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KOST Goes All Christmas Friday

From P1 Media Group: America's Top Testing Christmas Songs - 2018

Survey taken in early November 2018 of Adults 25-54 in Top 50 PPM Markets.
40 songs tested were the Top 40 most-played in 2017.

Results at link below:

http://p1mediagroup.com/christmas/

Great to see this and results of an actual music test. Good to see some of the classics on here.
Thx for posting. My only question is what's the difference between "airplay rank" for 2017 and "test rank" for 2018, since Mariah Carey's song is ranked differently.
 
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From P1 Media Group: America's Top Testing Christmas Songs - 2018

Survey taken in early November 2018 of Adults 25-54 in Top 50 PPM Markets.
40 songs tested were the Top 40 most-played in 2017.

Results at link below:

http://p1mediagroup.com/christmas/

A lot of interesting stuff there.

-- The Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" gets its highest approval percentage from the 25-34 segment, the one farthest removed from the time the song came out.

-- John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" does best in 35-44. It also gets a fairly low 3.33 percent "hate" number, which I guess means his "more famous than Jesus" remark and personal atheism have been forgotten or forgiven by almost everyone. Surprising in these "culture war" days!

-- The test group likes Burl Ives' "Rudolph" more than it does Gene Autry's, but Autry's got far more airplay last year. I wonder if those numbers will result in greater exposure for Ives this year.

-- The high unfamiliarity score for "Do They Know It's Christmas" is unexpected. It's been a staple of Christmas playlists since it was released more than 30 years ago. I would have expected it to be overwhelmingly familiar 25-54, even at the upper end.

-- I never would have predicted that Cyndi Lauper/Frank Sinatra "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and the Jimmy Durante "Frosty the Snowman" would be the most popular versions of those songs, although I see that Bruce Springsteen's "Santa" is slightly more familiar, which is what I would have expected. I'm not sure I've even heard the other version, but then, my Christmas-format listening is limited.
 
The advertisers can't wait, nor can the target demographic -- female 25-54.
Apparently not for the advertisers who are (still) advertising on stations that have NOT gone all-Christmas just yet.
The numbers don't lie. When stations flip to Christmas, people who don't listen to those stations much the rest of the year make them their only choice through late December.
Every year, someone posts a statement like this, and every time, my response is always the same: so what? When you're the only show in town (doing all-Christmas music anyway), that isn't much to crow about. Aside from that, our AC is usually #1 all year anyway, so big deal; the all-Christmas argument is canceled out.
So far, radio has not found a date that's "too early," that is, one that will drive off more listeners than it will gain.
Definitely not true. Here in Nashville, we finally hit the "point of diminishing returns" when stations tried to go all-Christmas as early as Veterans' Day a couple of years ago. That didn't work, so now they are back to doing it around Thanksgiving day. I'm not sure how many listeners that ANY station has ON Thanksgiving day, but at least they finally dialed back the all-yule music somewhat.
 
-- The high unfamiliarity score for "Do They Know It's Christmas" is unexpected. It's been a staple of Christmas playlists since it was released more than 30 years ago. I would have expected it to be overwhelmingly familiar 25-54, even at the upper end.

It's familiar, but when it comes to traditional Christmas music, it will rank lower. Aside from some of the meaningful lyrics in that song, it's really not a memorable one compared to others on that list. I hardly ever play it.

Actually, I'm surprised it gotten so much airplay in recent years. Usually the "aid" songs don't fare well after initial release. Do we hear 1985's "We Are the World" today?
 
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Here in Nashville, we finally hit the "point of diminishing returns" when stations tried to go all-Christmas as early as Veterans' Day a couple of years ago. That didn't work, so now they are back to doing it around Thanksgiving day. I'm not sure how many listeners that ANY station has ON Thanksgiving day, but at least they finally dialed back the all-yule music somewhat.

Hopefully this is a trend. Our local AC station used to start in late October for years. This year.....November 16th, one week before turkey day. Now if we can get retailers to stop having Black Friday sales in July! There's only one "day after Thanksgiving" on the calendar.
 
Hopefully this is a trend. Our local AC station used to start in late October for years. This year.....November 16th, one week before turkey day. Now if we can get retailers to stop having Black Friday sales in July! There's only one "day after Thanksgiving" on the calendar.
Where do you live? Here in Nashville, it was just too warm in October (the local meteorologists dubbed it "hot-tober") for anyone here to even SUGGEST playing Christmas tuneage yet. I suspect that that is what is in play here: in other parts of the country, maybe it starts getting cool enough for them to start thinking about playing Christmas tunes. But here, it just ain't gonna happen!
 
Where do you live? Here in Nashville, it was just too warm in October (the local meteorologists dubbed it "hot-tober") for anyone here to even SUGGEST playing Christmas tuneage yet. I suspect that that is what is in play here: in other parts of the country, maybe it starts getting cool enough for them to start thinking about playing Christmas tunes. But here, it just ain't gonna happen!

Colorado Springs, Co. And the station I'm referring to locally is KKLI 106.3. They call themselves the "Christmas Music Station" once they begin playing those tunes.
 
Yes it has! Believe me this has been researched to death!





Why? Because they listened to what they want to listen to...and not what you want them to listen to? <puzzled>

#1 the first quote was not mine
#2 yes people ARE morons; the lowest common denominator who put up with multiple numbers of 8 minute stop sets of commercials; do YOU really think they are dying to hear ALL those commercials? Really? And the pablum they are served with music designed to appeal to just average people who use radio as a background to their life. This is why we have what is going on in the world (I'll just leave it there hahaha)
 
#1 the first quote was not mine
#2 yes people ARE morons; the lowest common denominator who put up with multiple numbers of 8 minute stop sets of commercials; do YOU really think they are dying to hear ALL those commercials? Really? And the pablum they are served with music designed to appeal to just average people who use radio as a background to their life. This is why we have what is going on in the world (I'll just leave it there hahaha)

Want me to weigh in?? Haha....Naah, I won't. I'll say this though, radio spots are a definite tuneout, especially when radio stations become "clever" and clump them into 12 minute blocks. That's 12+ miles on a freeway! No way Jose!
 
Want me to weigh in?? Haha....Naah, I won't. I'll say this though, radio spots are a definite tuneout, especially when radio stations become "clever" and clump them into 12 minute blocks. That's 12+ miles on a freeway! No way Jose!

Hahaha Eddie ! Listen, I hardly listen to radio stations that play commercials, I used to record them and then play back in my car and SKIP through those long commercial breaks. I know I'm (as you are) the Anomaly.
 
What is more likely is that, as a group, radio programmers and others in management that are very secular themselves have a natural (to them) aversion to playing the religious tracks.

Now, I can hear the howls of righteous indignation from our pros who will swear that radio only gives listeners what they want (and omits what they don't want) and we programmers are completely neutral about it. Sorry guys, that may be true some of the time, maybe even most of the time, but not all of the time. To say that editorial decisions are not made about what us mere listeners can and should be subject to are made all of the time. I will have more to say about this topic of radio programming/editorializing later in a more topic-focused post, perhaps in a new thread to give it the space it deserves.

Wait, you actually believe that a whole group of people go against their own business interests because--without evidence, mind you--you assume they're "secular" (whatever that means in this context) and are averse to the occasional Silent Night? Really?

That's tinfoil hat level conspiracy.
 
Wait, you actually believe that a whole group of people go against their own business interests because--without evidence, mind you--you assume they're "secular" (whatever that means in this context) and are averse to the occasional Silent Night? Really?

That's tinfoil hat level conspiracy.

Lot's of organizations go against their own business interests to further political aims. CNN is a current case study in such an affect. What was once a respected news organization that was a consistent cable ratings leader has thrown not only ratings and profit out the window, but also respectability by all rational thinkers by trying to be the most anti-Trump news organization and working hard every day to preserve such bona fides to their very liberal colleagues and (to use your term) tin foil hat audience. Their White House correspondent just got his press privilege taken away because he couldn't handle every day politeness, much less White House decorum when asking simple questions to the President. Believe me, he is bad for business, but his organization supports his antics 100%.

Also lots of individuals within organizations take it upon themselves to slant news, policies, etc. to suit their own personal beliefs and agendas via approved or non-approved methods. If you have never experienced this, I would suggest you probably have not spent very much time in the workplace because it goes on regularly. And lastly, yes a cabal of individuals across several, if not many, organizations can get together to use their combined power to alter the course of the national discourse, tastes, etc. I suggest, if you are not familiar, to research the "JournoList". Their existence was long denied and anyone who said such an organization existed was (falsely) labeled as a "conspiracist" or worse - all they way up until the time they were proven correct.

Like I said, I plan to put together a very thoughtful post on this topic in the future. I hope it will engender vigorous discourse about a very important topic, but most likely I will be castigated by those who prefer to argue ad hominem style as you have.
 
Lot's of organizations go against their own business interests to further political aims. CNN is a current case study in such an affect. What was once a respected news organization that was a consistent cable ratings leader has thrown not only ratings and profit out the window.... by trying to be the most anti-Trump news organization

Another perspective:

Ted Koppel mocks Brian Stelter: 'CNN’s ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump'

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...s-would-be-in-the-toilet-without-donald-trump


Journalism legend Ted Koppel mocked CNN’s Brian Stelter to his face on Monday, telling the “Reliable Sources” host that “CNN’s ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump.”

While on stage for a National Press Club panel discussion, Koppel attempted to make a point that many media executives admit Trump is good for ratings, as viewers on both sides of the aisle tune in to see the round-the-clock drama unfold.

Stelter responded by asking, “That means what? If ratings are up, that means what?”

Koppel – who anchored ABC News’ “Nightline” for 25 years and has been a working journalist for over four decades -- quickly answered.

“The ratings are up, it means you can’t do without Donald Trump. You would be lost without Donald Trump...”
 
Lot's of organizations go against their own business interests to further political aims. CNN is a current case study in such an affect. What was once a respected news organization that was a consistent cable ratings leader has thrown not only ratings and profit out the window, but also respectability by all rational thinkers by trying to be the most anti-Trump news organization and working hard every day to preserve such bona fides to their very liberal colleagues and (to use your term) tin foil hat audience.

CNN "lost it" long before it became as polarized as it is now. Seeing that MSNBC was rising, and viewing the financial success of Fox News, they decided to try to go after the MSNBC position. It was a business decision, obviously grounded in the belief that the "CNN" name was bigger than that newcomer, MSNBC.

CNN was wrong. They have not been able to compete with MSNBC, and their incompetence is shown in how they messed with Headline News and, at each step, made it less and less viewable.

CNN's problem has been in executing a strategy in a manner that has not been able to compete with others in the field. There is nothing wrong with the strategy, as their direct competitor has proven.

Brands that at one time were invaluable sometimes got into decline, while others become stronger. Coca-Cola, Kleenex, Band-Aid, Pampers, Charmin remain huge. Former stars like Burma-Shave and Ipana are forgotten. CNN is becoming the Brylcreem of cable networks.
 
Lot's of organizations go against their own business interests to further political aims.

Now you're going completely off topic. Stick to the point. Name all the religious Christmas songs with tempo that you believe radio isn't playing. As I said in my post (which you ignored), radio stations, especially in PPM markets, favor songs with tempo. The secular Christmas songs are mostly tempo songs. The religious ones are not. If you work at a station that mainly plays tempo songs about secular topics, why would you ignore all of the programming rules you know to play religious ballads? Here's a hint: It's not to further a political agenda. And I should also point out that all of these stations playing secular Christmas songs are getting HUGE ratings increases as a result. I would say they're doing exactly what their listeners want. If you are planning a thoughtful response, I hope you include some facts.
 
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BTW I notice the format flip to Christmas took place today, Friday, at 5PM. The first song was Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home.)

Looking at the music list, it looks similar to what they're playing at co-owned WLIT in Chicago. Hmmm.
 
If you work at a station that mainly plays tempo songs about secular topics, why would you ignore all of the programming rules you know to play religious ballads?

You can get away with it on December 24th, especially that evening. No need to hear that Band-Aid song. "Oh Holy Night" is much, much preferred and the audience would appreciate it.
 
Thx for posting. My only question is what's the difference between "airplay rank" for 2017 and "test rank" for 2018, since Mariah Carey's song is ranked differently.

What P1 Media Group did was take the top 40 most played songs of 2017 and tested *just* those 40 "most-played of 2017" songs in early November 2018.
Thus, they are the same 40 selections with 2 different rankings:

How the 40 selections ranked in airplay during the 2017 holiday season, and
how the same 40 selections ranked in music testing in November 2018.

I doubt that the #13 test rank in 2018 (versus its #1 airplay rank in 2017) for Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" will result in a major reduction in airplay for her song in 2018.
I'm sure that more research will be done to determine if there's any burnout factor for that (and other) mainstays of the season.
 
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