The New York State capital is now enjoying non-stop holiday music on WTRY-FM (98.3 TRY). As part of the station’s official holiday music flip, it will also host a “Kickoff to Christmas Music” celebration at the Proctor’s Theatre from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature a special live broadcast hosted by on-air personality, Jamie Roberts, as well as music from Capital District recording artist Matt Maguire. The event will also include children’s entertainment, such as holiday crafts courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Science + Technology, a visit from Santa Claus and more. Listeners are invited to attend.
For more information visit the station’s website.
Oh, God. Here we go again. It’s that creepy time of year. No, not Halloween. Not April 15th. Not even the occasional surprise visit by the FCC inspector. It’s that time when a listener tunes in to his or her favorite radio station to listen to his or her favorite music when much to their surprise, or in some cases horror they discover that a change has been made. Instead of hearing the music they like they are now confronted by a cacophony of holiday oriented tunes. 24 HOURS OF THEM. 7 days a week. Yes, yes. I know. The ratings go up and there’s an increase in revenue. What I want to know is just how many of your regular listeners do you lose because of this change. And how many of them find another station to listen to AND DON’T COME BACK. Your substituting short term gain for possible long term loss. Yes, there are a lot of people who like to listen to Christmas music. There are ALSO a lot of people who don’t. This includes people who don’t mind the occasional holiday tune but not at the expense of the station’s regular music format. Also, do you know how many fitness centers have had to change the station coming through their speakers because their customers complained? Apparently you just can’t work out to “The Little Drummer Boy.” Personally I’d like to see some radio stations promote the fact that they are not playing ANY Christmas music. Instead they are sticking with their regular music format because they know that many of their listeners would prefer that. Oh, and one other thing. Being against the onslaught of Christmas music doesn’t mean you’re anti-Christmas. It is possible to be of good cheer and help those less fortunate during this holiday season. I would just rather do it listening to my favorite songs. And if you’re not playing them I’ll find someone who is. Happy Holidays Everyone!