Even with the boxcar numbers that the music brings to the AC, Classic Hits, and Christian AC stations that go all-Christmas in November and December, there is still 75-80% of the radio audience listening to something else. For those stations, the advice has always been to just be your best self and remain consistent for any listeners seeking an alternative. “Why adjust for what others are doing?” asks AC veteran Jack Kratoville, speaking for many broadcasters.
That advice is never wrong. But is it enough? Christmas radio has usually flooded listening levels to the point where even maintaining existing usage would result in lower shares, such that even standing still is going backwards. Increasingly, AC stations’ gains are lasting longer into the new year, rather than reverting to normal on December 26. Besides, while 75-80% of the audience may be listening to something other than holiday hits, those listeners have 90% of the stations in their market to choose from.
Beyond that, a lot of AC’s current-based competitors aren’t in a place where they can wait out holiday music anymore. Even before AC numbers go stratospheric in the Holiday PPM ratings, it’s not uncommon to see CHR stations pushed into the 2-share range, or even successful Country outlets falling to the 3s and 4s in December. With CHR in particular, it is often March or April before I find myself writing about any of those stations rebounding.
Each year, there is speculation on whether holiday listening levels will be as humongous as in years past, particularly at a time when holiday music streaming beyond the radio dial is kicking in sooner than ever. Last year AC WLYF (Lite 101.5) Miami, having already been a late adapter for holiday music, decided to stay in regular format. This year, the UK’s Magic Radio has, thus far, left all-Christmas to its DAB sister Magic Christmas, a more viable option in the UK where side channels are bigger business than they are here. Significantly, Magic Christmas is hosted. It also competes with rival Heart Christmas.
That said, I usually end up writing the “this was not the year that Christmas fell off” article in mid-January even if the holiday station had only a 14-share. I also haven’t yet profiled the station that successfully made a big deal out of not going all-Christmas, although it’s interesting that the nightly syndicated CHR show Liveline has gotten only a relative handful of holiday requests so far, even at a moment when current hits seem dramatically upstaged by the holiday standards.
So how could stations that aren’t going Christmas remain their best selves while being more proactive? Having an event of your own helps. In the ’90s and early ’00s, Adult R&B WRKS (Kiss FM) New York’s all-Classic Soul “12 Days of Kissmas” was the rare holiday event that stood up to AC Christmas. (It might stand out less now that most Adult R&B stations are primarily gold-based.)
Non-commercial Triple-A WXPN Philadelphia’s annual Top 885 countdowns — this year spotlighting listeners’ favorite cover songs — have become a bigger deal with each year. Last year, WXPN was one of the few Philadelphia music stations up during December (2.0-2.4) but it saw continued growth throughout 2025. It’s going into this year’s event with a 3.3 share and has been as high as 4.8. The countdown reaches No. 1 on the afternoon of Dec. 11. On Christmas Eve, the station’s Robert Drake will host his 33rd annual 24-hour Christmas Eve “Night Before” marathon.
CHR and Hot AC have been increasingly thwarted in recent years by charts and an industry that turns its attention primarily to holiday music. Knowing that Liveline gets requests for more recent holiday songs that AC plays reluctantly — from Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, Ed Sheeran & Elton John — makes me wonder if there’s some value in stations trying to crown a new “Christmas Song of the Year,” “Song of Summer”-style. That would be even easier for Country stations, which have enough new material each year for a holiday chart.
It’s been decades since sister stations routinely crossplugged each other, but I’ve also thought that AC holiday outlets should be using their massive cume to try and direct traffic to their sister outlets, if only to keep them in the radio ecosystem (rather than DSPs) for the next time they want Christmas music. “Our sister station is playing today’s hits” is a more immediate benefit for both listener and station than “here’s what we’ll be playing when we’re in regular format in three weeks.”
Beyond that, the advice from ROR readers is essentially to do something, whether that’s marketing, charity events, or just getting more mileage out of the holiday music you do play. Christian AC Hope Media chief of content Scott Herrold believes that the holidays are exactly when a station should be marketing itself. “Don’t assume radio is a default destination for people driving in cars using media. Think about what will challenge them to actually turn on a radio. If the Christmas station in town has 20-plus billboards in the market, you’ll need to be even more visible.”
That may feel unduly aspirational to some programmers in the current environment, but Herrold isn’t alone. “Be the station that gives stuff away. It always drove me crazy at one of my [former] stations that they did everything at the holidays but that — nothing for loyal listeners,” says Dianna Kelly Monk. James Owen suggests “daily cash for Christmas shopping without playing Christmas songs.”
Some other advice from ROR readers:
“Put some Christmas window dressing in the sound of the station. Imaging that has holiday beds, custom Christmas intros for your currents. Don’t be in a bubble or ignore the season, because your audience is experiencing lots of visual reminders during their day.” — Mike Edwards.
“Don’t compete with Santa, embrace Santa. Just because you’re not 100% Christmas music doesn’t mean you can’t still be a Christmas destination. It just seems the non-Christmas stations forget there are lots of ways to reflect Christmas beyond the music and beyond adding sleigh bells to your jingles,” says Rico Garcia. His suggestions include:
- “Have Santa host an hour at 7pm each night and take calls from kids about what they want for Christmas.
- “Have an hourly feature where listeners shout out an amazing deal they found while Christmas shopping. People love sharing and hearing how to save money.
- “Mindful Mistletoe messaging. Some stations did this during COVID. Imaging pieces that were simply meant to create some space, calm, and a reminder to be mindful and relax too. Fits the holidays stress.
- “‘Silent Night.’ Every night at 9 p.m., soften the tone and make it mom time as she winds down before bed after the kids are asleep. But package it as such.”
Along those lines, stations are also trying to get more credit for the holiday music that they do play as part of a larger mix.
- WEPN (La Exitosa 98.7) New York is indeed going Christmas from 9 to midnight. The bilingual AC is billing its mostly English-language holiday music as “Noche De Paz.”
- On WEZN (Star 99.9) Connecticut, “we’ve done ‘Every Other Song Christmas Weekends’ for years now,” says Kevin Begley. “If you’re competing with a heritage AC who flips to all Christmas, it’s a great way to program against it with the imaging. It also allows you to still spin your currents. Best of both worlds. It’s fun to write promos and sweepers for it too: ‘One from today, one from Santa’s sleigh!’”
- CHR KQKY (Hits 106) Kearney, Neb., PD Mark Reid still plans to run the 24-36-hour “Sounds of the Season” program that has been part of Christmas Day since 1989, well before all-Christmas radio became a regular occurrence. “Yes, the on-air environment is now different … that is no need for us to dump the program, as it works. Go beast mode on Christmas music for 36 hours max, not 672.”
There are also programmers who feel stations can still be noticed at the holidays through community involvement:
- “Do what radio should besides just ‘play the hits,’” says veteran programmer Mason Dixon. “Get involved and talk about community holiday events, broadcast live from major tree-lightings and festivals. Make the holiday spirit come through by helping food banks and the less fortunate, something the all-Christmas stations don’t think they have to do because they ‘play the music.’”
- “Holiday-oriented, warm and fuzzy events and contests can make more meaningful eye contact than wall to wall Mariah & Bing,” says R.J. Jordan. He also believes that stations can “play holiday music tactically” in nights and weekends. “Make it special by saying ‘there’s a time to work and there’s a time to celebrate.’ Your station gets the credit for reflecting the hours and dayparts when shopping, planning, and decorating actually happen.”
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