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First Station to go all Christmas music
- Thread starter CleveRadioInsider
- Start date
@JimH
Have to chime in... as this always bugs me. Oldies, by definition, is 50s, 60s, 70s. No matter how one tries to re-brand the format. That includes playing ill fitting classic rock titles and AC Gold titles (70s/80s). So "newer oldies"... doesn't register with me. Just like "rock n roll" is s a 50s/60s term that still had some legs into the 80s...but was antiquated thereafter. No one will refer to an 80s (or 90s) song as an "oldie". Not anyone in Lake's target demos.
Yes, WMJI and WDOK (the true official Xmas station of CLE since I was a teenager) are heritage stations. But there's many who don't want the 24/7 dose of Xmas tunes this early, especially of the oldies variety. With that said I do understand the why.
Have to chime in... as this always bugs me. Oldies, by definition, is 50s, 60s, 70s. No matter how one tries to re-brand the format. That includes playing ill fitting classic rock titles and AC Gold titles (70s/80s). So "newer oldies"... doesn't register with me. Just like "rock n roll" is s a 50s/60s term that still had some legs into the 80s...but was antiquated thereafter. No one will refer to an 80s (or 90s) song as an "oldie". Not anyone in Lake's target demos.
Yes, WMJI and WDOK (the true official Xmas station of CLE since I was a teenager) are heritage stations. But there's many who don't want the 24/7 dose of Xmas tunes this early, especially of the oldies variety. With that said I do understand the why.
The Fish will be the last station in NE Ohio to go 100% Christmas music
CleveRadioInsider said:
We still don't know what WNWV will do when the deal closes next month.
That being said, it does look like WMJI, WDOK and WFHM are the only ones that will be on Cleveland's Ho-Ho-Ho train up until December 26...
I got this from WCRF morning show host Mark Zimmerman's Facebook page..I don't know if it's original with him, but it's something to think about..
"RADIO GEEK ANALYSIS: If your radio station has gone "holiday 24/7" already, you have 2 basic problems:
1. Your playlist is only about 1,000 songs for 6 weeks instead of 4.
2. If you are playing "holiday music", and ignoring the fact that the approaching holiday is called CHRISTmas, you have now sliced away 2/3 of that 1,000 songs, and will be bombarding your shrinking listenership with an ...untold number of versions of "The Christmas Song", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", & "Sleigh Ride".
Good luck with that."
"RADIO GEEK ANALYSIS: If your radio station has gone "holiday 24/7" already, you have 2 basic problems:
1. Your playlist is only about 1,000 songs for 6 weeks instead of 4.
2. If you are playing "holiday music", and ignoring the fact that the approaching holiday is called CHRISTmas, you have now sliced away 2/3 of that 1,000 songs, and will be bombarding your shrinking listenership with an ...untold number of versions of "The Christmas Song", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", & "Sleigh Ride".
Good luck with that."
Tim L said:
Referring to Christmas as "Holiday" is one of the most idiotic things to ever occur. Just recently in the 2000s people have become offended by some of the most idiotic things. One of them being wishing someone a Merry Christmas, or referring to a Christmas tree as a Holiday tree. Good for Mark Zimmerman for speaking up. That is why I generally enjoy listening to the Fish. At least they recognize that the "Holiday" on December 25th as Christmas. Just my two cents. :
Nobody is playing 1000 titles. (except 107.3 for now)
All I know is i can't listen to the mainstream Christmas formats (ie Clear Channel etc..) for too long.. You can only stand hearing the same few Christmas songs over and over.. Talk about a tight format.. their Christmas playlist is tigher than most CHR normal playlists.
I do commend Clear Channel, they don't usually shy away from things like O Holy Night .. etc...
HOWEVER, one can only stand "Santa Baby" and "All I want for Christmas is you" so many times!
I do commend Clear Channel, they don't usually shy away from things like O Holy Night .. etc...
HOWEVER, one can only stand "Santa Baby" and "All I want for Christmas is you" so many times!
While we all have our opinions on this board, almost NONE of those opinions expressed represent actual listening to Christmas music. After 5+ years of ho ho ho formats, the numbers don't lie.
1. A tight playlist wins, everytime. People say "there are more Christmas songs than the ones played". While that is true, they don't stand for them on the radio.
2. There is little listener fatigue when starting before Thanksgiving. (PPM has shown a slight decline before turkey day, but the increase after Thanksgiving justifies the early move, diary markets are still earlier the better)
3. First in wins.
4. Familiarity envokes nostalgia. Besides Michael Buble, and TSO it would be difficult to find many major Christmas hits that were released in the last 10, even 20 years. Yet stations still play the Pussycat dolls singing Christmas songs.
1. A tight playlist wins, everytime. People say "there are more Christmas songs than the ones played". While that is true, they don't stand for them on the radio.
2. There is little listener fatigue when starting before Thanksgiving. (PPM has shown a slight decline before turkey day, but the increase after Thanksgiving justifies the early move, diary markets are still earlier the better)
3. First in wins.
4. Familiarity envokes nostalgia. Besides Michael Buble, and TSO it would be difficult to find many major Christmas hits that were released in the last 10, even 20 years. Yet stations still play the Pussycat dolls singing Christmas songs.
CleveRadioInsider said:Tim L said:
Referring to Christmas as "Holiday" is one of the most idiotic things to ever occur. Just recently in the 2000s people have become offended by some of the most idiotic things. One of them being wishing someone a Merry Christmas, or referring to a Christmas tree as a Holiday tree. Good for Mark Zimmerman for speaking up. That is why I generally enjoy listening to the Fish. At least they recognize that the "Holiday" on December 25th as Christmas. Just my two cents. :
The most offensive thing I've seen so far is a Kohl's commercial where they sing about Black Friday to the tune of Rebecca Black's "Friday". I think someone on here mentioned that as a possibility back in April, I'm just sad that someone on Madison Avenue thought that would be a good idea. Of course, Target, Walmart, JC Penny, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Radio Shack, AT&T/Verizon/Sprint/Tin-cans-connected-by-wires commercials are just as annoying I guess. I'm entering the target demos, but I hate my peers!
almaniac27 said:The most offensive thing I've seen so far is a Kohl's commercial where they sing about Black Friday to the tune of Rebecca Black's "Friday". I think someone on here mentioned that as a possibility back in April, I'm just sad that someone on Madison Avenue thought that would be a good idea. Of course, Target, Walmart, JC Penny, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Radio Shack, AT&T/Verizon/Sprint/Tin-cans-connected-by-wires commercials are just as annoying I guess. I'm entering the target demos, but I hate my peers!
Don't forget Chrysler's sad attempt to turn Eminem's "Lose Yourself" into a Christmas carol. Or this horrid "Hyundai Holidays" ad. Ugh.
The roster of commercials are so bad and forgettable this year; but honestly, it's pretty much tied directly into the sad state of popular music. But because someone from Madison Avenue saw an abysmal song by an Autotuned 14-year-old as worthy of a Kohl's ad, seriously, just shut down all of the ad agencies and fumigate their buildings.
The era of Don Draper is long gone, never to return.
Yes, three stations playing Christmas music.
Since WMJI has gone all-Christmas in November for the first time in many years, I thought they just might steal a page from the old John Gorman-Denny Sanders playbook and play a lot of rock and roll and R & B Christmas music.
But alas, it seems they are trying to out-mush WDOK.
Instead of mixing in Christmas songs by Fats Domino, Bob Seger's "Sock It To Me Santa", Paul Revere and The Raiders' version of "The Christmas Song", The Pretenders' "2000 Miles", Chuck Berry and The Kinks, I am hearing Christmas pablum by Barry Manilow, Amy Grant and Air Supply. And a short playlist, too. I heard Celine Dion's version of "Oh Holy Night" four times over the past 24 hours.
I was hoping for something a bit more rockin', but instead we get WDOK-2. Yuck.
Since WMJI has gone all-Christmas in November for the first time in many years, I thought they just might steal a page from the old John Gorman-Denny Sanders playbook and play a lot of rock and roll and R & B Christmas music.
But alas, it seems they are trying to out-mush WDOK.
Instead of mixing in Christmas songs by Fats Domino, Bob Seger's "Sock It To Me Santa", Paul Revere and The Raiders' version of "The Christmas Song", The Pretenders' "2000 Miles", Chuck Berry and The Kinks, I am hearing Christmas pablum by Barry Manilow, Amy Grant and Air Supply. And a short playlist, too. I heard Celine Dion's version of "Oh Holy Night" four times over the past 24 hours.
I was hoping for something a bit more rockin', but instead we get WDOK-2. Yuck.
WAKR has started playing Christmas music, too, though I don't know if it's full time through 12/26. They've had a Christmas song on every time I've listened to their music.
WMJI was playing regular music last night between 8-12am. Not sure why they broke from the Christmas music rotation
CleveRadioInsider said:
It was a syndicated show - USRN's "Rewind with Gary Bryan and Dick Clark." Also applies to the 1970's AT40 reruns on Sunday morning.
Speaking of which, is there Christmas music on "Delilah" now on WDOK? IIRC, the show is pretty flexible about what music runs around Ms. Rene's segments.
vjm said:
Ah, makes sense. There's at least one morning drive show ("John Boy and Billy"?) that provides live versions in both classic rock and country formats.
I used to remember in the 80s 3WE (WTAM) used to play Christmas music on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day much like WNIR in Kent does now.
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