All-Holiday radio format beginning Oct. 31?? WTF??

You would think that radio stations would figure out a plan for switching things over without alienating their entire audience by playing the same song for 24 hours or 168 hours straight.

Then again, they're probably getting their business model from newspapers.

 

One station here did it as well.

 

It's pretty common practice when a station switches formats. Usually when they make the decision, whether it's because of a new owner or just because they want a change, they'll kill the current format almost right away. Often they'll never announce it. One minute you'll be listening to By The Way by RHCP, next minute you're listening to a loop of Gone Country by whatever hat-wearer sings that (as one of the stations here did a few years ago).

The practice of playing one or a couple of songs (or a fill-in format like Christmas music -- one station I know of became Santa 95 for a few days in August) is called stunting. It gives them a chance to gin up new bumpers and establish a playlist, and give listeners and advertisers a heads up that something's coming. After a few days of that, they'll unveil the new format and logo (sometimes with new call letters), then eventually add in on-air talent and the other trappings of a full-on radio station.

I remember a longtime easy-listening format station flipping to R&B oldies, and on a Friday night they kicked out the old format and stunted Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye. No bumpers teasing a new format or a revamp or anything, just Let's Get It On, over and over again. We were worried at the office that the night DJ had taken a heart attack or was being held hostage.

 

I would take Christmas music over hearing Monster Mash all day long, personally.