Is it just me or does it seem like we've been listening to Christmas music on the radio since June? The stations that start playing all Christmas music all the time, way too early, do so because Arbitron ratings show that it works - it produces big numbers. Here in New York, Lite-FM (WLTW) started playing 24 hours of Christmas music around or maybe even before Thanksgiving. While it may produce results, it not only tunes out those that prefer their Christmas music a bit closer to Christmas - say December, or those that would rather hear the regular fare offered by music radio stations. Thankfully, there are stations that are more sensible about jumping the holiday season with their music...
One such station is WCBS-FM which is only playing 2 Christmas songs an hour. Since CBS-FM has similar, if not better, ratings than WLTW, are they playing with fire by being more conservative with their Christmas music? I think not. If you believe that most people place music above everything else in their listening desires, what happens to a radio station when it plays nothing but Christmas music? Background music comes to mind...
Another station taking a conservative approach with their Christmas music is Connecticut's WEBE 108, a Cumulus affiliate. Like CBS-FM, WEBE is playing 2 seasonal songs per hour. What both stations are likely to do is increase the frequency of Christmas music to 4 an hour within the next week and do what we always used to do - from 4 an hour to every other song until Christmas eve. All Christmas music from Christmas eve until Noon on Christmas day. Made sense then, makes sense now...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1896] The roots of Radio: Guglielmo Marconi gives the public the first demonstration of radio at London’s Toynbee Hall. The following year he establishes the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company Ltd. in Chelmsford, England (12/12)…
2.1953] Published on this date: Hugh Hefner publishes the first Playboy (featuring a photo of Marilyn Monroe) with an initial investment of $7,600 (12/10)…
3.1958] The first commercial jet: 111 passengers fly from New York to Miami on a National Airlines Boeing 707 (12/10). Here's the Pan Am version...
4.1964] “Happy Trails“: Sam Cooke is fatally shot at the Hacienda Motel in LA under mysterious circumstances. The legendary singer would have been 34 in one month (12/11)…
5.1967] “Happy Trails“ Too: 26-year old Otis Redding is killed along with most of the Bar-Kays in a small plane crash in Wisconsin (12/10)…
6.1971] Worst baseball trade: That’s what Joseph (N.Y.Times) Durso calls it. The Mets send Nolan Ryan to the Angels for Jim Fregosi. Ryan pitches his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 7 no-hitters and the strikeout record while Fregosi hits .232 in his brief career with Mets (12/10)…
7.1981] Curtains: Muhammad Ali fights his last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick. Ali retires with a 56-5 record with 37 KO’s (12/11)…
8.1982] John Deere to the rescue: Mark Henderson uses a John Deere tractor to clear a spot in the snow for John Smith’s 33-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 3-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough. This game became known as the “Snow Plow Game” (12/12)…
9.1991] The end of a radio era: WNEW-AM signs off at 1130 on the dial, becoming Bloomberg business radio WBBR. Knowing this is coming, WQXR earlier adapts a similar WNEW style format as WQEW on December 2, 1991 (12/10)…
10.2008] Bernie Busted: Billionaire shyster Bernard ‘Bernie’ Madoff is arrested and charged with all kinds of fraud regarding investments made by others (12/11). In June, 2009 he is sentenced. Let’s see, with good behavior behind bars, Bernie should be getting out in, oh, about 150 - make that 149 years…
Music Memories:
- 1949] Recorded on this date: "The Fat Man" - Fats Domino (12/10)...1955] "See You Later Alligator" - Bill Haley & Comets (12/12). This was a cover of the original version by Bobby Charles...1958] "Charlie Brown" - Coasters (12/11)...
- 1964] Released on this date: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" - Righteous Brothers (12/12)...1971] "Anticipation" - Carly Simon (12/11)...1976] "Wings Over America" LP - Paul McCartney & Wings (12/10)...1984] "Do They Know It's Christmas" - Band-Aid (12/10). A benefit song for famine relief)...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (12/10) Bobby Flay (46), Nia Peeples (49), Sportswriter/reporter Tim Kurkjian (54), Susan Dey (58) and Chad (Chad & Jeremy) Stuart (69)...(12/11) Elizabeth Brady (39), Teri Garr (66), Brenda Lee (66), Lynda Day George (66), John Kerry (67), Donna Mills (68), David Gates (70), Tom Hayden (71) and Rita Moreno (79)...(12/12) Hank Williams III (XXXVIII), Jennifer Connelly (40), Mike Golic (48), Tracy Austin (48), Sheila E (53), Cathy Rigby (58), Dionne Warwick (70), Connie Francis (72), Ed (59th Street Bridge) Koch (86) and Bob Barker (87)...
Timeline Countdown: 11 days until winter, 13 days until Festivus, 15 days until Christmas, 21 nights until New Year's Eve and 29 days until the NFL Wild Card Playoffs...
