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Happy Holidays 2006

Holiday tunes are hot, hot, hot

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published December 14, 2006

PORTLAND, Maine - The holiday classics haven't changed that much - radio stations still turn to Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Burl Ives to spread yuletide cheer. But your chances of hearing them on the radio are growing fast.

About 400 stations from Maine to Hawaii are playing Christmas tunes around the clock to bring in listeners and advertising dollars. Portland has two stations competing over holiday listeners, and some cities have as many as five or six.

Most of the programming kicked off after Thanksgiving; the earliest station made the switch in October before trick or treaters made the rounds.

"It's gotten to the point of ridiculousness," said Tim Moore, operations manager at Portland's WHOM-FM, which began broadcasting its holiday programming on the day after Thanksgiving.

Americans can't get enough of it, said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, a trade publication owned by Clear Channel.

"Christmas music, for most people, puts a smile on your face. Even if you resist it for a while, you can't hold out forever," he said.

Behind the holiday cheer and goodwill are strong ratings: Portland's WHOM sees a 38 percent bump in the number of listeners after it switches its format from adult contemporary to 24/7 holiday music.

In New York City, WLTW-FM sees a 25 percent increase in listeners, said Jim Ryan, programming director.

At WHOM, it's Moore's responsibility to review the countless new holiday offerings each season. Most of them end up in the trash bin because they can't compete with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Let It Snow and other classics.

"It's a sad fact and a sad reality that there are 30 to 50 Christmas songs that research really well. We already know them," Moore said. "They don't want Clay Aiken's version of White Christmas. They want Bing Crosby, for the most part."

The holiday change can make sense for a radio stations as advertising flattens and listeners migrate to podcasts, MP3 players and satellite radio.

"A 30-day music format change is evidence of the need by radio stations to chase dollars in a shrinking ad environment," said Laura Martin, senior media analyst at Soleil Securities in Pasadena, Calif.

Holiday hits

Top 10 Christmas songs on radio stations during the week after Thanksgiving:

1. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, BrendaLee

2. A Holly Jolly Christmas, BurlIves

3. Jingle Bell Rock, BobbyHelms

4. Feliz Navidad, JoseFeliciano

5. The Christmas Song, NatKingCole

6. White Christmas, BingCrosby

7. Please Come Home For Christmas, TheEagles

8. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, AndyWilliams

9. Happy Xmas (War Is Over), JohnLennon

10. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, JohnnyMathis

Source: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 23:29:41]