddess Ishtar but that's for another email)

So you may be thinking, "SO WHAT, Lee. What does all this have to do with Walmart refusing to say Merry Christmas"? Well just this:

1. I am not kill-joy. I love the holidays like anybody and we have many fun-filled family traditions. But we Christains were the ones who originally co-opted the pagans' December celebrations. It was never really Jesus' birthday to begin with so why should we be all up in arms that the pagans want their winter solstace / secular festivals back? Let 'em have it, I say!

2. I celebrate the birth of Jesus EVERYDAY and I am thankful for His life, death AND resurrection as I know all of you are. I do not need a state-sponsored or corporate-sanctioned holiday to do that. AND If the Christ-haters are successful in their effort to remove Jesus from their orgasmic consumer shopping promotions, drunken parties and over-indulgent feasts, do you think God would really be all that upset? Consider this: Perhaps God is Soveriegnly using their corporate greed and politcial correctness to do His very will - that is, to remove His Beloved Son from all this cheap, commercial, non-biblical foolishness! Is it at least possible?

3. Jesus tells us in John 15:18-20: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also."

Why should we expect "the world" to treat us Christians with anything other than utter contemp? Are we greater than the Master, Jesus? They hung him on a tree and he went willingly yet we get indignant if some heathen checkout girl refuses to respond to our "Merry Christmas" litmus test. Come on! It says in Acts 5 that after they were BEATEN that "the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Should we not suffer for the name of Christ?

4. SO my point is this... This year get together with your family, eat the food that God has blessed you with, celebrate the coming of the King who will one day return for His bride. Share gifts with one another. Sing songs and let the words "God Bless You"! be on your lips... even to the check out girl. Go to your church and worship the risen Lord with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do whatever you want to do to remember the birth of Jesus but PLEASE PLEASE stop expecting the world to love you and to accept you or to honor your faith in Jesus because IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Jesus said so! You can believe it. Your frustration level will be much less as soon as you stop being surprised by the fact that Christians are supposed to be persecutred and hated.

5. Rather, we should live a life that reflects the love and dignity of Christ in the face of persecution so that those who see us will be drawn to the Light and will NOT be left standing there in the check out line, shaking their heads at the crazy Christian that just walked out and left all their crap on the counter!!

But then that's just me..."

 

[Cowboy]

> > > As the debate over "Holiday" vs. "Christmas" continues,
> > > WSB-FM/B98.5 has thrown itself into the mess.
> > >
> > > Until yesterday afternoon, B98.5 refered to its
> > > all-Christmas format as "holiday music". As of yesterday
>
> > > afternoon, they began refering to it as "Christmas
> music",
> >
> > > although the imaging still says "holiday music".
> > >
> > > Without getting into politics, I will say that the
> timing
> > of
> > > everything is odd, given the recent news about "Holiday
> > > trees". Yesterday morning, the station's morning show,
> > Kelly
> > > and Alpha, were talking about the Holiday vs. Christmas
> > > debate.
> > >
> > > There is now a poll on the station's website on what the
>
> > > holiday should be refered to as, with Christmas at 77%.
> > >
> > > Without turning this into a political discussion, I
> wonder
> >
> > > what the reason could be for the sudden change in
> > > references.
> > >
> >
> > About time too, even I was getting sick of ALL the
> Hanukkah
> > songs.
> >
> > As the token Jew I will give my valued opinion. Since the
> > Chosen ones are in the minority, I think we are used to
> the
> > phrase Christmas. I mean come one. The country is over 80%
>
> > Christian; I think the Jews are desensitized by now.
> >
> > I do get a laugh of those who say Christmas is under
> attack.
> > Can less than 20% of the population really cause that much
>
> > of a problem? If you listen to Sean Hannity and his ilk,
> you
> > would think the Christians are in the minority. Last time
> I
> > checked, all 43 US Presidents have been Christians. Nice
> > try.
> >
>
>
> I have a strong suspicion that most all of the stations that
> are doing "all-Christmas" or "all-Holiday" or whatever are
> getting some backlash over the "Christmas music vs. Holiday
> music" debate.
>
> As PD of WPEZ/Macon, I'm getting besieged with phone calls
> from mutants who can barely speak the English language
> taking me to task because they're hearing us playing
> "holiday" music, but expressing their "disappointment" that
> we're not referring to it as "Christmas" music... which we
> are, frequently.
>
> And they're all basically reading a script. They've all
> basically said the same thing to me or onto my voicemail
> box. It's sorta like the "seminar callers" that Rush
> Limbaugh likes to make fun of on his show. These people have
> gotten together and are trying to draw attention to
> themselves by conspiring to lay a guilt trip on us
> programmers about this.
>
> Don't get me wrong; I was raised a Presbyterian and consider
> myself a Christian, and as such I celebrate not only the
> secular aspects of the holiday, but also the religious
> aspects. But what's next? Are these militant-esque types
> (who by the way don't have the cojones to confront me in
> person) going to band together and attack air talent as they
> come into work in the mornings the way they do at abortion
> clinics?
>
> Any radio station, TV station, billboard company, etc. that
> caves to this doesn't deserve ratings anyway.
>
> Oh, and by the way...
>
> Merry Christmas
> Happy Hanukkah
> Joyeux Noel
> Happy Kwanzaa
> Seasons Greetings
> Happy Holidays
> Happy Ramadan
>
> (others?)
>
> David Nolin
>
> TDO
>
Happy Boxing Day to you too. I'm surprised no media outlet is speaking up for that holiday.

 

[doowopdan]

Re: B98.5 Holiday/Christmas music and Rodney's history lesson

Good for you, Rodney; somebody had to say it. Incidentally, there is a theory that Jesus was born in a "Sukkah" (a ceremonial hut adorned with fruits of the harvest built every year for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in early Autumn), rather than a "manger." Translation is everything.

At the oldies and AC stations where I worked in the 80s and 90s, long before this non-issue arose, we generally called it "Sounds of the Season." I always found that to be appropriate, given all the "Christmas" songs that aren't even primarily about Christmas ("Winter Wonderland," "My Favorite Things," "Frosty the Snowman," etc etc etc). What really offends me are knee-jerk fearful reactions to controversy, from whatever end of the political spectrum.

And Neil, you're not the token Jew; there are at least two of us.

Love to All,

Dan Greenfield

> This will be a pretty lengthy response to all this "Holiday
> vs. Christmas" crap, so please bear with me. It's not
> DIRECTLY radio-related, even though I'm IN radio, so I'm
> hoping the moderators will consider leaving this post up.
> But in any case...
>
> I'm a very devout Christian who thinks the whole uproar is
> about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I've been besieged
> with all these stupid e-mails telling me I should boycott
> Lowes and sign this petition and that petition. I recently
> received an e-mail from another Christian who's sick and
> tired of this stuff and he worded it better than I could
> ever hope to have. Here's his reply:
>
> "At the risk of "offending" some, I would like to help all
> of you - my Christian Brothers and Sisters - to get through
> this holiday season with a little less frustration and a
> little more joy. Here are a couple of things to remember
> when faced with these indignant, boycott inducing emails
> (please forgive me if the dates are off a bit, I am doing
> this from memory):
>
> 1. Jesus was most likely born some time in September around
> the Jewish Feasts of Trumpets or Tabernacles. It's too cold
> on December 25th in Israel for shepherds and sheep to be out
> in the field at night. Not to mention Joseph and Mary would
> not be traveling by donkey in the dead of winter and even
> Ceasar Augustus knew better than to take a census during the
> winter months especially with the winter solstace festivals
> going on.
>
> 2. The first "Christ Mass" was not celebrated until sometime
> after 300 AD in an effort by Early Roman Christians to
> hijack the year-end pagan feast of Saturnalia which honored
> the gods Saturn and Mithras. For a thousand years, it
> continued to be the biggest celebration of the year
> incorporating many of the pagan traditions.
>
> 3. In the 1500's our Protestant forefathers broke away from
> the Catholic Church for many reasons - not the least of
> which was their practice of elevating church "traditions"
> above that of the Scripture - including such non-biblical
> holy days as the Christ Mass. By the 1600's, these Reformers
> (many of whom sailed to America to pursue religious purity)
> had OUTLAWED the celebration in England and in the Colonies.
> Until just recently, Christmas was illegal in every US state
> - not by the will of liberal politicians but by the will of
> the bible-believing Christians that were in power.
>
> 4. But old habits die hard and by the 1800's Christmas was
> reapperaing. In the last 200 years or so, it has become
> widely accepted in our country MAINLY because of it's
> economic implications and not because of it's religious
> ones. Now we feel it is our biggest Christian Holy Day, next
> to Easter (which actually comes from the Babylonian
> celebration of the Goddess Ishtar but that's for another
> email)
>
> So you may be thinking, "SO WHAT, Lee. What does all this
> have to do with Walmart refusing to say Merry Christmas"?
> Well just this:
>
> 1. I am not kill-joy. I love the holidays like anybody and
> we have many fun-filled family traditions. But we
> Christains were the ones who originally co-opted the pagans'
> December celebrations. It was never really Jesus' birthday
> to begin with so why should we be all up in arms that the
> pagans want their winter solstace / secular festivals back?
> Let 'em have it, I say!
>
> 2. I celebrate the birth of Jesus EVERYDAY and I am thankful
> for His life, death AND resurrection as I know all of you
> are. I do not need a state-sponsored or corporate-sanctioned
> holiday to do that. AND If the Christ-haters are successful
> in their effort to remove Jesus from their orgasmic consumer
> shopping promotions, drunken parties and over-indulgent
> feasts, do you think God would really be all that upset?
> Consider this: Perhaps God is Soveriegnly using their
> corporate greed and politcial correctness to do His very
> will - that is, to remove His Beloved Son from all this
> cheap, commercial, non-biblical foolishness! Is it at least
> possible?
>
> 3. Jesus tells us in John 15:18-20: "If the world hates
> you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to
> the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do
> not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the
> world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I
> spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If
> they persecuted me, they will persecute you also."
>
> Why should we expect "the world" to treat us Christians with
> anything other than utter contemp? Are we greater than the
> Master, Jesus? They hung him on a tree and he went willingly
> yet we get indignant if some heathen checkout girl refuses
> to respond to our "Merry Christmas" litmus test. Come on! It
> says in Acts 5 that after they were BEATEN that "the
> apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been
> counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Should
> we not suffer for the name of Christ?
>
> 4. SO my point is this... This year get together with your
> family, eat the food that God has blessed you with,
> celebrate the coming of the King who will one day return for
> His bride. Share gifts with one another. Sing songs and let
> the words "God Bless You"! be on your lips... even to the
> check out girl. Go to your church and worship the risen Lord
> with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do whatever you
> want to do to remember the birth of Jesus but PLEASE PLEASE
> stop expecting the world to love you and to accept you or to
> honor your faith in Jesus because IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
> Jesus said so! You can believe it. Your frustration level
> will be much less as soon as you stop being surprised by the
> fact that Christians are supposed to be persecutred and
> hated.
>
> 5. Rather, we should live a life that reflects the love and
> dignity of Christ in the face of persecution so that those
> who see us will be drawn to the Light and will NOT be left
> standing there in the check out line, shaking their heads at
> the crazy Christian that just walked out and left all their
> crap on the counter!!
>
> But then that's just me..."
>

 

[caller10]

Re: B98.5 Holiday/Christmas music and Rodney's history lesson

>
> And Neil, you're not the token Jew; there are at least two
> of us.
>
> Love to All,
>
> Dan Greenfield
>

Three of us.

Don Kramer