Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > November > 26 > Entry
11/26: First to go Christmas music is B98.5
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just a note to y’all who are hungering for a little early eggnog and “Winter Wonderland”: B98.5 has already begun playing all Christmas music starting at noon today.
The first few songs were Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Aaron Neville’s “Let It Snow,” Wham!’s “Last Christmas” Nat King Cole’s “Joy to the World,” Ray Conniff’s “Ring Christmas Bells,” The Carpenters’ “Home For the Holidays,” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
The other two stations most likely to go Christmas soon are 104.7/The Fish, which has been doing so for several years, and 94.9/The Bull, which was the first station to do all Christmas back in 2000 when it was 94.9/Peach. The Fish mixes secular and more religious tunes. (Expect them to start at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving). B98.5 tends to stick with more secular, generic stuff until closer to Christmas. Last year, the Bull played some obvious classics by the likes of Bing Crosby and Burl Ives with cuts from Martina McBride, Faith Hill and other country artists.
If the Bull chooses to go a more traditional Christmas route minus the country music, that would signal a change of signal. But given that the Bull boss Clay Hunnicutt runs all country programming at Clear Channel, don’t count on it.
Comments
By LB
November 27, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
It’s nice that stations want to go all Christmas but it is way way too early. Two weeks from now, maybe……. but a whole month of the same songs over and over, puleeeeeeeeze.
By C'mon
November 27, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
Yeah…give me a break.
By David C
November 27, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
Is 98.5 planning on Jewish and Muslim songs? Sounds discriminatory to me. I demand a fairness doctrine in holiday music.
By Pagan
November 27, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this
It’s time we take the winter solstice celebration back from the Christians. They stole it from us to prop up a made up religion,then later to sell Chia Pets.
By Hannukah Harry
November 27, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this
Oy vey! I agree, more Hannukah music!
By Todd
November 27, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
You godless crazies will have to answer to Jesus on judgement day. Our music is sacred to us and if you do not like it don’t listen.
By Crawfish
November 27, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
Indeed…especially sacred Christmas music like John Lennon’s Merry Christmas, War Is Over and an endless assault of Ronnie Spector and The Ronnettes.
By Dave
November 28, 2008 5:46 AM | Link to this
I am not a Godless Crazie. The music is not sacred. It is old musty repetitive stuff that plays for three weeks too long. A little goes a long way. I don’t like it. I’m not listening - until about December 22. That’s why Jesus gave me an off button.
By Schaefer
November 28, 2008 7:32 AM | Link to this
98.1 has been playing Christmas music for a while. Merry Christmas to all! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving.
By lady58lacy
November 28, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this
For all those that don’t like Christmas music, I would like to suggest that you go back to your country. This is our country and our ways. And for those people who don’t like Christmas, too bad. I for one am tired of people coming into my country and trying to change it to their country. If their country was/is so great — why did you leave it. Go back to your country and your ways and just leave our country and our ways alone.
By here for awhile
November 28, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
Hey Lacy@8:55: I’ve been here since Feb 11 1951, and since my mom’s uterus is no longer accepting boarders (and she’s been ‘here’ since 1929) and her mom’s been here since 1907, and… oh never mind. Freak.
By Dave
November 28, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
NEW YORK — A worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers who physically broke down the doors just as a suburban Wal-Mart opened for the holiday sales rush Friday, authorities said. Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
I wonder if they were playing “Sacred” Christmas music at the time. Maybe it was that Satanic go back to your own country stuff …
By Casey
November 28, 2008 4:00 PM | Link to this
I heard Christmas music over a week ago, and it’s totally ridiculous!! I guess the advertisers believe if they play Christmas music earlier, and put out all their Christmas items like 2 months in advance; we will all rush to the stores in a Christmas shopping frenzy! Not gonna happen. It will be great when people realize Christmas has nothing to do with a tree, decorations, or toys; “IT’S NOT YOUR BIRTHDAY”! To all the parents freaking out about how they are gonna buy more junk your kids already don’t appreciate; how about this year teach them the spirit of giving or volunteering at a shelter or something of real value and substance; and you wonder why YOUR KIDS are so spoiled, unappreciative, and Materialistic; LOOK IN THE MIRROR!! If you just have to buy a ton of toys and crap, how about donate it to the children’s hospital; those kids will appreciate it a lot more than your own…
By Screwge
November 28, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this
Hey lady58lacy or whatever: I’m a native of the 3rd Floor at Georgia Baptist Hospital, no I’m not Baptist, and Christmas music DOES suck the paint off the walls. Proud to be from Downtown ATL, and to put the “X” back into Xmas!
By who cares
December 1, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
lacy-some of us are SICK of the Xmas music. Youcan’t take more than 50 renditions of jimgle bells or chestnuts roasting by 40 some odd artists. new music needs to be involved. Muslim songs? aren’t they all the same-kill the infidel? I’d like to hear “Bomb Iran.” Now that was an uplifting song.
By SteveJ
December 16, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
B98.5 has the slenderest, most repetitive playlist in the free world. Now with Christmas music, the annoyance level is raised to the third power. Honestly, can’t that station afford a good-sized collection of music? Clearly, B98.5’s target market must be the comatose and the brain dead — which is surprising because they don’t buy much from advertisers.
I’m subjected at work to this endless musical recycling service called B98.5. My employer is going to have to pony up for my therapy pretty soon. I hear Whitney Houston’s unspeakably atrocious rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” many times each day, every day. And a Mariah Carey song every hour — lots of vocal hooting and squealing all over the scale. And I endure “Feliz Navidad” over and over until I’m ready to curse out loud in Spanish.
The mystery of the ages is why ANYONE would be satisfied with this kind of insanely repetitive programming. Evidently, people are, because they listen. I don’t get it. Can someone explain? Are people just that oblivious to what’s playing on their radios?