Happy first week of August, let’s talk Christmas!
Right now, it’s 85 degrees, listeners are complaining about the heat and humidity, and the last thing anyone wants to hear is “Dominick The Donkey” or “Let it Snow.” But radio doesn’t run on the calendar everyone else uses. It runs months ahead. If you wait until Labor Day to start planning your Q4 strategy, you’re already behind.
The Clock Moves Faster Than You Think
Here’s how it goes every year. You blink, and the kids are back in school. You blink again, and Starbucks has pumpkin spice on the menu. Before you know it, you’re scrambling to answer some of the questions everyone in radio dreads: “Wait, what’s our Halloween promotion this year?” and “What are we giving away for Christmas?”
If you already have a plan locked in, congratulations — you’re ahead of the game, give the staff a Summer Friday for them to skip out early or have a classic radio office pizza party instead. But if you don’t, consider this your wake-up call. Q4 promotions, content calendars, and sponsor packages need attention now, not in six weeks.
Why August Is the Real Deadline
By the time listeners start hearing holiday music in the grocery store or seeing candy canes at their local Target, the window to build something memorable has already closed. Great Q4 promotions take weeks of lead time. Sales teams need runway to pitch sponsors. Programming and promotions need time to conceptualize contests and events that don’t feel recycled. Digital and social teams need assets ready to go before the demand hits.
Get your sales team activated immediately. Sponsors are already fielding pitches from other stations, and the ones who commit early get better placement and better budgets. Waiting means you’re negotiating leftovers.
Steal From Yourself
One thing radio doesn’t do enough of is document success or even spend time gathering constructive feedback. We’re all moving so quickly that by the time something ends, it’s already onto the next. Your station has probably already built the blueprint for a great Q4 — you just haven’t gone back to look at it.
Before you build anything new, ask your team:
What promotion worked last Christmas?
Which contest underperformed?
Which sponsors renewed without hesitation?
Which social posts actually drove engagement?
What feedback did listeners give you directly?
You don’t need to reinvent your holiday strategy from scratch. You need to improve what already worked and cut what didn’t. Somewhere in last year’s numbers is a roadmap. Use it.
Don’t Let the Fall Book Distract You Completely
The Fall ratings book matters, and it deserves real focus. That’s not up for debate. But ratings and late Q4 planning aren’t competing priorities — they’re running on parallel tracks. A strong holiday promotion calendar can actually support your book performance by keeping listeners engaged through the busiest, most distracted season of the year.
Don’t let one priority eat the other. Block time now to work on both, even if it’s just an hour a week dedicated to holiday planning while the book stays front and center. Also, try and remember that as much as we are here to drive ratings and revenue, we are also meant to serve our community in a meaningful way.
The Bottom Line
Nobody wants to think about Christmas in August. That’s exactly why the stations who do it anyway end up ahead. Use this stretch of summer heat to your advantage. Pull last year’s data, get feedback from your jocks, promo peeps, and top sellers. Activate your sales team, and start building a Q4 that doesn’t feel thrown together in November. Order some candy canes on Amazon for the team, and block time on your calendars to sit down and firm up your strategy.
By the time everyone else starts panicking, you’ll already be done. Now if I can just get “Dominick The Donkey” out of my head. Hee haw! Hee haw!
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Bethany Kent is a Music Radio Editor for Barrett Media. She spent nearly 20 years bringing radio to life on stages, across the airwaves, and through unforgettable listener experiences. Her career spans local markets including Providence, Philadelphia, and New York City, most recently serving as National Director of Music Initiatives for Audacy. From producing major live events like HOT 97’s Summer Jam to leading strategic national marketing initiatives, she has built a career at the intersection of music, media, and culture. She can be reached at bethany@barrettmedia.com.