ajc.com 2008 Holiday Guide

For about a month,, three Atlanta radio stations have been rockin' around the Christmas tree 24/7. But in a surprise move, Lite 94.9, the first station to go all Christmas, dumped the format Monday in favor of a country station called 94.9/The Bull, which will compete directly with Kicks 101.5.

Before the Lite change, we compared the three offerings, using data provided by Mediabase 24/7, a radio airplay tracking firm. Our conclusions: Soft rock B98.5 owns the tightest, oldest-skewing playlist, rival Lite 94.9 played the most variety, while Christian pop station 104.7/The Fish provides more religious tunes.

NBC (ENLARGE)

Amy Grant

(ENLARGE)

Steven Curtis Chapman

HOLIDAY GUIDE Entertaining | Shopping Events | Decorating

And Amy Grant fans rejoice: she's everywhere!

104.7/The Fish (WFSH)

175 unique titles the week of Dec. 8, avg age of songs played: 18 years

Acts with most titles on playlist

Amy Grant: 11

Steven Curtis Chapman: 8

Point of Grace: 8

Michael W. Smith: 7

Bing Crosby: 6

MercyMe: 6

Top 10 most played songs, week of Dec. 8, artist (year of release)

1. "O Holy Night," Josh Groban (2002)

2. "The Christmas Shoes," Newsong (2000)

3. "Joseph's Lullaby," MercyMe (2005)

4. "Away in a Manger," Jami Smith & Shane Barnard (2005)

5. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," Erin O'Donnell (2004)

6. "Away in a Manger," Casting Crowns (2005)

7. "O Come All Ye Faithful," Third Day (2006)

8. "Joy to the World," Mannheim Steamroller (1995)

9. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," Erin O'Donnell (2004)

10. "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1996)

Most versions of the same song played from Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 (sample artists):

"Let it Snow, Let it Snow," 7 (Matthew West, Dean Martin)

"Angels We Have Heard on High," 6 (Chris Tomlin, Point of Grace)

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," 6 (Bryan Duncan, Steven Curtis Chapman)

"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," 5 (Natalie Grant, Bruce Springsteen)

"Sleigh Ride," 5 (Ronettes, Ella Fitzgerald)

B98.5 (WSB-FM)

152 unique titles the week of Dec. 8, avg age of songs played: 27 years

Acts with most titles:

Johnny Mathis: 9

Amy Grant: 8

Frank Sinatra: 8

Mariah Carey: 7

Carpenters: 5

Bing Crosby: 5

Martina McBride: 5

Andy Williams: 5

Top 10 most played songs, week of Dec. 8, artist (year of release)

1. "Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Andy Williams (1963)

2. "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole (1946)

3. "Feliz Navidad," Jose Feliciano (1970)

4. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee (1958)

5. "Happy Xmas/War is Over," John Lennon (1971)

6. "Jingle Bell Rock," Hall & Oates (1984)

7. "Please Come Home for Christmas," Eagles (1978)

8. "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helsm (1957)

9. "White Christmas," Bing Crosby (1952)

10. "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," Burl Ives (1963)

Most versions of the same song played from Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 (sample artists):

"Sleigh Ride," 11 (Air Supply, Debbie Gibson)

"Winter Wonderland," 10 (Englebert Humperdink, Tony Bennett)

"Let it Snow, Let it Snow," 9 (Aaron Neville, Frank Sinatra)

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," 9 (Pretenders, Coldplay, Jo Dee Messina)

"Do You Hear What I Hear," 8 (Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis)

Lite 94.9 (WLTM-FM)

363 unique titles the week of Dec. 8, avg age of songs played: 24 years

Acts with most titles

Amy Grant: 12

Carpenters: 9

Mannheim Steamroller: 9

Harry Connick Jr.: 8

Top 10 most played songs, week of Dec. 8, artist (year of release)

1. "Last Christmas," Wham (1986)

2. "Feliz Navidad," Jose Feliciano (1970)

3. "Happy Xmas/War is Over," John Lennon(1971)

4. "Silver Bells," Atlantic Starr (1992)

5. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow,", Michael Buble (2003)

6. "Please Come Home for Christmas," Eagles (1978)

7. "Little Saint Nick," Beach Boys (1964)

8. "Wonderful Christmastime," Paul McCartney (1979)

9. "Ring Christmas Bells," Ray Conniff (1962)

10. "Jingle Bell Rock," Hall & Oates (1984)

Most versions of the same song played from Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 (sample artists):

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," 17 (James Taylor, Kenny Loggins)

"The Christmas Song," 16 (Luther Vandross, Al Jarreau)

"Winter Wonderland," 15 (Jewel, Darlene Love)

"Sleigh Ride," 14 (Leroy Anderson, Boston Pops Orchestra)

"I'll Be Home for Christmas," 14 (98 Degrees, Jeffrey Osborne)

EXTRA

Most played Christmas songs in Atlanta, number of spins the past week (No. of different stations that played it)

1. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee, 103 (six radio stations)

2. "Feliz Navidad," Jose Feliciano, 101 (five stations)

3. "Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Andy Williams, 94 (four stations)

— Rodney Ho