Bill Virgin's Radio Beat November 23, 2006

Includes archive of Bill Virgin's columns fromJ une 2006 - March 2009

Postby radiofan » Thu Nov 23, 2006 12:41 am

Thursday, November 23, 2006

On Radio: Two stations will wish listeners a Merry Christmas 24/7

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


Ready for some Christmas music?

You'd better be if you listen to KRWM-FM (106.9) or KCMS-FM (105.3), because that's all you'll be getting now through Dec. 25.

The two stations have been the Seattle market's entrants in a national radio trend of recent years -- all Christmas music all the time.

"When we first did this six years ago, we were one of the first," says Marc Kaye, vice president and market manager for Sandusky Radio, which operates KRWM. "Now every market has at least two."

KRWM actually launched its all-Christmas format for this year last Friday.

Contemporary Christian station KCMS, however, decided to hold off until the Friday after Thanksgiving. KCMS program director Scott Valentine says feedback from the station's listeners indicated they didn't want to hear Christmas music until Thanksgiving is over. "People were offended by that," he says.

But for those who want an even fuller dose of Christmas music (KCMS plays secular songs of the season as well as religious), KCMS lined up www.chistmasstream.com.

Kaye says KRWM started the all-Christmas binge as a way to separate it from its sister station of the time, KLSY-FM, which had a similar adult-contemporary format. "It really put Warm on the map," he says. "It opened the station to a lot of new listeners who stayed with it."

Valentine, meanwhile, wonders if some of the appeal of the all-Christmas format is wearing off. "It seems like radio stations doing all Christmas are doing less well every year," he says.



The Web site www.100000watts.com lists nearly 100 stations around the country that have gone to all Christmas music so far.

Holiday programming continues this weekend with the now annual revival of "Potluck," the Sandy Bradley-hosted variety show which for years ran on KUOW-FM. It will be broadcast at 11 a.m. Saturday on KBCS-FM (91.3) from the Museum of History and Industry.

Coming up in December are two holiday programs from KPLU-FM (88.5). At noon on Dec. 7 the annual Christmas Jam concert from Pacific Lutheran University's campus features Greta Matassa and her quintet and PLU's instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles. KPLU also is presenting a production of "Miracle on 34th Street," performed at MOHAI at 7 p.m. Dec. 16.

In other radio notes:


Good news for fans of the old-time radio compilation show "When Radio Was" -- it's coming back to the Seattle market. KIXI-AM (880) will carry the show at 10 p.m.-midnight Saturday and Sunday beginning this weekend.


Kevin Ebi, former business news anchor for KIRO-AM, has been named morning news anchor for KJR-FM (95.7). He had been doing afternoon traffic reports for KJR-FM and fill-in news reports for KJR-FM and KUBE-FM.


Don Riggs' guests on "Introspect Northwest" at 7 a.m. Saturday on KPTK-AM (1090) and 7 a.m. Sunday on KMPS-FM (94.1) include Vince Flynn, author of a book on spies and terrorists, "Acts of Treason."


Father Mike Raschko, theology professor at Seattle University, discusses Christology, the study of Jesus, on "Conversations With Father Bob" at 8 a.m. Saturday on KKNW-AM (1150) and 5 p.m. Tuesday on KBLE-AM (1050).


Megatron performs on "Sonarchy" at midnight Saturday on KEXP-FM (90.3).


Lizz Sommars' guests on "Conversations" at 6 a.m. Sunday on KBSG-FM (97.3), KISW-FM (99.9) and KKWF-FM (100.7) include James Lovelock, author of a book on global warming, "The Revenge of Gaia."


The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM, includes a new Sherlock Holmes adventure.

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

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat Thursdays in the Seattle P-I
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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