The Case For Christmas Music

Every year we do it.

Every year, we get both complaints and compliments.

“It” is flipping to an “all Christmas music” format from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day.

When first attempted about 6 years ago, it was novel, a bit daring---and very controversial. We received A LOT of complaints—and braced ourselves for a big drop in audience as a result.

And then a funny thing happened.

The ratings went up. A lot.

Since then, several competitors across New England have copied the strategy, although 94.9 WHOM remains the dominant station for the holiday tunes. The complaints have gone WAY down—and people start asking about when we’ll be going “all Christmas” starting in late October.

We still do get some complaints—most focused around the following points:

1) Why do you start on Thanksgiving Day?

We used to start the day after, but to many people, Thanksgiving Day is the traditional start of the Christmas season. It’s not a Turkey that rides last in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It’s Santa Claus. Since we also play generic “holiday” songs, like Kenny Loggins’ “Celebrate Me Home”, it could be argued that we are not at all “disrespecting” Thanksgiving or overlooking it. Since the only “Thanksgiving song” I know of is by Adam Sandler (and WHOM doesn’t play it), I would state that an all-holiday format is way more appropriate than our regular format. In the past, we did make the mistake of going too early (the week of Thanksgiving)—and you let us know about it! That said, there were radio stations playing all-holiday music at the start of November. (I’m not kidding!) If you’ll notice, most retail stores are fully decorated for Christmas immediately after Halloween.

2) Why ALL Christmas? Why not “sprinkle them in”?

That’s the way we used to do it. From one song an hour, gradually working up to all Christmas by the couple of days before the 25th. The audience drove this one, preferring 100% commitment. It was this research which made 94.9 WHOM take the plunge the first time.

3) Why not more “religious” songs in the mix?

Hey, it’s not our fault that “Dominic The Donkey” is our #1 request! While we do play the religious titles like “Joy To The World” and “Oh Holy Night”, we have ample evidence to suggest that they must coexist with a heavy dose of “Rockin’ Around The Xmas Tree” and “Jingle Bells”. As we get closer to the Christmas Day, the percentage of the religious versus “secular” songs goes up, particularly when we program our commercial-free “Home For The Holidays”—36 hours of nonstop Christmas music from noon on 12/24 through the 25th.

4) Why do you STOP at midnight on the 25th?

Good question. Many people think we should play holiday music through New Years Day, but since most songs are about Christmas specifically—and since a lot of people are tired of the holiday tunes after a month, we have made the decision to stop then.

5) What about the audience that HATES Christmas music?

This is the hardest part. Even though we know the audience growth is without question much higher during the all-Christmas format, we also know that it is definitely NOT for everyone. That said, we get a few—“we’ll be back on the 26th!” e-mails. I totally respect that—and in the future, we hope to have a “non-holiday” stream up at www.949whom.com for those who would choose to listen online to our regular format.

6) What is your stance on “Christmas” versus “holiday”?

As you can see from above (and on the air as well), we use both interchangeably. There are some stations that go all Christmas—and are deathly afraid to say “Christmas” on the air for fear of alienating someone. Here at 94.9 WHOM, we are not at all “politically correct” as far as that is concerned. There are some songs that are truly “Christmas” tunes (“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”) and those that are merely “holiday” tunes ( “Winter Wonderland”, “Sleigh Ride”, etc) We use both terms.

7) Why do you play the SAME songs over and over again?

This is a common complaint for all music stations all year long. Oddly enough, the audience is driving this one too. Study after study, huge auditorium tests where parts of hundreds of songs are played for thousands of people have yielded the same results, no matter which city they are performed.

Namely, the audience wants the hits. We play several versions of “The Christmas Song” for example, but the most popular version BY FAR is the original by Nat King Cole. A local band doing their version (usually badly produced) of the same song is bewildered when I tell them I won’t air their song. Why? The audience is telling me something totally different. Listening to the audience and giving them what they want is my one and only mission.

Nothing says “BAD MUSIC” like the holiday season. I personally get inundated with CDs from all over the country—from major acts to local singer/songwriters—all of whom believe they’ve penned and performed the next “White Christmas”. Frankly, much of it is horrible.

There are a few (and I will admit very few) that rise above the others. The Windham Chamber Singers debut Christmas CD years ago is unbelievably good. Top notch performances and production/sound quality that stands up to anything coming out of a major label recording studio. From New Hampshire, The McClenathans original “This Christmas Eve” is a winner—and we get requests for this song. There are others, local, regional and national—and we add many new songs each year. An original title stands a better chance of “making it” than someone’s cover of a Christmas classic.


OK, that’s about it….

This blog was meant to be an “idea starter” for the format, which is constantly evolving and being updated. New songs are on this year, from major stars like Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, Susan Boyle and others. There may also be a new “local” song that gets a few spins as well.

We are gratified at the ongoing positive feedback we have received—and if you’ve been on the opposite end of the spectrum, we appreciate your honest criticism.

Here’s hoping that you have a wonderful Holiday season.
Merry Christmas!

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com