Music over the Christmas holiday

[frankberry]

Okay, folks ... I have another Christmas question for you:

Some radio stations 'ease' into Christmas music. They begin by playing a few holiday tunes per hour and increase the number every few days until they are airing nothing but Christmas music for the last couple of weeks leading up to Christmas.
Other stations go 'hole hog' and change their music format to Christmas all at once.

Almost universally, stations have a huge buildup to Christmas. They play the music and promote the holiday to death.
Suddenly, at 12 noon (or, perhaps 6 pm) on Christmas day, they pull the plug and go back to their regular format.
This practice leaves listeners with a really big post-Christmas letdown.

I'm wondering why stations don't continue playing the holiday music past Christmas, tapering off slowly over a week or two.

Your thoughts?

 

[staggmovie]

Okay, folks ... I have another Christmas question for you:

Some radio stations 'ease' into Christmas music. They begin by playing a few holiday tunes per hour and increase the number every few days until they are airing nothing but Christmas music for the last couple of weeks leading up to Christmas.
Other stations go 'hole hog' and change their music format to Christmas all at once.

Almost universally, stations have a huge buildup to Christmas. They play the music and promote the holiday to death.
Suddenly, at 12 noon (or, perhaps 6 pm) on Christmas day, they pull the plug and go back to their regular format.
This practice leaves listeners with a really big post-Christmas letdown.

I'm wondering why stations don't continue playing the holiday music past Christmas, tapering off slowly over a week or two.

Your thoughts?

Maybe because once Christmas over they believe people will be tired of it, now near me 93.9 MY FM played Christmas music all the way through New Year's Eve, where in the past Christmas music at one point they were called the Lite would move to their HD channel on December 26th and go until at least New Year's Eve and on their regular station they would return to 80's until now music. This year I am seeing by an e-mail their morning DJ will make a major Christmas music announcement on Monday at 8:25 AM (central time). Frankberry this is a good you will have to wonder to yourself and ask yourself, say if on January 14th which I figure if the first 2 weeks of the new year, wouldn't you be tired of hearing Christmas music by that point if radio stations are still playing it?

 

[TheBigA]

It's an interesting topic. I've studied a few stations that have tried to hold on to the holiday music after Christmas, and it doesn't get the same results. And sure, people are probably very tired of it by the 25th. But I wouldn't say that music on the radio is responsible for the letdown. It's more the letdown is responsible for the lack of holiday music. It could be reaction to the turkey, it could be the exhaustion from the Christmas eve sales and other Christmas eve activities. It could be all the relatives. It comes, it goes, and we're ready for the next event: New Years.

From the sales perspective, there's an instant switch that happens as well. We go from pre-Christmas sales to the post Christmas sales. Completely different sound and attitude. So the music changes to fit that new outlook, as we transition back to normalcy. Whatever that is.

 

[staggmovie]

I know it sounds childish but one good thing that you can take the advice of a song from Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, where Bob and the kids sing and sign a song called Keep Christmas with you, if you are not familiar with the song, here are the lyrics I got off of http://www.metrolyrics.com , I wish I can give proper credit to who published the lyrics on the website, but no credit is given there, but here are the lyrics

When Christmas time is over and presents put away, don't be sad
There'll be so much to treasure about this Christmas day and the fun we've had
So many happy feelings to celebrate with you
And, oh, the good times hurry by so fast,
But even when it's over there's something you can do to make Christmas last
Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
You can keep it near.
Think of this Christmas day
When Christmas is far away.
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Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.
Photos

hhSesame Street - artist photos
hhSesame Street - artist photos
hhSesame Street - artist photos
hhSesame Street - artist photos

Christmas means the spirit of giving
Peace and joy to you,
The goodness of loving,
The gladness of living;
These are Christmas too.


Read more: Sesame Street - Keep Christmas With You All Through The Year Lyrics | MetroLyrics

You can find the video of the song from the special right up on Youtube, And really enjoy it maybe more during whatever time you start really listening to Christmas music.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

This year, Christmas falls on a Monday. Lots of folks will be at work on Tuesday. If you're at work the day after Christmas, would you want to hear holiday tunes?

 

[staggmovie]

It's an interesting topic. I've studied a few stations that have tried to hold on to the holiday music after Christmas, and it doesn't get the same results. And sure, people are probably very tired of it by the 25th. But I wouldn't say that music on the radio is responsible for the letdown. It's more the letdown is responsible for the lack of holiday music. It could be reaction to the turkey, it could be the exhaustion from the Christmas eve sales and other Christmas eve activities. It could be all the relatives. It comes, it goes, and we're ready for the next event: New Years.

From the sales perspective, there's an instant switch that happens as well. We go from pre-Christmas sales to the post Christmas sales. Completely different sound and attitude. So the music changes to fit that new outlook, as we transition back to normalcy. Whatever that is.

That is one good thing to do is survey different radio stations that have tried to play Christmas music beyond December 25th, I am sure that you will get very different reasons as to why they stop. And you are saying what I am also saying that by the end of December and the next day, Christmas is considered over for another year. SO people will be tired of it, and also depending on when they start listening to Christmas music, whether in November, even say a music station makes the flip to Christmas music, or Thanksgiving weekend, or just after Thanksgiving.

 

[TheBigA]

The other factor that music chart reporters have to consider is getting the regular playlist back to normal for the charts. The record labels understand radio stations playing Christmas music until the 25th. And that kills the momentum the labels have for their current music. Some labels have lost songs over the holidays because radio stops playing their normal rotation. So if you're a popular radio station in a currents-based format, you feel some pressure to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Probably not so important if you're a classic hits non-reporter.

 

[staggmovie]

The other factor that music chart reporters have to consider is getting the regular playlist back to normal for the charts. The record labels understand radio stations playing Christmas music until the 25th. And that kills the momentum the labels have for their current music. Some labels have lost songs over the holidays because radio stops playing their normal rotation. So if you're a popular radio station in a currents-based format, you feel some pressure to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Probably not so important if you're a classic hits non-reporter.

And there is a good reason to me, and near me the station that will soon start playing wall to wall music is 93.9 FM so I have wonder if they have felt pressure to get back to their normal playlists which is to the last of my knowledge is music from the 1980s to now.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I don't understand why some stations will go all Christmas on Christmas eve or earlier, but then drop it completely in the middle of the day on Christmas. I think it would make more sense to do a gradual phase out after about 6 PM, but not comletely even then until midnight. WASL 100.1 Jack FM in Dyersburg, TN had what they called A Jacked Up Christmas on Christmas Eve, which I really liked, but they ended it too soon. On Christmas 2015 it ended some time early in the morning and was already over when I woke up. In 2016 it probably ended at about Noon. In either case to me it was too soon.

Something else that may make a difference is what day of the week Christmas falls on. If it is on Friday or Saturday I could see extending Christmas music through the weekend and phasing it out on Sunday.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I'm not ready for Christmas music to end all of a sudden. And my family doesn't get together until the day after because most of the family celebrates with the in-laws on the actual day.

 

[blackgold]

Most of the radio stations play the Christmas music until Midnight on Christmas night before easing back into their regular programming. I remember when WBZ-AM here in Boston would ease into the Christmas music over 3 weeks in December and go all out at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and continued until midnight Christmas night. WHDH-AM 850 would do 24 hours of Christmas music during the holiday itself. What I don't understand is why they played The Sports Huddle on Christmas Eve 1978!

 

[seatownmedia]

Christmas music is kind of like a kid on Christmas day. The buildup is huge, but then it is over. There are few withdrawal symptoms.

When I was programming Christmas music, we carried the programming to about 8pm on Christmas Day, then slowly tapered off till midnight and were back to regular format on the 26th. Seemed to work for us.

 

[oldies76]

Christmas Music needs to come in gradually and end gradually on the radio. The music should always begin the day after Thanksgiving, with 2-3 songs per hour, gradually increasing the first three weeks in December so that by the time December 18th arrives, it's non-stop thru Christmas Eve. The music should be played thru the Christmas holiday with regular songs easing in after 8pm that night. On December 26th, you are back to regular programming with some winter themed songs...ie...."Baby It's Cold Outside", "Winter Wonderland"....etc...a couple times an hour thru New Year's Day.

Radio stations playing Christmas songs non-stop between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are way too early for my tastes. It's overkill. The store I work at switches over on Black Friday, which for retail would seem appropriate.

 

[radiocph]

In Los Angeles, two stations (KOST 103.5 and KKGO 105.1) played nothing but Christmas music until Christmas Day. At the stroke of midnight, Dec 26, they switched back to their regular formats (KOST played two or three instrumental Christmas songs on the 26th though)

I think: we've been building up to Christmas since Thanksgiving, at least. After the 25th, we're kind of done with it. All the presents have been opened, the holiday food and drink consumed, etc. Now we have the "dead days" where nothing much happens until New Year's Eve....

 

[anotherguyTN]

I don't understand why some stations will go all Christmas on Christmas eve or earlier, but then drop it completely in the middle of the day on Christmas. I think it would make more sense to do a gradual phase out after about 6 PM, but not comletely even then until midnight. WASL 100.1 Jack FM in Dyersburg, TN had what they called A Jacked Up Christmas on Christmas Eve, which I really liked, but they ended it too soon. On Christmas 2015 it ended some time early in the morning and was already over when I woke up. In 2016 it probably ended at about Noon. In either case to me it was too soon.

This year WASL did a Jacked Up Christmas Christmas Eve, but ended it too soon again. When I tuned in probably around 11 AM they had gone back to the regular format, although they may have still had some Christmas songs mixed in.

 

[firepoint525]

Christmas Music needs to come in gradually and end gradually on the radio. The music should always begin the day after Thanksgiving, with 2-3 songs per hour, gradually increasing the first three weeks in December so that by the time December 18th arrives, it's non-stop thru Christmas Eve. The music should be played thru the Christmas holiday with regular songs easing in after 8pm that night. On December 26th, you are back to regular programming with some winter themed songs...ie...."Baby It's Cold Outside", "Winter Wonderland"....etc...a couple times an hour thru New Year's Day.

This is similar to what we did at most stations where I worked (the ones that had music formats, anyway). At one, we went wall-to-wall with it on what we now know as "black Friday," but just for that day. Otherwise, we programmed similarly to what you suggest, and went wall-to-wall with it (again, in the case of that one station) about a week before the big day. I would be okay with SOME Christmas tuneage after the holiday, but apparently I am in a minority there. (But then again, I don't want to hear it between Halloween and Thanksgiving, either. We still have days with temps in the 70s and 80s that time of year! I may even still be doing yardwork during that time!)

Radio stations playing Christmas songs non-stop between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are way too early for my tastes. It's overkill. The store I work at switches over on Black Friday, which for retail would seem appropriate.

You work retail? You have my sympathies. I remember being subjected to a lot of instrumental Christmas music back when I worked at Wal-Mart.

Back when I could stand to listen to top 40 radio, I liked the week between Christmas and New Year's because that was when the station near me at the time did its year-end-review, playing back the year's biggest hits, in preparation for the countdowns of the year's biggest hits. I always enjoyed that week!

 

[firepoint525]

This year WASL did a Jacked Up Christmas Christmas Eve, but ended it too soon again. When I tuned in probably around 11 AM they had gone back to the regular format, although they may have still had some Christmas songs mixed in.

I didn't specifically listen to our JACK here in Nashville during that time, but I recall that they once referred to the week between Christmas and New Year's as "the biggest goof-off week of the year," or something like that.

What did your "Jack" do during Christmas? I don't even recall ours playing any Christmas songs! And I definitely tuned in there to get away from Christmas music on other stations.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I didn't specifically listen to our JACK here in Nashville during that time, but I recall that they once referred to the week between Christmas and New Year's as "the biggest goof-off week of the year," or something like that.

What did your "Jack" do during Christmas? I don't even recall ours playing any Christmas songs! And I definitely tuned in there to get away from Christmas music on other stations.

It was mostly pop and rock Christmas music that would fit the Jack format. About the oldest things were Elvis and the Beach Boys.

 

[firepoint525]

It was mostly pop and rock Christmas music that would fit the Jack format. About the oldest things were Elvis and the Beach Boys.

So they went wall-to-wall with it? The last time that I can recall our Jack going wall-to-wall with anything was on "one-hit wonder day," when they played a number of one-hit wonders. Of course, not all of them were "true" one-hit wonders, but that is a topic for another day.

 

[golden eagles97]

IHeartRadio's Mix 99.9 is still all-Christmas. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" doesn't work for me after Christmas. "Winter Wonderland" or non-specific Christmas songs would go over much better.