When to 'Christmas?'

[John FL]

The holiday season usually brings speculation as to when a radio station will go wall-to-wall Christmas/winter tunes.

Last year, Soft AC WOSN-FM (97.1 Ocean FM) serving mainly the northern Treasure Coast (Indian River and St. Lucie Counties) and southern Brevard County, flipped to Christmas music early. It was just days prior to Veteran's Day. From the ratings, it looked like 'The Ocean' was making a steady climb. A number of years ago, they were a long-term Standards format.

In August 2018, the Operations Manager of Treasure Coast/Space Coast Radio (WOSN's owner) said:

"About a year ago we brought the music in house and made several adjustments. Since then (two full ratings periods) CUME and TSL have returned to levels we need to remain competitive all while bringing down the median age of our listeners by 10 years. A feat I was told numerous times was impossible to do in a diary market."

Last year's early flip to Christmas music appears to not have been the best move. In fact, I thought this would help solidify the Ocean brand. I've flip-flopped on my own comments as I believe there are other variables at play.

Many stations offering Christmas music almost always see a nice bounce in the ratings. This is especially true in PPM markets. It's tempting to do but ratings bonanzas are not guaranteed. I saw that in Jacksonville where a fairly new classic hits station flipped extremely early to Christmas music. The listeners were furious as evidence by the social media pages. The ratings actually declined only to rebound the week prior to Christmas.

In West Palm Beach, it's great seeing Hubbard Radio has not flipped Classic Hits WEAT-FM (Sunny 107.9) to the Christmas format. As some of you may know, Hubbard flipped "Sunny" from AC to Classic Hits earlier this year. Sunny had a long tradition of playing holiday tunes from early November to even after Christmas.

I would think WOSN will flip to Christmas music just before or just after Thanksgiving. While it may be tempting to go all Christmas, there's a lot to consider when flipping to the Christmas format. Just like investment advice, results may vary and are not guaranteed by prior performance. Then there's the mood of the people. It's certainly a variable. Impeachment proceedings during the holiday season are stirring up lots of emotions. The holiday books in PPM markets may tell a story or maybe not.

 

[Alex Browne]

WEAT went all-Christmas at 12 noon today.

 

[John FL]

WEAT went all-Christmas at 12 noon today.

Appreciate the info!

It's an interesting move to say the least. I wasn't too clear in my first post, but I suspected WEAT (Sunny 107.9 )would have waited a bit longer as their classic hits brand is still young. This has been one of the most unusual classic hits formats I've ever come across. It's not the playlist that's in question but it's the branding. It's all remained the same, including the logo. "Sunny" is a long-term AC brand for the Palm Beaches but now it's classic hits.

Anyway, this is the moment it happened per Sunny's FB page.

http://bit.ly/35soDvu

Perhaps tradition has won out. WEAT has been doing Christmas music starting in November for like forever so maybe listeners were expecting this. Given the audience reaction so far, the move may be the right one. With West Palm a PPM market, the ratings will tell all.

 

[John FL]

AC WEJZ in Jacksonville went all Christmas a couple days ago. Reaction, at least via social media, has been mixed. There are those who simply don't want to hear Christmas/holiday tunes prior to Thanksgiving. How much merit does radio place in comments they receive, whether good or bad?

If you're seeking good restaurant or plan on buying a product, you'll often find consumer reviews in that search. I find most reviews can lead to indecision. Often it seems, reviews can go all over the map. Radio management makes decisions all the time. I would think 'knee jerk reactions" are the worst kind of decision. As has been discussed in other boards, the decision to go all Christmas, especially in PPM markets, has a lot to do with corresponding to the measurement that corresponds to the holiday book. That date changes year-to-year.

In the first post, I briefly mentioned a Jax, now defunct, classic hits station that went all Christmas very early. In fact, it was just a few days after Halloween. That flip was probably a 'Hail Mary Pass.' There was hoping for the best but if failed miserably. This was in 2011. WEJZ, likewise joined the fray a few days later as well. Many on the boards said it was all about not giving a competitor the edge. From what the ratings said, it was apparent the average listener said 'Bah, Humbug.' WEJZ's holiday book that year was far from its best.

WEJZ has an AC competitor in Easy 102.9 (WEZI-FM) Last year, Easy did not go all Christmas until Christmas Eve but instead featured a few Yule tunes here and there closest to the holiday. This was a strategy and one that I believe worked in the long run. While WEJZ trounced Easy in the holiday book, WEZI saw most of 2019 in an upswing. There were listener impressions made and I bet some of that could be traced back to the holiday season.

In West Palm Beach, former AC and now Classic Hits WEAT-FM (Sunny 107.9) and AC WOLL (Kool 105.5) were always in a holiday music battle. As of this writing, Kool is still doing regular programing. It's a decision made and probably an understandable one. In short order, WOLL will go all Christmas whenever they plan on doing it. I think any formatting sounds better when it's not rushed.

As of this writing as well, WOSN-FM (97.1 Ocean FM) is still doing regular programing. Last year at this time, they had been doing the Christmas format for almost 2 weeks. Their shares have gone down since. A connection? It's hard to tell in diary markets but their upward trend did come to a halt.

Then there's the variable of snowbirds. In the Vero Beach area, the population appears to double during "the season." On the surface, one would think snowbirds, by nature, are in Florida and other warm parts of the country, to escape from the snow, ice and cold temps. I wonder how they really feel about hearing so many songs that talk of winter wonderlands and freezing?

 

[TheBigA]

How much merit does radio place in comments they receive, whether good or bad?

That's a fair question. Some people complain to complain. With Facebook and message boards, complaining is easy to do. Plus when you complain, other people see your complaints, and then comment and vote on your complaint. It becomes its own thing, separate from actually listening to the radio. Radio stations put their faith in actions, not words, and the way they track actions is with the ratings. The ratings show that Christmas music in November will attract more people than the normal format. And it also shows that the small number of people who object will return in January.

I wonder how they really feel about hearing so many songs that talk of winter wonderlands and freezing?

The same question could be asked about romantic songs of young love that reflect a time gone by. They're not in that life group any more, they're not living that lifestyle, yet those songs bring back a nostalgia of times past. In you listen to the lyrics of songs like The Christmas Song, with "Jack Frost nipping at your nose," they're not necessarily sung in the present tense. So for the snowbirds, the songs bring back memories of playing in the snow, with the relief that they made an active decision to escape that experience in their golden age.

 

[John FL]

That's a fair question. Some people complain to complain. With Facebook and message boards, complaining is easy to do. Plus when you complain, other people see your complaints, and then comment and vote on your complaint. It becomes its own thing, separate from actually listening to the radio. Radio stations put their faith in actions, not words, and the way they track actions is with the ratings. The ratings show that Christmas music in November will attract more people than the normal format. And it also shows that the small number of people who object will return in January.

The same question could be asked about romantic songs of young love that reflect a time gone by. They're not in that life group any more, they're not living that lifestyle, yet those songs bring back a nostalgia of times past. In you listen to the lyrics of songs like The Christmas Song, with "Jack Frost nipping at your nose," they're not necessarily sung in the present tense. So for the snowbirds, the songs bring back memories of playing in the snow, with the relief that they made an active decision to escape that experience in their golden age.

As an industry, radio spends a good deal on research. I'm confident that in most instances, decisions guiding WHEN or even IF to launch holiday music programing is analyzed thoroughly. My message has been and remains - holiday music formatting is no guarantee for success.

While I agree, many stations see an uptick in listening when they feature holiday tunes, we're dealing with many variable including the public. In my view, they are not the easiest to measure.

I'm assuming you are from New York given your handle but regardless, I know you are familiar with the old WPLJ. As I recall, they went all Christmas for perhaps a number of years against the established holiday music AC juggernaut WLTW. Where did that get them? We hear a good deal about double digit numbers in certain market, especially PPM, but there's often someone else in that market that jumps into holiday programing too. It's the nature of the beast. While many stations can call themselves "the official holiday music station," the ratings usually say there's one truly dominant station doing it in that market. Of course, there's always those one-off exceptions. I find all of this fascinating.

Today (11/25) at 5 PM, AC WLYF in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market goes all Christmas music. There has been an on and off approach to featuring holiday music in S. Florida. It's not the easiest market to pull off. The almost always warm weather there may make it challenging. Maybe it's the highly diverse market too. WLYF has seen its once long dominant position in the market seriously challenged and impacted by AC WFEZ (Easy 93.1) So now WLYF calls itself the official holiday music station. I believe this is the second year they are doing that. Last year, they closed the 'share' gap. So, there's not doubt, to your point that featuring wall-to-wall holiday music sees audience increases. But as in anything, it has to be done right or listeners won't bother.

Similarly in Tampa, WDUV (The Dove) was probably forced to go all-Christmas as a new competitor jumped in first. It's probably WDUV's hope that they can enter the new year stronger. The Dove is also not as good as they once were but their billing has improved. It's the ultimate Radio Catch 22 that's a subject for the Tampa board.

Anyways, there's a great deal of strategy at play. Sometimes things work and sometimes there are lessons learned.

 

[John FL]

iHeartMedia's WMGF-FM (Magic 107.7) Orlando recently flipped to the sounds of the season. I've often wondered why Orlando's 105-9 Sunny FM (WOCL-FM) has never gone that route, at least to my recollection. It got me thinking about how big Christmas/holiday programing has become. It wasn't always that way.

Sunny's calls are reminiscent of the time oldies formats were once mainstream and prominent. Many in the format had an 'O" somewhere in the calls. Sunny's 'sisters' such as WOMC in Detroit (Oldies for the Motor City) and the absolute best calls of all - KOOL- FM in Phoenix. Kudos to them for snagging those when they did. Can't forget Philly's WOGL-FML either. There's been many Cools/Kools I've come across over the years. There were many former oldies formats that didn't transition to classic hits over time. I recall another COOl FM brand in Jacksonville - WKQL-FM.

The first time I ever experienced wall-to-wall holiday tunes was in November, 2004 in Jacksonville. Overall, the listener reaction was positive based on listener calls to the station. Remember this was 2004. I was a bit suspicious. When I contacted the station, the jocks and even the PD told me it was a way of bringing new listeners on board with the hope many would remain. So even I fell for it. But the holiday tunes were just a Trojan Horse. The station flipped on Christmas Day. Most of the air-team was fired on Christmas Day. I put that saga in the doesn't that stink file. It was one of radio's low points.

For a while, flips to Christmas formats could raise anxiety levels and concerns. Today, under-performing stations that flip to all Christmas don't even hide the fact that something else is coming. Typical listeners have even wised up to the practice. I've seen comments to that effect in social media.

As I also think about Orlando's Sunny FM, they have long done their own thing. There was a time both the AC format AND Oldies/Classic Hits could be counted on featuring holiday music of some sort. What lasted for a long time was featuring one holiday tune, maybe two, an hour starting in early December. With each new week the frequency of the airings grew. Usually Christmas Eve saw a 24 hour all holiday music feature that went jockless. It was about the only way live and local talent could get some time off to enjoy the holiday.

What has changed is the nature of formatting. AC, with its large female audience, has become the "Official Holiday Music Station" in most markets. Many classic hits stations, a number of years ago, did the same. Virtually all of the former CBS Radio's Classic Hits formats flipped to holiday programing. Orlando's WOCL was the exception. They always did their own thing and were given the latitude to do it.

Classic Hits formats are not what they were even five years ago. I'm not referring specifically to the "sweet spot" age of the songs but rather to the mix of music. There is a today a well-pronounced rock lean. It's not the pop/disco/soul /rock 'n roll mix of yesteryear. Classic Hits formats attract way more men to it than who tune into AC. It may not even serve the station well to go all holiday. In my view, one of the best stations doing the Christmas format was WOGL. So many unique songs, it was quite creative and I certainly miss the vibe of that station.

Much continues to change. But all the analyzing etc. that goes into when or if to go all Christmas is likely given serious consideration.

 

[John FL]

"Christmas on the Ocean" has once again returned to 97.1 Ocean FM (WOSN-FM) here on The Treasure Coast. As I mentioned in the first post, this station went wall-to-wall holiday sound over two weeks earlier last year. We can speculate as to why the change but this year we've seen a number of varied launch dates. So to answer the thread subject, "When to Christmas," there's probably all sorts of analysis behind the decision. Still, I believe it must be a sound decision.

WOSN's holiday playlist is a cut above many. In a prior post, I mentioned how much I enjoyed Philadelphia's WOGL's holiday programing because of its unique titles mixed in with the standard fare. WOSN is like that too. In fact, I heard a number of Motown/soul artist gems that are shunned elsewhere. Unfortunately, diary markets have limitations. There is no holiday book. I'd be curious to see what impacts, if any, occurs. I feel "The Ocean" would probably show higher numbers in PPM. It's my favorite local radio station when I'm not listening to satellite radio.

As of this writing, West Palm's AC WOLL has not flipped to all Christmas. I believe WEAT-FM has long held the edge with the holiday tunes. WOLL can't be too far behind.

Holiday formatting has seemed to take on a life of its own. We don't hear much about other formats outside of AC and some Classic Hits stations that feature holiday music. There's artists who are featured on Urban and Country formats who have holiday albums. It's amazing how many artists/bands have ventured into holiday music. It may be something their fans expect. It would be nice to know what other formats do during the holiday season. I suspect there may be a mix or regular format and holiday tunes. It wouldn't be good radio if every station ditched regular programing. There are listeners who seek alternatives!

The holiday season is here. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

 

[John FL]

Since my last post, a number of variety-based classic hits stations have added some holiday music into the mix. They haven't gone wall-to-wall but offering a few selections each hour. I would think it all plays into strategy.

What's true, whether we are discussing Florida radio or radio across the country, is there is usually an established AC going all out with holiday programing. These holiday books tend to get very lopsided. For any business or listener who enjoys the format, their sheer numbers can make for a challenging start of the year for other female friendly formats that aren't THE holiday station.

If there are any surprises, so far in Florida, is that West Palm's AC WOLL-FM is only playing a holiday tune here or there. There have been some changes at the station this year so perhaps they are opting to stay the course. What's not surprising is Orlando's Classic Hits WOCL-FM is still doing their regular playlist, despite the approaches many of their sister stations are doing. Again, not surprising. The station has had probably their best year ever so they aren't messing with success.

For Florida's two major "Easy" brands, both Jacksonville and Miami have decided to mix in holiday tunes along with the regular playlist. Both stations are up against a 100% holiday format competitor. The station to watch is Miami's WFEZ. They are so good and have gotten it very well together that I doubt the holiday book will see them trounced big time. Jacksonville's Easy is not in the same league but they have made some good strides.

There's been many posts on this subject on the various boards, perhaps too many. So, the ratings will tell the full story. It's usually always interesting and sometimes surprising in some markets too.

For those of you who enjoy my annual holiday season "reflections" post, I plan on presenting that sometime next week. It will be my final one. Hopefully, it will be interesting but this one promises to be different too.