OMG...THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC'S NOT GOING TO END ON KVIL

[MikeShannon914]

Excerpt from an email to the Loyal Listener Club (how in the h*ll did I end up on THAT list??)

"...Then, if you want to keep the celebration going, we’re with ya! Keep the feeling of Christmas alive by tuning in to 103.7 FM all weekend. We’ll keep Christmas music wall-to-wall all the way through Sunday at 7pm!!

"Still not enough? Okay. Starting Monday, you can log into Christmas Music 24-7 on The Christmas Channel… at 1037litefm.com all the way through January 6th… the 12th Day of Christmas! Hey, that’s why we’re The Christmas Station!"

: :'(

How about, "Hey! We're running Christmas music straight into the ground!" "It's a regular JesusFest here at Lite Country 103.7!" "Enjoy Christmas music right up until Valentine's Day!" "It'll still be All-Christmas, All-The-Time right up to when you receive your Christmas credit card bills in January!" "Remember the icy weather during December '08? Keep that great feeling alive all through Springtime '09 on KVIL!" "Guess what? Santa Claus is now voicetracking morning drive on Lite-FM!" "Terry King may be gone, but Kris Kringle is here to stay!" "The gift that just keeps on giving, over and over and over again..." and finally, "And you thought our REGULAR playlist was bad!"

 

[jeffdfw]

I wish we had an emoticon that vomitted - it would apply to KVIL. Merry Freakin' Christmas!

 

[LasVegasRadioJunky]

I wish we had an emoticon that vomitted - it would apply to KVIL. Merry Freakin' Christmas!

V O M I T !

 

[txchipk]

Who knew there were so many men out there missing bland, familiar lite rock music aimed at suburban housewives?

Seriously, why does this bother any of you?

 

[AndyWaldrop]

Who knew there were so many men out there missing bland, familiar lite rock music aimed at suburban housewives?

Seriously, why does this bother any of you?

It doesn't bother them. Don't you know...this is where people come to cry and bitch and moan about things that nobody (with a life) cares about.

They'll eventually discover that they have the power to change the station with an ever-so-simple (for most of us) push of a button.

 

[txchipk]

Who knew there were so many men out there missing bland, familiar lite rock music aimed at suburban housewives?

Seriously, why does this bother any of you?

It doesn't bother them. Don't you know...this is where people come to cry and bitch and moan about things that nobody (with a life) cares about.

They'll eventually discover that they have the power to change the station with an ever-so-simple (for most of us) push of a button.

I know... I don't listen to KVIL, as there's nothing about it (Delilah or their local shows, their music) that really appeals to me. Of course, it is not designed to appeal to me. So, I don't see the need to get distraught by this news. Actually, it seems perfectly logical...ratings for most ACs spike quite a bit when they start Christmas music. Clearly, their mostly female demographic digs it. Since a lot of the audience will be in their cars to doing more Christmas shopping on the day after Christmas and this weekend (returning stuff, cashing in those gift cards), I'm not sure its really so crazy to keep playing Christmas music for those 3 days. In addition, with the current economic climate, it probably would be welcome amongst their listeners to extend the "holiday feeling" a few more days.

 

[Bongwater]

Excerpt from an email to the Loyal Listener Club (how in the h*ll did I end up on THAT list??)

"...Then, if you want to keep the celebration going, we’re with ya! Keep the feeling of Christmas alive by tuning in to 103.7 FM all weekend. We’ll keep Christmas music wall-to-wall all the way through Sunday at 7pm!!

"Still not enough? Okay. Starting Monday, you can log into Christmas Music 24-7 on The Christmas Channel… at 1037litefm.com all the way through January 6th… the 12th Day of Christmas! Hey, that’s why we’re The Christmas Station!"

: :'(

How about, "Hey! We're running Christmas music straight into the ground!" "It's a regular JesusFest here at Lite Country 103.7!" "Enjoy Christmas music right up until Valentine's Day!" "It'll still be All-Christmas, All-The-Time right up to when you receive your Christmas credit card bills in January!" "Remember the icy weather during December '08? Keep that great feeling alive all through Springtime '09 on KVIL!" "Guess what? Santa Claus is now voicetracking morning drive on Lite-FM!" "Terry King may be gone, but Kris Kringle is here to stay!" "The gift that just keeps on giving, over and over and over again..." and finally, "And you thought our REGULAR playlist was bad!"

KVIL is simply EVIL....with a "K".........

 

[rbrucecarter5]

"It's a regular JesusFest here at Lite Country 103.7!" "Enjoy Christmas music right up until Valentine's Day!" "It'll still be All-Christmas, All-The-Time right up to when you receive your Christmas credit card bills in January!"

Not really - the only station in town playing REAL Christmas music is KLTY. I don't know where these stations dredge up some of these so-called Christmas songs, but they are real clunkers. Maybe they are appropriate for Hannukwanzmas or something, but talk about wierd!

 

[MikeShannon914]

It doesn't bother them. Don't you know...this is where people come to cry and bitch and moan about things that nobody (with a life) cares about.

Wow, thanks for throwing me under the bus, pal!

(BTW, BuddyPhone's still messed up...will need it for Thurs unless you all are working down there on Christmas Day. Call me before noon Wed, pls)

Yes, I can admit listening to KVIL at times, but of course, it's usually for one particular song...usually a token 70s or 80s oldie that may not be making the rounds elsewhere. So yeah, it's a legit complaint to me, to have to remove that preset every August or September when their Christmas music starts...and now there's fewer and fewer choices to fill that temporary void (how do you think I found out about KMAD's signal being jammed? With all those 70+ lovely, local choices on the dial, why am I trying to tune in Whitesboro, TX? Do you get it now?)

 

[scrtr84]

"Still not enough? Okay. Starting Monday, you can log into Christmas Music 24-7 on The Christmas Channel… at 1037litefm.com all the way through January 6th… the 12th Day of Christmas! Hey, that’s why we’re The Christmas Station!"

Through January 6th??? Hmmm, this must be that new math thing I keep hearing so much about. That's 13 days, for those of you who flunked the course.

 

[txchipk]

"Still not enough? Okay. Starting Monday, you can log into Christmas Music 24-7 on The Christmas Channel… at 1037litefm.com all the way through January 6th… the 12th Day of Christmas! Hey, that’s why we’re The Christmas Station!"

Through January 6th??? Hmmm, this must be that new math thing I keep hearing so much about. That's 13 days, for those of you who flunked the course.

In the Christian world, the 12 days of Christmas begins on Christmas night and ends the morning of January 6, which is the feast day of the Epiphany. In the Christian world, the Christmas season ends on January 6. In some Christian countries, January 6 is a very big holiday. When I was in Spain a number of years ago around Christmas, most of the department stores, etc. had lots of displays of the "3 Kings" (the 3 wise men that visited and brought gifts to Jesus on Epiphany). It is as big of a day as Christmas...that is the day, they exchange gifts as opposed to December 25th.

 

[txchipk]

Yes, I can admit listening to KVIL at times, but of course, it's usually for one particular song...usually a token 70s or 80s oldie that may not be making the rounds elsewhere. So yeah, it's a legit complaint to me, to have to remove that preset every August or September when their Christmas music starts...and now there's fewer and fewer choices to fill that temporary void

The vast majority of their audience craves this Christmas programming and responds in droves to it every November. In market after market across this country, AC stations that flip see a big bounce in the ratings. This week, WASH Washington moved to #1 in the latest PPMs following its flip to all-Christmas, as an example.

For all the endless rants and raves on this board about how awful the station is, how terrible CBS is, and how these evil corporations don't care about programming, this is the one and only time of the year they do something that inspires any sort of strong reaction from listeners. Call me crazy, but I think its a refreshing change that radio stations program something their audiences actually want to hear. It's too bad they don't feel compelled to program something that inspires an audience the other 10 and half months of the year.

Personally, from what I've heard, KLTY is doing 10x the job KVIL is doing with the Christmas playlist...both could stand to ditch those mournful, depressing arrangements by the Carpenters and the like and stick with the upbeat, happy songs.

 

[scrtr84]

History has shown that almost all wall-to-wall Christmas formats usually end by noon on Christmas day. Most songs talking about Christ, state "Christ was born on Christmas day in the morning". Therefor the 12 says begins on the 25th. Gotta love those darn technicalities.

And I agree these stations should run primarily uptempo songs, but as a programmer I have found the ratio of downtempo songs to uptempo songs available for airplay seems to be something like 10:1

 

[BBontheRadio]

I don't see the need to get distraught by this news. Actually, it seems perfectly logical...ratings for most ACs spike quite a bit when they start Christmas music. Clearly, their mostly female demographic digs it. Since a lot of the audience will be in their cars to doing more Christmas shopping on the day after Christmas and this weekend (returning stuff, cashing in those gift cards), I'm not sure its really so crazy to keep playing Christmas music for those 3 days. In addition, with the current economic climate, it probably would be welcome amongst their listeners to extend the "holiday feeling" a few more days.

Very well-said, txchipk. You get it.

Most people here on radio-complainers.com will take any chance to write something bad about KVIL / CBS. There's no such thing as bad publicity, so I'm fine with them talking it up. The real answer is so easy... just change the channel if ya don't like it. Plenty of people do.

 

[Kent]

The vast majority of their audience craves this Christmas programming and responds in droves to it every November.

Not so much. Their own research consistently proves the majority of the AC audience doesn't want all Christmas music for a month or more. What happens is that they make up for the loss of a substantial portion of their existing audience by shaving off a small percentage of listeners from every station. When more than one station goes all Christmas, only one, at most, benefits because there isn't a large enough audience for two or three Christmas stations. Remember, not much more than 5% of the total listening audience wants a month of Christmas music, and research published a few years ago in Radio and Records documented that. However, you can be #1 with a 5 share in most markets, and much of that 5 share is 25-54.

 

[TheRover]

From Wiki:

The Twelve Days of Christmas Dec. 25th - Jan. 6th

The Twelve Days of Christmas, and the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide), are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day (December 25) through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). The associated evenings of the twelve days begin on the evening before the specified day. Thus, the first night of Christmas is December 25–26 and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. Twelfth Day is January 6.This period is also known as Christmastide.

Over the centuries, differing churches and sects of Christianity have changed the actual traditions, time frame and their interpretations. St. Stephen's Day (or Boxing Day), for example, is December 26 in the Western Church and December 27 in the Eastern Church. Boxing Day, the first weekday after Christmas, is observed as a legal holiday in parts of the Commonwealth of Nations and was traditionally marked by the giving of Christmas boxes to service workers (such as postal workers and trades people) in the United Kingdom; December 28 is Childermas or the Feast of the Innocents. Currently, the 12 days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world. For example, some give gifts only on Christmas Night, some only on Twelfth Night and some each of the 12 nights.

With the onset of more Americanized and secular traditions throughout the past two centuries (such as the American "Santa Claus", popularity of Christmas Eve itself as a holiday, and rise in popularity of New Year's Eve parties as well), the traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas have been largely forgotten in the U.S.. This is also heightened by the commercial practice to have "After-Christmas Sales" begin on December 26 and run usually until New Year's Eve. Indeed, contemporary marketing and media tend to espouse the (erroneous) belief that the Twelve Days end on Christmas and thus begin December 14.

 

[Lancer]

Should we have a merry Seals & Crofts-mas or a Pablo Cruise-mas?

 

[MikeShannon914]

Most people here on radio-complainers.com will take any chance to write something bad about KVIL / CBS. There's no such thing as bad publicity, so I'm fine with them talking it up. The real answer is so easy... just change the channel if ya don't like it. Plenty of people do.

Ben...I know you're a nice guy, you like your job, etc etc etc...BUT...how will you feel about such a wonderful company when YOUR number is up? My main beef comes from seeing too many good people having their resumes sullied by an undue and unjust firing, simply because the morons-that-be can't manage money or the affairs of a multi-million dollar company. It's hard to not take things like that personally, because many of those folks are personal friends of mine. Meanwhile, management remains unharmed. I've worked there myself, and I wasn't impressed. All I saw even 5 years ago was a large group of tense folks trying desperately to fade into the wallpaper and be unnoticed...hoping, I guess, that they could keep their jobs if the powers-that-be forgot they even worked there. I used to get some strange and bewildered looks from folks when I would strike up a conversation with GM Dave Siebert...like I was doing something wrong. It was one of the stranger work environs I've ever been in, and I can only imagine how it is now. Ben, I know you work PT on weekends and probably don't see (or perceive) much, if any, of the political environment, but I assure you it's there. Ask around, if there's anyone willing to talk candidly about it. It's all about self-preservation these days, not about fun, nor about contributing to a mass effort to "be the best station" or something. The bubble hath burst. If you don't believe it, see what happens to Jody Dean in the next week or so.

So no, for me, I'm not looking for a special excuse to write something bad about CBS; I'm just responding to their weekly comedy of errors and making sure listeners (and potential employees) know what's going on behind the scenes of such a "wonderful" company that does such a "wonderful" public service. Meanwhile, sure, I'm more than happy to tune out; I'm having a pleasant renaissance with my XM radio nowadays (wow, who knew that there was more than 300 songs out there in a given genre?) and really couldn't tell you for sure right now if KVIL is still playing Christmas music or not, or if John Summers is still on at KLUV, or if Scooter and Skeetball are still programming Movin', or if Nikki is covering Terry's shift still.

 

[scrtr84]

Ben,

If you truly are just a part-timer, I'd advise you to not make an attempt to do radio full-time. If you worked FT in this industry, you'd get a real dose of just how bad things are.

I cannot recall ever seeing so many good people shown the door, in such a short time-frame, and I'm sickened by it all. The only smart move CBS made in my mind, was pulling Martin off the air. And that's NOT because of his show, rather what happened outside of it.

It is apparent the only thing this business truly, madly and deeply cares about, is greed and / or stupidity. People like King, Sharp, Diaz, and yes even Bass, have been treated like crap. Those people have undoubtedly given their blood, sweat and tears to bring good in the industry, and all they got in return was a pink slip. And if Dean is next, that only heightens just how bad times really are.

My hat's off to all the good ones who gave their 110% to their respective employers. The people responsible for running them all off, should be shown the door.

 

[DFWPT]

stupidity. People like King, Sharp, Diaz, and yes even Bass, have been treated like crap. Those people have undoubtedly given their blood, sweat and tears to bring good in the industry, and all they got in return was a pink slip. And if Dean is next, that just hightens how bad times really are.

LOL - I can't believe you would put Bass in the same group with King, Sharp, Diaz & Dean! (for the record, Sharp is still employed at CBS)