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DEL.ICIO.USRadio Bull goes all Christmas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the legacy of being the all Christmas station as Lite 94.9 for six years, 94.9 The Bull has decided to do it, too. In this case, though, the Christmas music is almost all country artists.
As you may recall, a week before Christmas last year, Clear Channel shocked Atlanta radio by abruptly cutting off all-Christmas music on Lite a week early and switching the station format to country music.
Program Director Clay Hunnicutt said he has no regrets doing that a year ago. But he knows the legacy Lite has with Christmas so he decided to go the Yuletide route with 80 to 90 percent country artists and a bit of Burl Ives and Nat King Cole thrown in, too. While hundreds of soft rock stations and Christian stations go all Christmas between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Hunnicutt said only a couple of other country stations do this nationwide.
“The format as far as country is fairly religious in tone and music such as Brooks & Dunn’s ‘Believe’ and Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel,’ ” he said. It helps that virtually every major artists does a Christmas album or contributes to some Christmas compilation at some point. He was able to compile a relatively deep playlist of 400 to 450 songs compared to just 150 or so B98.5 used last year. And to pay homage to Lite 94.9, the station is using the on-air line “The tradition continues.”
The year-old Bull, which has done almost as well as its predecessor in the key 25 to 54 demographic but still lags far behind mainstay Kicks 101.5, started all Christmas at the same time as B98.5 at 7 p.m. Thanksgiving evening. (Christian soft rock station 104.7/The Fish started a bit earlier. And the south-side leaning soft rock station Lite 96.7 launched Christmas earlier this week.).
So Atlanta has three Christmas stations and four if you count Lite 96.7 (which I really don’t because it isn’t a metro-wide signal and doesn’t have enough listening to qualify to show up on the Arbitron ratings.).
The first hour last night featured Alan Jackson’s “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Taylor Swift’s “Silent Night” (wow, she already has recorded a Christmas song!), Bing Crosby’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” Toby Keith’s “Joy to the World,” Alabama’s “Christmas in Dixie,” Martina McBride’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Garth Brooks’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Gene Autry’s “Here Comes Santa Claus,” Trisha Yearwood’s “Away In a Manger,” George Strait’s “Christmas Cookies,” the Eagles “Please Come Home For Christmas,” Brad Paisley’s “Winter Wonderland,” Carrie Underwood’s “Do You Hear What I Hear,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” Tracy Lawrence’s “All Wrapped Up In Christmas,” and Johnny Mathis’ “The First Noel.”
Comments
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By itsme
November 23, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
My husband and I quit listening to 94.9 after the Scrooge-ish thing they did last year. Maybe we’ll go back to listening now… maybe.
By Martin
November 23, 2007 5:56 PM | Link to this
Hunnicutt should have been FIRED for wrecking the station during the holidays last year.
He still should be. We took the station off our pushbutton list.
All that bozo accomplished was to anger core listeners and the stunt added nothing to ratings they wouldnt have otherwise gotten.
Radio is a personal lifestyle choice, and to make that change at THAT particular time was a disaster. Academic classes in stupid marketing should do a case study on that bone head move, right up there with New Coke.
By Vickie
November 23, 2007 6:28 PM | Link to this
I too, have not forgiven 94.9 for taking away the Holiday Music last year! I never listen to the station anymore for that reason. The timing was terrible! I may give them a try for the Christmas music only, but it was a terrible marketing idea. My guess would be a Non-Believer or a Scrooge!
By Peter
November 23, 2007 8:00 PM | Link to this
We want the I-Man!
By scribe
November 23, 2007 8:25 PM | Link to this
Another example of Clear Channel incompetence. I make sure to remind all my friends to not listen to this channel, and based on their arbitron ratings, this joke of a program director will be gone soon
By scribe
November 23, 2007 8:26 PM | Link to this
Another example of Clear Channel incompetence. I make sure to remind all my friends to not listen to this channel, and based on their arbitron ratings, this joke of a program director will be gone soon
By Lee
November 23, 2007 8:28 PM | Link to this
I’ve not forgiven 94.9 for going country ! I do have to say that I thoroughly enjoy listening to 96.7 Lite FM, but somewhat saddened that they have chosen to go 100% Christmas throughout the Holidays. Guess I’ll try to switch over to the repetitious (but improving) 97.1 The River.
By Bloodhound1111
November 26, 2007 7:23 AM | Link to this
94.9’s decision to go country the week before Christmas was just another log on the Yule fire that made me blow off Atlanta radio altogether and switch to satellite radio. I have found five channels of Christmas music there.
By David L
November 26, 2007 7:28 AM | Link to this
How much longer will the “new” 97.1 “The River” be new since it’s about to turn three-year’s-old? And thank you for trying to fill this niche.
By Kevin
November 26, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this
I to have not forgetten last year. I’ll never listen to 94.9 ever again. Christmas music or not.
By Ralph
November 26, 2007 8:29 AM | Link to this
All this makes me think of one word: Sirius. I am so glad that I have Sirius satellite radio, so that I don’t have to even turn on the am/fm crap in Atlanta. You cannot beat Sirius.
By Pam
November 26, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this
I quit listening to 94.9 as soon as switched to country and let Randy & Spiff go. They were my favorite DJ’s for years - always started the mornings with laughter They really messed up a good thing.