Originally posted Wedneday, November 21, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
For the 17th year in a row, 104.7/The Fish flipped from Christian pop to all Christmas for the next five weeks.
It's a tradition that brings holiday cheer to hundreds of thousands of Atlantans. This year, the station went a bit bigger by holding a concert in Woodstock at Carriage Kia with David Crowder.
It kicks off its annual Christmas Wish campaign in which folks can sign on to help out people in need, with Fish talent working remotely at various Chick Fil-A restaurants over the next month. Every year, thousands of families end up getting help for groceries, mortgage bills and gifts for kids. (You can nominate someone here.)
Kevin Avery, on site, with Beth Bacall back at studio, made the switch Tuesday just after 5 p.m. After MercyMe's "Shake," the station launched the Christmas season with Burl Ives' 1965 classic "A Holly Jolly Christmas." That song happens to be one of the most popular Christmas songs more than a half century after its release.
Indeed, what makes traditional Christmas music so great is its endurance. It exposes a new generation to artists that would have otherwise disappeared into the historical ether.
The Fish playlist features quite a few of such classic artists such as Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, the Carpenters, Nat King Cole and Perry Como.
The first hour yesterday, according to Mediabase 24/7:
5:06 p.m. Burl Ives "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (1965)
5:10 p.m. Pentatonix "This Christmas" (2012)
5:12 p.m. Lauren Daigle "Jingle Bells" (2016)
5:14 p.m. Paul McCartney "Wonderful Christmastime" (1979)
5:19 p.m. Bruce Springsteen "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (1981)
5:31 p.m. Matthew West "Give This Christmas Away" (2009)
5:35 p.m. Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas is You" (1994)
5:40 p.m. Hall & Oates "Jingle Bell Rock" (1984)
5:42 p.m. Marc Martel "Christmastime is Here" (2018)
5:45 p.m. Kim Walker-Smith "Carol of the Bells" (2014)
5:48 p.m. The Carpenters "Sleigh Ride" (1970)
The top 20 most played Christmas songs on all-Christmas stations nationwide, according to Mediabase 24/7, feature not a single tune released over the past two decades. The only two songs from the 1990s: Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" and Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo 12/24."
Some of the most popular Christmas songs date back more than 70 years, including Crosby’s 1945 song “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” and Cole’s 1946 release “The Christmas Song.”
The Fish is the only Atlanta station covering the entire metro area that has gone all Christmas in recent years. Joy 93.3, a Christian station which covers the south side, also goes all Christmas.
Besides the secular hits, the Fish sprinkles in Christmas songs by its core artists such as Casting Crowns, MercyMe and Chris Tomlin.
If you have an HD radio, Star 94.'s HD2 channel is all Christmas. And on Sirius/XM, there are a 16 Christmas station options, from classic to country to acoustic.
B98.5 currently is playing four or five Christmas cuts an hour. The station was all Christmas between Thanksgiving and Christmas for several years until 2011.
About the Author
