Have you ever wondered when the best time to start playing Christmas songs on the radio is? It varies from place to place and even depending upon radio station format but there are a few general rules about scheduling Christmas music into your radio station playlist. Read on to find the most popular times to start playing Christmas music on a radio station.
When Do Radio Stations Start Christmas Music?
In the USA it’s generally accepted that the real Christmas countdown begins the day after Thanksgiving and radio stations will begin to playlist Xmas tunes to get listeners into the festive spirit. Some start as early as the day after Halloween!
Most UK based radio stations start on 1st December although there is an unwritten contest between UK radio stations to be the first to play a Christmas track and over the years we tend to hear some tunes creeping in before that.
Christmas Radio Stations
There are radio stations that play Christmas music all year round and others that take full advantage of the time of year to create a Christmas themed radio station.
- Christmas FM – Based in Dublin, Ireland this radio station broadcasts at Christmas.
- Forever Christmas Radio – An interactive year round Christmas radio station that appears to be very active on Twitter and Facebook.
- North Pole Radio – A year round internet radio station playing Christmas songs.
There are also many worthy charitable causes and community radio stations that apply for licenses to broadcast on FM in the countdown to Christmas.
Christmas Countdown
Certainly it seems that late November/early December is where the consensus of opinion lies in playing Christmas tunes on the radio. Perhaps it’s different if you’re a DJ? Supermarkets start to push Christmas the day after Halloween (if not before).
Christmas Jingles
Do you add Christmas sparkle to your radio imaging? When do you start playing Christmas jingles? Let us know in the comments! If you are looking for great sounding Christmas audio to play on your radio check our Christmas themed instant downloads.
