That’s the jingle bell rock

Published 9:00 pm Monday, December 11, 2006

PORTLAND, Maine – The holiday classics haven’t changed that much – radio stations still turn to Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Burl Ives to spread yuletide cheer. But your chances of hearing them on the radio are growing fast.

As of Monday, 402 stations from Maine to Hawaii were playing Christmas tunes around the clock to bring in listeners and advertising dollars. In the Puget Sound area, KRWM on 106.9 FM and KCMS at 105.3 FM have been playing round-the-clock Christmas music since late November.

Additionally, XM Satellite Radio is offering Radio Hanukkah for the first time.

At least one station in the nation made the switch before trick or treaters made the rounds in October, however.

“It’s gotten to the point of ridiculousness,” said Tim Moore, operations manager at Portland’s WHOM-FM, one of two stations there playing only holiday music. His station began the format after Thanksgiving.

Ridiculous or not, Americans can’t get enough of it, said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, a trade publication owned by Clear Channel.

The number of stations playing holiday songs already outnumbers the previous record of 386 in 2003, the first year Inside Radio began tracking the numbers, Taylor said.

“Christmas music, for most people, puts a smile on your face. Even if you resist it for a while, you can’t hold out forever,” he said.

Good for ratings

The deluge of Christmas airplay may yield a few humbugs, but it succeeds nearly universally in boosting ratings, industry officials say. For listeners, the nostalgic music creates a soundtrack as they shop, wrap presents, decorate trees and go to parties.

“It’s like a counterpoint to all of the misery in the world. That’s the only thing I can figure out,” said Phil Crosland, executive vice president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in New York.

Behind the holiday cheer and goodwill are strong ratings: Portland’s WHOM sees a 38 percent bump in the number of listeners after it switches its format from adult contemporary to 24-7 holiday music.

In Milwaukee, WMYX-FM saw a jump of nearly 50 percent last year despite holiday competition from three other radio stations, said Brian Kelly, operations manager.

“People from the outside may ask why we do this,” Kelly said. “The answer is because it works, and that’s what our listeners want.”

The vast holiday treasure chest includes offerings from artists as varied as Jessica Simpson, B.B. King, Barenaked Ladies, Regis Philbin, Bruce Springsteen and Twisted Sister.

At WHOM, it’s Moore’s responsibility to review the countless new holiday offerings each season. Most end up in the trash bin.

‘It kills me every year’

Occasionally, newer artists manage to break into the rotation. A couple of recent examples are Josh Groban’s “Believe” from the movie “The Polar Express” and Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas?” from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” he said.

But listeners seem to prefer the old songs like Crosby’s “White Christmas,” Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree.”

For some, it’s just too much.

“It’s terrible. It kills me every year. It’s the same songs over and over,” said Jake Millett, 21, of Portland, who’s subjected to it every Christmas Eve at his grandmother’s house.

At the other extreme is Stacey Milliken, who can’t get enough.

“I think it’s a great idea. It gets everybody in the spirit, but I can completely understand how some people would get sick of it,” said Milliken, 30, of Portland.

It’s hard to say exactly when the trend began, but one consultant traces it to the 1980s when he began recommending that radio stations play holiday music on the day after Thanksgiving.

Though it’s an inexact science, a bump in ratings typically means a bump in advertising rates. And advertisers likely see a correlation in either goodwill or sales by getting involved in the holiday format, said Matt Feinberg, senior vice president and director of radio for Zenith Media in New York.

“It’s a tradition,” Feinberg said. “From an advertiser point of view, it’s an evergreen special they can buy into.”

The top 10 Christmas songs

Here are the top 10 Christmas songs played on radio stations during the week after Thanksgiving, according to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers:

1. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee

2. “A Holly Jolly Christ-mas,” Burl Ives

3. “Jingle Bell Rock,” Bobby Helms

4. “Feliz Navidad,” Jose Fe-liciano

5. “The Christmas Song,” Nat King Cole

6. “White Christmas,” Bing Crosby

7. “Please Come Home for Christmas,” The Eagles

8. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” Andy Williams

9. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” John Lennon

10. “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” Johnny Mathis