In this time of the year where radio stations flip to 24/7 Christmas music, I was wondering which radio stations play the best variety of Christmas music? I find that most stations (especially iHeartRadio stations) have a tight Christmas playlist, but some like WRCH has songs that can't be heard elsewhere.
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What are the best Christmas music stations?
- Thread starter marce90
- Start date
Try WQPW/95.7 Valdosta (my #1 personal favorite online), they've got an immense holiday playlist. Lots of different genres plus some unusual remixes of holiday favorites. '95.7 The Mix'
KQZB/Troy, ID (near Pullman WA) is another favorite of mine with a huge playlist. They are the only station I've heard that plays Paul Simon's 'Getting Ready for Christmas Day,' and anything from the Christian group Avalon, or Michelle Williams/Destiny's Child. They are 'Hits 100.'
Other great choices are KARY/Yakima (my local, Cherry FM), KZTP/Sibley IA (near Worthington, MN - 104.3 the Party), and KLIQ/Hastings, NE (The Breeze). Yes, KZTP is a Top 40 with the 'Party' moniker but they flip to Xmas every year.
Tell me about the tight playlists. KRWM Seattle used to have a really good playlist of holiday music a few years ago - rare stuff from Gloria Estefan, Kenny Loggins, Babyface, Dolly Parton (and not just Hard Candy Xmas either). Hubbard tightened the playlist and now airs the same songs every 3 hours. I haven't even heard the novelty stuff yet (like 'Christmas in the Northwest' or 'Sippin' in Seattle's Latte Land').
KQZB/Troy, ID (near Pullman WA) is another favorite of mine with a huge playlist. They are the only station I've heard that plays Paul Simon's 'Getting Ready for Christmas Day,' and anything from the Christian group Avalon, or Michelle Williams/Destiny's Child. They are 'Hits 100.'
Other great choices are KARY/Yakima (my local, Cherry FM), KZTP/Sibley IA (near Worthington, MN - 104.3 the Party), and KLIQ/Hastings, NE (The Breeze). Yes, KZTP is a Top 40 with the 'Party' moniker but they flip to Xmas every year.
Tell me about the tight playlists. KRWM Seattle used to have a really good playlist of holiday music a few years ago - rare stuff from Gloria Estefan, Kenny Loggins, Babyface, Dolly Parton (and not just Hard Candy Xmas either). Hubbard tightened the playlist and now airs the same songs every 3 hours. I haven't even heard the novelty stuff yet (like 'Christmas in the Northwest' or 'Sippin' in Seattle's Latte Land').
oldies76
Star Participant
The best "station" with the best Christmas music is your own. Fire up your laptop and enjoy. No repeats, no commercials and playing them your way without the aggravation of hearing played-to-death songs you dislike. I'll generally tune into a radio station a few weeks before Christmas to hear a few songs, but my personal collection will take over the week leading up to Christmas Eve. Nothing better than a homemade playlist to your household's liking, ending with "Silent Night" at midnight. Yes, call me traditional and the way I've done it for many, many years. More people should seriously do the same. Christmas 2017 was great! I could care less what a corporation would want me to listen to. Come that night, they are instant tuneouts. There are only so many times one can endure that Mariah Carey song or that junk by Elmo & Patsy.
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The best stations of course are those that promote the following:
*The widest mixture of songs from all genres and eras
*Providing a pretty even mix of each song rather than having certain ones overplayed (Mariah Carey, I'm looking at you)
*Provide a proper seasonality by waiting until Thanksgiving and then gradually fading out between Christmas and New Year's Eve instead of pressing the Scrooge button at Midnight December 26
*Have proper contests relating to the season while promoting festive events
Looking back at 2019 and the most recent years, I've noticed quite a drop off in many midcentury titles in rotation and a trend toward a lot more 1990s to now recordings. It wasn't that long ago that Charles Brown's rendition "Please Come Home For Christmas" was at least equally recognized as The Eagles. But then that 2013 remaster especially but the former into the rotation, and only a small handful of stations spun the 1960 version written by Mr. Brown himself this year. Barry Gordon's (yes Xennials, that's Donatello from TMNT), "Nuttin For Christmas" was only played by WCIL and WYJB, the Andrews Sisters "Christmas Island" hasn't been played for at least several years, "Christmas In Killarney", "I Fell Out Of A Christmas Tree', and "The Marvelous Toy" are other former chestnuts that have disappeared from rotation. Yes, just like oldies radio, certain songs can fall out of favor.
In terms of the "Scrooge" button, I'd say about two-thirds of all stations going all-Christmas flipped back at midnight 12/26, with a few pressing stop as early as 6 PM (WKJY in Long Island), with others phasing out their festive stuff in the late afternoon/evening. A few stations like KDFC do plan to keep the spirit alive through New Year's Eve, and of course there's always satellite radio that keeps it like that.
Then you had WWNQ of Columbia, South Carolina play an all-country format for Christmas, which like some Christian stations with religious fare, can provide a specialized format that isn't what you'll typical see on the AC Station. Also, I expect the playlist of a Classic Hits station to vary compared to a Hot AC; the former is '60s-'80s based with a sprinkling of '40s-'50s and a few '90s, with Hot AC being younger ('80s-'90s centric with some New Millenium songs and some '70s, but not to the point where it should totally abandon "Holly Jolly Christmas" or "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'.
Now when the Christmas playlist starts to sound like WHTZ (with "All I Want For Christmas Is You" the oldest song in the rotation), then it will be time to cry.
*The widest mixture of songs from all genres and eras
*Providing a pretty even mix of each song rather than having certain ones overplayed (Mariah Carey, I'm looking at you)
*Provide a proper seasonality by waiting until Thanksgiving and then gradually fading out between Christmas and New Year's Eve instead of pressing the Scrooge button at Midnight December 26
*Have proper contests relating to the season while promoting festive events
Looking back at 2019 and the most recent years, I've noticed quite a drop off in many midcentury titles in rotation and a trend toward a lot more 1990s to now recordings. It wasn't that long ago that Charles Brown's rendition "Please Come Home For Christmas" was at least equally recognized as The Eagles. But then that 2013 remaster especially but the former into the rotation, and only a small handful of stations spun the 1960 version written by Mr. Brown himself this year. Barry Gordon's (yes Xennials, that's Donatello from TMNT), "Nuttin For Christmas" was only played by WCIL and WYJB, the Andrews Sisters "Christmas Island" hasn't been played for at least several years, "Christmas In Killarney", "I Fell Out Of A Christmas Tree', and "The Marvelous Toy" are other former chestnuts that have disappeared from rotation. Yes, just like oldies radio, certain songs can fall out of favor.
In terms of the "Scrooge" button, I'd say about two-thirds of all stations going all-Christmas flipped back at midnight 12/26, with a few pressing stop as early as 6 PM (WKJY in Long Island), with others phasing out their festive stuff in the late afternoon/evening. A few stations like KDFC do plan to keep the spirit alive through New Year's Eve, and of course there's always satellite radio that keeps it like that.
Then you had WWNQ of Columbia, South Carolina play an all-country format for Christmas, which like some Christian stations with religious fare, can provide a specialized format that isn't what you'll typical see on the AC Station. Also, I expect the playlist of a Classic Hits station to vary compared to a Hot AC; the former is '60s-'80s based with a sprinkling of '40s-'50s and a few '90s, with Hot AC being younger ('80s-'90s centric with some New Millenium songs and some '70s, but not to the point where it should totally abandon "Holly Jolly Christmas" or "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'.
Now when the Christmas playlist starts to sound like WHTZ (with "All I Want For Christmas Is You" the oldest song in the rotation), then it will be time to cry.
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This year it was:
- KKRB Klamath Falls (enough said about this one)
- KVGQ Las Vegas (A surprise. Much wider playlist on Q106.9 than the other Christmas station two notches below them. I heard Eric Clapton's new stuff, Luther Vandross, Brian McKnight, Babyface, lots of old and new mixed in, even some CHR/pop Christmas stuff.)
- WSBZ Fort Walton Beach (at least on Xmas Eve/Day, they had the Smooth Jazz Christmas with a fantastic assortment of mostly instrumental holiday tunes from Dave Koz, Michael Lington, Boney James, etc. A few vocals but all smooth jazz/R&B ones.)
It seems like right at 12/24 and 12/25, when many stations flip temporarily, especially those in smaller towns or those that don't play Adult Contemporary music, the holiday playlists are wide - and it shows. KOZI Chelan was like that, with Anne Murray followed by a new age holiday instrumental, and everything else in between that will never see the light of day on holiday formats.
- KKRB Klamath Falls (enough said about this one)
- KVGQ Las Vegas (A surprise. Much wider playlist on Q106.9 than the other Christmas station two notches below them. I heard Eric Clapton's new stuff, Luther Vandross, Brian McKnight, Babyface, lots of old and new mixed in, even some CHR/pop Christmas stuff.)
- WSBZ Fort Walton Beach (at least on Xmas Eve/Day, they had the Smooth Jazz Christmas with a fantastic assortment of mostly instrumental holiday tunes from Dave Koz, Michael Lington, Boney James, etc. A few vocals but all smooth jazz/R&B ones.)
It seems like right at 12/24 and 12/25, when many stations flip temporarily, especially those in smaller towns or those that don't play Adult Contemporary music, the holiday playlists are wide - and it shows. KOZI Chelan was like that, with Anne Murray followed by a new age holiday instrumental, and everything else in between that will never see the light of day on holiday formats.
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