Fish 104.7 switches to Christmas for 14th year, along with 98.9

During Beth Bacall's Monday afternoon show, the final non-Christmas song was Mandisa's "Waiting for Tomorrow."

The station this year opted for a secular classic as the first Christmas song of the year: Burl Ives' "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas." This was followed by Jeremy Camp's version of "Jingle Bell Rock," Amy Grant's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and Casting Crowns' "Oh Come Ye Faithful."

The format generally salts in a few secular artists (Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time," Hall & Oates "Jingle Bell Rock") with its own core artists crooning classic secular and religious tunes.

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

The Fish, which began going all Christmas at this time of year in 2002, last year started Christmas music on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This year, the station began a day earlier.

The Christian music station has had a very strong year in the ratings, rising last month to a tie for fourth place with Majic 107.5/97.5 and Power 96.1.

Joy 93.3, another Christian music station in town, has not made the switch yet.

Country classic station Nash Icon 98.9 also  switched to Christmas yesterday as Warm 98.9. The signal is far more limited than that of the Fish. This is the station's second year it had made this switch. In the latest ratings, Nash Icon pulled in a mere 0.1 share.

There are rumors in the radio world that Cumulus may change formats for this signal for what would be the sixth time in less than five years. Since 2011, the 98.9 signal has been alternative rock (99X), active rock (The Bone), a country/Christian hybrid (The Walk), oldies (True Oldies) and then the latest classic country format.

B98.5 stopped going all Christmas in 2012 after doing it for several years to no ill effect.

Sirius XM opened two Christmas stations even earlier this year than last, starting November 2 with Holly (13) and Holiday Traditions (18).