Some Advice for Radio Stations Playing Christmas Music

It's a Radio-Active Christmas

Well, it's that time of year, the time whenradio stations all over the country switch over to all Christmas music formats. That's right, more then a month before Christmas they've started inundating us with Christmas music until we've all got sugarplums tap-dancing in our brains.

But like any classic corporate move, the radio titans often get this wrong, too. Hey, I'm not Scrooge, here, I'm a victim. I just have a real fear that after listening to the radio for a while, I'm going to hate Christmas music. Why? Here's why:

Amazingly narrow play lists. I mean, c'mon on radio people, you toss out your "format" completely, but you still can't fully commit. You pick a few dozen songs and play them over and over. Is there any reason I'm hearing Andy Williams "Happy Holidays" 4 times a day? Didn't he record any other Christmas songs? This isn't top 40 radio. There's no top forty Christmas count down you have to stick to and if there were I'm darn certain Gloria Estefan wouldn't be on it.

Playing recent remakes over the classics. It's one thing to play "White Christmas" over and over. But Rod Stewart's version? Yikes! And why am I hearing the same lame Jackson Five version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town?" Hasn't that been recorded by a zillion people? If you're committed to playing the song twice an hour, how about by a different performer each time?

And along those lines: Ignoring the originals. "Christmas Song?" Nat King Cole. "Merry Xmas?" John Lennon. These go without saying. But let's take it further; "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?" Judy Garland's version. "Silver Bells?" Bob Hope introduced the song; let's hear that once in a while.

What can I say, Tony Bennett, bless his soul, 80 years old and included on modern play lists. That's great. But where's Dean Martin, eh? He had a couple of decent holiday songs as I recall. The radio people will play a duet between a 100-year old Frank Sinatra and Cindy Lauper (???), but not his "Christmas Waltz." See, something is wacky here.

There's a surprising lack of Phil Sector and the Boston Pops all around.