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Mix 96 Christmas
- Thread starter In_Tulsa
- Start date
In_Tulsa said:
Here's the problem with going all-Christmas...the vast majority of people aren't going to be driving around in their cars in the middle of November listening to Christmas music. Starting that stunt any earlier than Thanksgiving is ridiculous, in my opinion. All-Christmas caters to the people who are driving around doing their Christmas shopping. That's why I think we are seeing a trend away from all-Christmas and more stations mixing in Christmas music with the regular playlist.
Someone's already there. http://www.easy931.com/
Sadly, the research DOES seem to indicate the earliest all-Christmas format wins that quarter's ratings. PPM may help discourage that some, seems like I heard last year PPM markets found (unsurprisingly) the station that won the last few weeks leading up to Christmas DROWN the first few weeks they were all-Christmas.
I'm suspecting Mix 96 will wait until Thanksgiving, but the weekend after Halloween wouldn't be unreasonable as people start to shop.
I personally don't want to hear Christmas music until after noon on Thanksgiving at the EARLIEST; I'd rather not hear it until 4am Black Friday. (Assuming I'm up then!)
...Then again, I don't like hearing the same songs every 95 minutes... but ratings books disagree with me on that one, too... :
I'm suspecting Mix 96 will wait until Thanksgiving, but the weekend after Halloween wouldn't be unreasonable as people start to shop.
I personally don't want to hear Christmas music until after noon on Thanksgiving at the EARLIEST; I'd rather not hear it until 4am Black Friday. (Assuming I'm up then!)
...Then again, I don't like hearing the same songs every 95 minutes... but ratings books disagree with me on that one, too... :
;D Wish I could "like" this comment, like on Facebook.
NightAire said:;D Wish I could "like" this comment, like on Facebook.
Have to be honest and say it makes me laugh a little.
Back in 1996, when the "Armageddon Clock" (4 Powers, 3 an hour) was implemented, everybody thought it was a recipe for failure.
I'll never forget the call from Sean Ross asking if we'd had an equipment failure, that there was just no way we could be playing our Powers 113 times per week.
Every time after that I let myself get talked into relaxing rotations, ratings suffered. Every time we went back to the Armageddon Clock, cume went through the roof.
PPM has proven Gordon McLendon right
In_Tulsa said:
Keep in mind, however, that both of these were format change stunts.
Yes, I know KBEZ didn't flip until June '10, but Renda registered the website for 92.9 Bob FM right about the time the Christmas stunt began. Given that Renda has no other stations at 92.9, it's pretty obvious to me what was going on. Renda had intended to flip KBEZ after the all Christmas stunt but realized KOOL 106.1 wouldn't be back when it flipped. So, they decided to let KOOL flip and see if they could benefit because KBEZ was the most likely station to get those former KOOL 106.1 listeners. They gave KBEZ an extra six months to get those listeners, and they flipped it when that didn't happen.
Well, I guess the real question of the day is what station is a huge under-preformer that could benifit from flipping to xmas early without loosing much revenue leading up to the listening season? There's not much reason for KRAV to go too early unless someone beats them to the punch.
Those who know me, know how I feel about All Christmas. First time I was exposed to it was just after 9-11. Good idea at the time. We all needed some healing. Nice ratings bump also. It was different and unique.
But, it's not different or unique anymore.
Time to return to creative programming and stop running the same dog around the track every year.
But, it's not different or unique anymore.
Time to return to creative programming and stop running the same dog around the track every year.
OKCRadioGuy said:
My opinion on all Christmas is that it's a stunt, and it should be treated as such. So when you ask this question, my thoughts automatically go to which station could use it as a stunt leading to a format flip. Keeping all of that in mind, my response is: KTSO.
All christmas is a good way to get people to talk about your station. I would bet just about every office building in Tulsa at least one time has a christmas format playing. That's alot of people hearing a station they otherwise would not have heard. I think a lot can come out of doing a christmas format. If 96 does it early November look at the books after it's done.
Is Bob-FM pulling any numbers? Could always go all-Christmas again and flip back or to something else.
Hope you're wrong about KTSO; they are an oasis of listenable music in the midst of all the other tired playlists in town...
I've wondered if Gen-X is pulling much either; they've got all-Christmas in the past, too.
...Or they could flip KFAQ. ;D
I'm not really expecting any format flips this year... are they any major money... er... I mean, MARKET holes?
Two CHRs, two (three?) hot ACs, two classic rockers, two country, one classic country, a mainstream rock, an alternative rock, an Urban, two news/talkers, three (four?) sports talkers, six Hispanic-language stations, a (two?) CCM, a Christian CHR / Christian rocker, a Christian talker, a traditional Christian music station, two NPR affiliates, a college music station, a classical station, an Urban Oldies, a Classic Hits...
If the money is 25-44, I'm not sure how else we could hit that audience... unless we double-up on another format (which clearly IS done in the Tulsa market).
Polkas? Alternative dance? Lounge / Standards? Americana? Beautiful Music? Blues? All-Comedy? Jazz? Radio Disney? All-News? Black Gospel? Southern Gospel? Business News? Farm?
...I don't really see money in any of those formats; there might be an audience for lounge / standards, beautiful music or jazz, but the demo would be WAY too old for the advertising agencies.
Blues is about the only format I'm surprised we don't have here, but that usually gets stuck on an AM and I suspect it wouldn't be much of a money-maker, either. (Might be an older demo, too.)
We've tried Standards, Jazz, Radio Disney, Black Gospel and Business News with no success... and I think there may be a non-com somewhere nearby doing southern Gospel.
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If the audience wouldn't listen to all-Christmas so heavily, stations wouldn't switch so early. It's really that simple.
Hope you're wrong about KTSO; they are an oasis of listenable music in the midst of all the other tired playlists in town...
I've wondered if Gen-X is pulling much either; they've got all-Christmas in the past, too.
...Or they could flip KFAQ. ;D
I'm not really expecting any format flips this year... are they any major money... er... I mean, MARKET holes?
Two CHRs, two (three?) hot ACs, two classic rockers, two country, one classic country, a mainstream rock, an alternative rock, an Urban, two news/talkers, three (four?) sports talkers, six Hispanic-language stations, a (two?) CCM, a Christian CHR / Christian rocker, a Christian talker, a traditional Christian music station, two NPR affiliates, a college music station, a classical station, an Urban Oldies, a Classic Hits...
If the money is 25-44, I'm not sure how else we could hit that audience... unless we double-up on another format (which clearly IS done in the Tulsa market).
Polkas? Alternative dance? Lounge / Standards? Americana? Beautiful Music? Blues? All-Comedy? Jazz? Radio Disney? All-News? Black Gospel? Southern Gospel? Business News? Farm?
...I don't really see money in any of those formats; there might be an audience for lounge / standards, beautiful music or jazz, but the demo would be WAY too old for the advertising agencies.
Blues is about the only format I'm surprised we don't have here, but that usually gets stuck on an AM and I suspect it wouldn't be much of a money-maker, either. (Might be an older demo, too.)
We've tried Standards, Jazz, Radio Disney, Black Gospel and Business News with no success... and I think there may be a non-com somewhere nearby doing southern Gospel.
-----
If the audience wouldn't listen to all-Christmas so heavily, stations wouldn't switch so early. It's really that simple.
NightAire said:
I like KTSO, but they are barely a blip numbers-wise...no one is listening to them. They'll never beat Star, so why not try something else?
And they were running Christmas before they flipped to Gen-X.
Not as long as they're owned by Journal. Those folks think KFAQ is awesome.
Oldies...or as it's commonly known now: "Classic Hits". That's a glaring hole in the Tulsa radio landscape. 106.1 did such a horrible job at that format toward the end, I think everyone in thsi market is scared to touch it.
I am not a fan of Christmas music, but the music sounds good this year on KRAV. I also commend them on waiting until most people were done with their Thanksgiving dinner before flipping. Some stations flip way too early.
I second that, Shane.
I don't know if they'll burn the songs they're playing today into the ground tomorrow, but it sounds like a bigger variety than the start of last year's Christmas music. Kudos for waiting until Thanksgiving afternoon, and kudos again for playing some minor surprises already ("Holly Jolly Christmas" not by Burl Ives, but Johnny Mathis? That's already an improvement!)
May their 4th quarter numbers be bright!
I don't know if they'll burn the songs they're playing today into the ground tomorrow, but it sounds like a bigger variety than the start of last year's Christmas music. Kudos for waiting until Thanksgiving afternoon, and kudos again for playing some minor surprises already ("Holly Jolly Christmas" not by Burl Ives, but Johnny Mathis? That's already an improvement!)
May their 4th quarter numbers be bright!
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