• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Put Christmas Music on the HD2

J

JohnnyElectron

Instead of polluting their main FM-HD1 channel with the same 20 Christmas songs over and over again, why don't our FM friends put their wall to wall Christmas music exclusively on their HD2 channel? Then they could have a much larger playlist of 500 more songs and help 'sell' HD radio at Christmas time? The stores have a background music channel for a month (or more) and it's business as usual at HD1? Or what if they moved their "regular format" to HD2 for the holidays?
Any brave programmers out there?
 
Well I may be an "Over the Hill" has been, but I can take on this one. The answer to "Why don't you put the Christmas music on HD-2" is simple. It's a winner. A ratings winner. If an A/C Station programs Christmas music (Even obscenely early like say... NOW) they tend to do VERY welll in their demo with regards to ratings. I would suggest stations retain their original format on HD-2s if they do not have an established brand there when they "Flip" to X-mas, but "Flipping" to X-mas is more often than not a ratings winner.

The number of people reacting negatively to X-Mas is far outweighed by the bump overall.

At least that's what experience tells us.

Clouseau

(not ready to admit to consulting) :)
 
I can answer that question. "Because it would cost money". Simple.
 
IF a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make any sound?
Puttin Christmas on an HD2 is a very great idea. Just one problem.... lol. no one has these HD things.
John
Bensalem, PA
 
John Holcomb II said:
IF a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make any sound?
Puttin Christmas on an HD2 is a very great idea. Just one problem.... lol. no one has these HD things.
John
Bensalem, PA
Click to expand...

Good idea, I'm sick of Christmas music and this is a guaranteed way of not hearing it.
 
What a great idea!

Since HD2 has been criticized for being a dumping ground of dead formats and failed experiments, why not put a proven winner on a side channel?

I can't think of a better way to spur sales of HD Radios for the holiday season.

Or can it be that the radio industry just doesn't have that much confidence in HD Radio to make that kind of commitment?

C5
 
Carmine5 said:
Or can it be that the radio industry just doesn't have that much confidence in HD Radio to make that kind of commitment?
Click to expand...

What's the incentive to put a winning format on an HD-2 channel? If it's a winner and you don't do it, your competition will.

That's what drives these idiotic flips to holiday music earlier and earlier each year.

I know I'm in the minority; Christmas music is acceptable to me for two days - Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. *bah humbug*

That being said, and if I may go slightly OT for a moment... Several years ago, when Birmingham AC outlet "Magic 96" flipped to Christmas before Thanksgiving, that was the nail in the coffin of local radio for me. I didn't stop listening to terrestrial completely, but I did stop going to Magic even after the holiday season was over. It was that point that my XM unit became the first go-to for music radio instead of just talk. Just a few years later, and now I never tune in locals here in Mississippi because XM has what I need.

Had HD radios been around back then, and had they moved the AC to the HD-2, I might have stuck around... So maybe moving the regular format to HD-2 is a smart idea in theory.
 
Zach said:
Carmine5 said:
Or can it be that the radio industry just doesn't have that much confidence in HD Radio to make that kind of commitment?
Click to expand...

What's the incentive to put a winning format on an HD-2 channel? If it's a winner and you don't do it, your competition will.

That's what drives these idiotic flips to holiday music earlier and earlier each year.

I know I'm in the minority; Christmas music is acceptable to me for two days - Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. *bah humbug*

That being said, and if I may go slightly OT for a moment... Several years ago, when Birmingham AC outlet "Magic 96" flipped to Christmas before Thanksgiving, that was the nail in the coffin of local radio for me. I didn't stop listening to terrestrial completely, but I did stop going to Magic even after the holiday season was over. It was that point that my XM unit became the first go-to for music radio instead of just talk. Just a few years later, and now I never tune in locals here in Mississippi because XM has what I need.

Had HD radios been around back then, and had they moved the AC to the HD-2, I might have stuck around... So maybe moving the regular format to HD-2 is a smart idea in theory.
Click to expand...

Actually, my challenge was not original. Jerry Del C. said the same thing in one of his blogs about three months ago.

Besides what public radio is doing with their side channels, probably the best use of a side channel is a trend that we're seeing now with some AM stations migrating to HD2 and simulcasting.

This could be a trend that will help both beleaguered technologies; AM and HD Radio.

BTW, I'm no fan of Christmas music. But three years ago KABC 790 Talk Radio in L.A., which was broadcasting in AM stereo, broadcast Christmas music on Christmas day. In stereo it sounded fabulous! It was the best example of AM stereo I had ever heard.

Right after that they switched to HD-AM.

C5
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom