WLIT

[BJSteigner]

WLIT flips to Christmas Music tomorrow...Now that's real early before the holidays.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Chicago’s ‘Lite FM’ Will Be The First Major Market Station To Go All-Christmas Music.

Last year more than 80 iHeartMedia radio stations flipped to an all-Christmas music format on Nov. 5. This year, soft AC “93.9 Lite FM” WLIT Chicago will be its first

www.insideradio.com

Confirmed. It is the first Iheart station so far to go to all Christmas.

Last year more than 80 iHeartMedia radio stations flipped to an all-Christmas music format on Nov. 5. . This year, soft AC “93.9 Lite FM” WLIT Chicago will be its first to flip to nonstop holiday sounds on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Morning host Melissa Forman, “Producer Jim,” midday host Robin Rock, and PD/afternoon host Mick Lee will join together for a three-hour commercial-free holiday kick-off, beginning at 4pm tomorrow.

“We heard our listeners loud and clear,” Lee said in a release. “The day after Halloween, listeners are ready to hear Christmas music on 93.9 Lite FM! As we change our colors from orange and black to red and green, Chicagoans will be sure to get in a festive mood with non-stop holiday music. We can’t wait to make new memories with our listeners and their family in our 22nd year as Chicago’s Christmas music station.”

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Maybe this is part of a coordinated flip that will see dozens of I-Heart stations go all-Christmas.

I wouldn't be surprised if WLIT is alone in flipping to all-Christmas music today (November 1st).

We'll know in a few hours.

 

[iacd]

WLIT is about to switch.

 

[Marcos_C]

The last song before the flip to Christmas music was "Hungry Eyes" by Eric Carmen.

Edison the Reindeer pushed the red button to launch the Christmas format.

"A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives was the first Christmas song to be played on 93.9 Lite FM this year.

 

[scanman1]

WLIT flips to Christmas Music tomorrow...Now that's real early before the holidays.

Eventually, they'll be flipping on July 5th.

 

[Marcos_C]

No, people like to hear AC music during the summer, as evidenced by WLIT-FM finishing number two in July and tied for first place in August.

 

[cyberdad]

If they make more revenue by flipping at the beginning of November, then more power to 'em! So what if it's 70 degrees outside!

 

[RadioJ55]

I hear they are not looking so hot (compared to the last several years)

 

[davideduardo]

I hear they are not looking so hot (compared to the last several years)

Remember, only the November book (which ended after about the first week in November, actually) has been released. It only covered the first week of the Christmas music period on the station.

Subscribers see, so far, the first three weeks of the December book (which run almost entirely in November) and the station went from a 25-54 5.0 for all the November book to to a 25-54 12.3 in the week after Thanksgiving.

Week 4 of the November book included the first week of December and the first week of Christmas on WLIT. It was up about 50% from week 3 in November. So, the last week of "normal" music was a 4.7 and the most recent week of Christmas is a 12.3. That is nearly triple what it had in a normal AC format.

We still have the 4th week of the December book left in that book and then the first two weeks of December and part of week 3 leading up to Christmas (Which are in the "Holiday" book).

I've already given more data than we are supposed to, but the fact is that WLIT nearly doubled just 3 weeks into their Christmas music period and will do even better in Week 4 November and the 3 first weeks of December.

 

[cyberdad]

I normally prefer to listen to my own 150 song Spotify mix of Christmas music which I'll guess overlaps the WLIT playlist by about 70%. That said, this year's WLIT list strikes me as a finely honed blend of traditional and contemporary classics proven to have broad appeal, I won't be one bit surprised if they better last year's numbers.

 

[A_b_m_90]

Im sorry is Lite Fm playing Christmas music that is actually coming from their studios? Sunny in Houston play the same rotation maybe a song or two ahead/behind. Probably iHeart keeping things cheap but not really as local as it once used to be other than Melissa in the morning. Still overall a great station to listen to IMO

 

[davideduardo]

Im sorry is Lite FM playing Christmas music that is actually coming from their studios? Sunny in Houston play the same rotation maybe a song or two ahead/behind. Probably iHeart keeping things cheap but not really as local as it once used to be other than Melissa in the morning. Still overall a great station to listen to IMO

It's likely that the Christmas playlist was researched nationally, and is a consensus of markets compilation. And it can be scheduled from the central servers and lists fed to the stations for local play. Think of it as 21st Century network programming where the net content is locally integrated with news, weather, ads (lots of ads) and local voice tracks.

 

[RadioJ55]

All the IHeart stations are off air right now

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Is there any way to break down WLIT-93.9's ratings for the first week or two of November?

Maybe their ratings spiked after November 1st.

If they did, then November 1st might in the future become the default date for future all Christmas flips, not only at WLIT, but throughout the industry.

 

[davideduardo]

Is there any way to break down WLIT-93.9's ratings for the first week or two of November?

Yes, but we are not allowed to publicly use the weekly numbers.

Maybe their ratings spiked after November 1st.

If they did, then November 1st might in the future become the default date for future all Christmas flips, not only at WLIT, but throughout the industry.

Remember, more of the November book is in October than in November. The December book only includes one week of that month.