Bill Virgin's Radio Beat December 25, 2008

[radiofan]

On Radio: Whatever the genre, it likely has a countdown
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

So what do you do, if you're a radio station, with that week between Christmas and New Year's Day? "The Little Drummer Boy" gets put away for another year. Most of the regular hosts are taking time off. So are many of the regular listeners.

Here's a time-honored tradition that many stations are rolling out: the end-of-the-year musical countdown.

Country music fans, for example, can sample several countdowns on KMPS-FM/94.1, including "American Country Countdown" and the top 40 of the year, hosted by Kix Brooks (of Brooks and Dunn fame) at 10 p.m. Saturday, finishing off with the Top 20 at 9 a.m. Sunday. The countdown is repeated at 7 p.m. New Year's Eve.

Or they could try KNBQ-FM/102.9, which has the Jeff Foxworthy-hosted countdown of the top country songs 8 p.m.-midnight New Year's Eve, repeated at noon New Year's Day.

Or they might try KKWF-FM/100.7. The Wolf presents "Country Countdown USA" beginning at 7 p.m. New Year's Eve.

At KUBE-FM/93.3, Karen Wild hosts a countdown of the top 50 songs of the year, at noon both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Contemporary-hits fans of KBKS-FM/106.1 can track the top 50 of 2008, hosted by the station's staff, 6-10 a.m. New Year's Day. That will be rebroadcast throughout the day.

Contemporary Christian music gets its countdown on KCMS-FM/105.3 with a 10-hour, top 100 show that airs at 2 p.m. New Year's Eve and midnight and 10 a.m. New Year's Day.

Fans of smooth jazz can hear the top 10 smooth CDs of the year on KWJZ-FM/98.9 starting at 3 p.m. New Year's Eve.

Rock station KISW-FM/99.9 presents the results of listener voting on the top 999 songs starting at 10 a.m. Christmas Day.

Classic-rock station KZOK-FM/102.5 plays the top 1,000 greatest classic-rock songs of all time beginning at noon Christmas Day and running through New Year's.

KMTT-FM/103.7 plays the top 10 CDs of 2008, as chosen by listeners, starting at noon New Year's Day.

Even classical music gets into the act on KING-FM/98.1, although it's configuring its countdowns somewhat differently.

It's doing "KING-FM Essentials 2008," featuring classical music must-hears by Top Five Ballets, Top Five Encores, Top Five Mozart Pieces. The format goes all day and into the evening, except for a break for "Northwest Focus" on New Year's Eve.

KNDD-FM/107.7 is trying something similar; starting the day after Christmas it presents the result of listener voting on not just the song of the year but in categories including which acts of today will be the future Chumbawumba, i.e., a one-hit wonder.

In other radio notes:

KPLU-FM/88.5's Christmas Day programming includes two versions of "A Christmas Carol," one at 10 a.m. in which Jonathan Winters provides the voices for all the characters, the other a "Car Talk Christmas Carol" with Tom and Ray Magliozzi and other public-radio personalities at 2 p.m.

The Metropolitan Opera performs Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at 10 a.m. Saturday on KING-FM.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.