Re: Christmas music

["David W. Harris" <dwh@totalnetnh.net>]

Marc Lemay remembered Christmases at WHTB (1400 Fall River):

"Hec Gauther (the PD/GM/Morning Man at the time) would MANUALLY program
every hour of programming...<snip>...He's probably doing the same again
this year...almost as much a tradition as the holiday itself..."

I was surprised to hear Mr. Gauthier doing his Happy Hec show on WSAR
(1480 Fall River) on Christmas morning, playing Christmas music and
taking calls from listeners.  If that wasn't live, somebody sure went to
a lot of trouble to make it sound live.

I was also surprised to find WBZ running its regular news format on
Christmas morning.  Upon reflection, I guess they stuck to format last
year as well but until recently 'BZ used to used to play music from
sometime Christmas Eve through Christmas Day, with newscasts on the
hour.

Monday morning  I heard many news/talk stations using wall-to-wall
Christmas music.  Among them: WPRO, WOR, WHJJ, WMEX, and WTIC.  Most
were using canned stuff like "A Christmas Festival of Music."  Instead
of sterner stuff, WBCN had a local jock with a mix of Christmas songs
and tracks from the regular playlist.  WABC had some locally produced
shows with their regular hosts (pre-recorded, I assume) playing holiday
tunes and reminiscing.  WSKO (790 Providence) was very faintly
simulcasting WPRO's music--signal strength was as usual but the
programming was woefully undermodulated.  When I checked in shortly
after 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., there was nothing but carrier; after 7
things were back to normal with sports talk on The Score.  On WICE (or
whatever The Buzz is now--550 Pawtucket) I heard a program with the
turgid title "Merry Christmas from Walt Disney World with Regis Philbin"
one hour followed by a return to regular programming the next hour
introduced thus: "Like a firm kick in the ass to Providence talk
radio..."  Ah, the true spirit of the season!