It’s not always easy to predict the impact radio stations going to all holiday music will have on the Nielsen ratings. They always do well, but how well varies from year to year. Sometimes they make a huge impact with record setting shares while in other years, the numbers are solid but not as impactful.
If I had to guess, I would imagine this year is going to be big for holiday music. The prevailing wisdom is that in years of turmoil or stress listeners gravitate to their happy place, holiday music, in bigger numbers and for longer periods of time. Considering how difficult this year has been for many people I would expect 2025 to be a big one for Bing, Wham, and Mariah.
In his Graphs About Songs newsletter last week, Matt Bailey reinforced my theory. He says that five different Christmas songs made the Spotify Top 200 chart in the first week of November. By the following week it was up to fourteen. For comparison in 2022 only three songs were in the Top 200 at that point on the calendar.
Bailey also notes that in 2020 total streams for Christmas songs in November jumped 74% but the following year, with Covid more under control, listening fell back to pre-pandemic levels. He also cites several other examples of times when the country faced challenges and holiday music listening was higher than usual. In his words, “when the going gets tough, the tough get jolly.”
I realize that playing holiday music on Classic Rock/Hits stations isn’t ideal. The songs that fit the format are bad and there is a station across the street delivering the good holiday songs around the clock. In fact, I don’t recommend playing any of them.
That is not, however, an excuse to ignore the holidays. I probably should have written this column last week, but I’ll take a better late than never approach and rant a bit.
Before I started this column I visited the websites and social media channels of several Classic Rock and Hits stations. Want to guess what I found? Other than posts for specific charitable promotions, there was almost zero acknowledgement of the holiday season. Not one had changed the background on their website or the cover photo on their Facebook page. I didn’t see any Instagram posts that engaged listeners in the holiday spirit.
I looked at stations owned by the major broadcasting groups and stations from smaller groups. The results were the same. No acknowledgment of the thing that your listeners are most looking forward to, the holidays.
I haven’t listened to every station, but I’m concerned that the level of effort is similar. I hope everyone has holiday production in place and rolling already. If not, what are you waiting for? I know everyone is busy but simple graphics, social media posts and produced pieces aren’t difficult.
Your listeners are getting in the holiday spirit in an especially big way this year. Is your station embracing that feeling or are you the grinch? Let’s not be the one house on radio street that doesn’t put up holiday decorations.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
