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Stations Still* Playing Christmas Music On 12/26?

new_friends_gr said:
I think that's kinda how AC stations used to do Christmas music up until 2000. Here in West Michigan, 2001 was the first time we ever heard 24/7 Christmas music. Anytime of year. I grew up in the Detroit area, and I'm pretty sure the only time they did 24/7 Christmas music was on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Prior to that, they just mixed a few Christmas songs in with their regular programming.
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This is how I remember it too. I think there needs to be some sort of balance between the way its done today and the way it used to be done playing it only Dec 24 and 25. Two days of Christmas music is simply not enough but two months of it as is the case today is waaaay too much. Like I said before, it needs to be programmed in such a way where people get to hear it and enjoy it but not so much that it becomes a nuisance. In my area, both AC stations went Christmas weekends through October and then went all Christmas the day after Halloween. I realize when that time of year comes around I have the option to change the dial on my radio but out of curiosity, if this is what most people do, what is the economic sense of going Christmas November 1 if most people are going to tune it out until at least Thanksgiving?
 
bchristi said:
new_friends_gr said:
I think that's kinda how AC stations used to do Christmas music up until 2000. Here in West Michigan, 2001 was the first time we ever heard 24/7 Christmas music. Anytime of year. I grew up in the Detroit area, and I'm pretty sure the only time they did 24/7 Christmas music was on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Prior to that, they just mixed a few Christmas songs in with their regular programming.
Click to expand...

This is how I remember it too. I think there needs to be some sort of balance between the way its done today and the way it used to be done playing it only Dec 24 and 25. Two days of Christmas music is simply not enough but two months of it as is the case today is waaaay too much. Like I said before, it needs to be programmed in such a way where people get to hear it and enjoy it but not so much that it becomes a nuisance. In my area, both AC stations went Christmas weekends through October and then went all Christmas the day after Halloween. I realize when that time of year comes around I have the option to change the dial on my radio but out of curiosity, if this is what most people do, what is the economic sense of going Christmas November 1 if most people are going to tune it out until at least Thanksgiving?
Click to expand...

I agree 100 percent with you. I think it would be awesome if the stations did a GRADUAL increase of the Christmas music rather than 0% to 100% around November 1. It's insane. For instance, in the first week of November, they could play one Christmas song per hour. In the second week of November, two Christmas songs per hour. And so on. But unfortunately, that makes too much sense for finicky listeners.

Of course, radio stations have to do what they can to attract as many listeners as possible. But if AC stations somehow marketed the GRADUAL approach, they might get more loyal listeners. Yes? No?
 
The reason they do it this way is because it works. In the first Christmas PPM in Portland, the AC had over a million cume! I didn't even think it was possible here. That means that roughly half the 6+ population was sampling the station!
 
If I have a station in my market that does all Christmas, I would do the gradual increase as an alternative. But I would also understand that I will probably not beat this station. All Christmas proved to be huge last year, even in a horrible economy.
 
And it begins. The coupon section in my local paper had a Christmas decoration for sale yesterday. I guess it's not too early to order.
 
semoochie said:
The reason they do it this way is because it works. In the first Christmas PPM in Portland, the AC had over a million cume! I didn't even think it was possible here. That means that roughly half the 6+ population was sampling the station!
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I don't really blame the stations themselves. They have to do what they can to remain viable and profitable and to stay ahead of the competition. I more blame the listening audiences and find it weird that our culture changed drastically in the early '00s that made the public suddenly want 24/7 Christmas music anytime earlier than the couple days before Christmas.
 
new_friends_gr said:
I don't really blame the stations themselves. They have to do what they can to remain viable and profitable and to stay ahead of the competition. I more blame the listening audiences and find it weird that our culture changed drastically in the early '00s that made the public suddenly want 24/7 Christmas music anytime earlier than the couple days before Christmas.
Click to expand...

Were there any 24/7 Christmas stations before the year 2000?  I remember the first few years they started it around Thanksgiving or the day after, but then as the 2000s decade progressed it got earlier and earlier every year until in 2009 many stations were flipping November 1st.  I can understand the market for 24/7 Christmas music AFTER Thanksgiving, but still do not understand the sense in going all Christmas on November 1st, almost a month before most of the public is ready for Christmas music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-dMFjkh5A
 
bchristi said:
new_friends_gr said:
I don't really blame the stations themselves. They have to do what they can to remain viable and profitable and to stay ahead of the competition. I more blame the listening audiences and find it weird that our culture changed drastically in the early '00s that made the public suddenly want 24/7 Christmas music anytime earlier than the couple days before Christmas.
Click to expand...

Were there any 24/7 Christmas stations before the year 2000? I remember the first few years they started it around Thanksgiving or the day after, but then as the 2000s decade progressed it got earlier and earlier every year until in 2009 many stations were flipping November 1st. I can understand the market for 24/7 Christmas music AFTER Thanksgiving, but still do not understand the sense in going all Christmas on November 1st, almost a month before most of the public is ready for Christmas music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-dMFjkh5A
Click to expand...

According to a friend of mine (who also posts regularly on Radio-info) told me that 100.5 WTRV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, did a 24/7 Christmas format as early as the late '90s (I think he said '99). I was living in Kalamazoo at that time, so for me personally, I didn't experience that until 2001 with 105.7 WOOD-FM (a Grand Rapids AC station whose signal is strong enough to reach easily down to Kalamazoo).

You're right; as the '00s progressed, it did seem like stations (especially in Grand Rapids) were pushing the 24/7 Christmas format earlier and earlier in the season. In one or two years, I believe 105.7 made the switch as early as Nov. 1 or possibly Nov. 4. For the last couple seasons, 95.7 WLHT in Grand Rapids has done all-Christmas weekends in October before switching to 24/7 Christmas music sometime in November.

It's crazy. I'm not usually ready for Christmas music until either (a) Thanksgiving is over, or (b) we have our first significant snow accumulation on the ground... whichever occurs later.
 
Both AC stations in my area did Christmas weekends in October last year as well. It should be a crime to play Christmas music in October. Who wants to hear Jingle Bells when shopping for their Halloween costumes? Seriously, most people are not ready for Christmas music until after Thanksgiving but there are a few who probably like it November 1. If they are going to play it in October they might as well play it year round. I can't think of anybody who wants to hear it when its still warm and sunny outside and the leaves are still on the trees.

Speaking of Christmas creep, I believe it was last year CBS showed the classic Rudolph special BEFORE Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, that would always come on about two weeks after Thanksgiving. People talk of a war on Christmas? There is one, but its not from secular humanists...its from retailers, radio stations, TV stations that are pushing Christmas so early in the season that people are starting to become excited for it to be over by December 15th. This needs to stop!
 
bchristi said:
Both AC stations in my area did Christmas weekends in October last year as well. It should be a crime to play Christmas music in October. Who wants to hear Jingle Bells when shopping for their Halloween costumes? Seriously, most people are not ready for Christmas music until after Thanksgiving but there are a few who probably like it November 1. If they are going to play it in October they might as well play it year round. I can't think of anybody who wants to hear it when its still warm and sunny outside and the leaves are still on the trees.
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Dunno, mate.
 
bchristi said:
new_friends_gr said:
I don't really blame the stations themselves. They have to do what they can to remain viable and profitable and to stay ahead of the competition. I more blame the listening audiences and find it weird that our culture changed drastically in the early '00s that made the public suddenly want 24/7 Christmas music anytime earlier than the couple days before Christmas.
Click to expand...

Were there any 24/7 Christmas stations before the year 2000? I remember the first few years they started it around Thanksgiving or the day after, but then as the 2000s decade progressed it got earlier and earlier every year until in 2009 many stations were flipping November 1st. I can understand the market for 24/7 Christmas music AFTER Thanksgiving, but still do not understand the sense in going all Christmas on November 1st, almost a month before most of the public is ready for Christmas music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB-dMFjkh5A
Click to expand...
I remember all-Christmas after Thanksgiving in the 90s on a station where I live that was community-oriented prorgamming, oldies and ESPN. I don't imagine that made sports talk fans too happy.
 
Well, October 1st is next week. Look for stations to start flipping to all-Christmas sometime this coming month. I wonder what station will be the first station in the country to do it?
 
According to the auditorium research we've done, there are people who enjoy Christmas Music YEAR ROUND. Truthfully, I am one of them.

So what!

It's personal taste, much like not using your computer to research so
you avoid viruses.
 
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