All Christmas Music

[Bob Nelson]

--- Dan Billings <billings@suscom-maine.net> wrote:
> This trend has to be stopped!  If this keeps up,
> every station in every
> market will start playing all Christmas music around
> Columbus Day.

They're figuring on a quick ratings spike among
certain listeners, and figure the disgusted ones
will come back (...or will they?) once all returns
to normal on Dec. 26. But will the disenchanted
listeners "discover" the competition--and stay there?
For example, many WODS listeners have probably been
driven to WROR (though 'ROR is more classic hits than
oldies).

In the future, I don't think stations would start
all-Christmas any earlier
than Veteran's Day (in itself, an outrage!--one
station this year started on Nov 12); also, 
I wouldn't think _every_ station would change. In the
interest of counterprogramming, many stations will
NOT go all-Christmas and instead go on as usual...
maybe picking up some of the disenchanted ones
who tire quickly of Jingle Hell. Sure, as WROR 
is doing, these "anti-all-Christmas" stations
are doing a few cuts an hour of Yule but the fact that
they're still doing regular stuff could win
over some listeners.

If stations like WODS find their ratings bottoming out
after Christmas...don't expect them to pull this
again next year. They will know it isn't worth
the risk. (That's for stations who go back to
normal after Christmas; I don't know how many of
the all-Yule stations will actually change format
come the New Year).