Favorite Christmas songs from the dominant Christmas station
As the world knows, KOST (103.5 FM) totally dominates the ratings during the time in which they play Christmas tunes. This year was no exception, but it is an interesting year. Due to the oddity of the calendar vis a vis the Nielsen ratings periods and how they aligned, the time KOST plays holiday music doesn’t match the ratings periods at all.
Every calendar month runs approximately 4-1/4 weeks, while the Nielsen ratings periods are exactly four weeks. Thus the “December” ratings period actually ran from November 13th to December 10th, and the “Holiday” period ran from December 11th to January 7th, Not that KOST is complaining — they get two ratings periods to dominate.
But to prevent boredom and repetition, rather than focussing on the “December” release, I am going to wait until the “holiday” period is released to present the full ratings list. I will give you a taste, though: KOST did indeed dominate, earning an 11.2 share of the audience, almost double second-place KRTH’s (101.1 FM) 5.8.
Instead of ratings, I thought it would be interesting to look at the songs KOST played during the period, the ranking being the plays starting on December 21; this does differ somewhat from the week prior rankings, but in general the list is pretty stable. Some of the top songs may surprise you.
You can probably guess the top-song, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You,” the same song that took the top spot in Spotify’s top-holiday streams. Number two took me by surprise, though. It was “White Christmas,” not by Bing Crosby but instead by The Drifters. Crosby’s version was way down the list at number 65.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree came in third and fourth, number three being Brenda Lee and four being Leann Rimes. The legendary Burl Ives was number five with “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.”
“Jingle Bell Rock” came in three times, at number nine by Bobby Helms, number 15, performed by Brenda Lee, and number 34 by Hall and Oats. The week prior, they were number three, four, and 28, respectively, by the way. Vince Guaraldi had two in a row: “Linus and Lucy” at number 12, followed immediately by “O Tannenbaum.”
In all, KOST played at least 300 different Christmas songs, each ranging in play count from 32 in one week all the way to just a handful. Included in those 300 was quite a variety of genres from traditional to modern and even brushing against classical and country. The depth is impressive, even if some of the most-often aired are a bit annoying. I can excuse that as the ratings definitely speak for themselves.
As far as the ratings go, the Holiday period should be released in another week or so. I’ll have that list in full soon after.
Birthday Wishes
The year was 1986, 40 years ago. On January 11th, at 6 p.m., “hot adult contemporary” Magic 106 became … rhythmic adult contemporary Power 106. Soon after, the KPWR call letters were assigned to the station.
Word spread fast – the phones blew up in that first hour, and were busy all night with new fans calling to find out what was happening. I was there, and it was an exciting time.
I had interned at Magic 106 for a couple years, and the station was a blast to be a part of. but the ratings were never what owner Emmis had hoped, so they took a chance and went with dance.
Literally. Many of the songs chosen came from in-person “research” done at local dance clubs by station staff and personalities. DJs such as Jay Thomas, Brenda Ross, Mucho Morales, Tommy Jaxson, Deborah Rath, Joe Cervantes, and Jeff Wyatt — who also served as the station’s programmer — brought it all together made it fun.
I didn’t know at first if Power could knock KIIS-FM out of the top-spot, but they did, partly due to KIIS’ own mistakes in over-reacting to the new competition and sounding too much, for a time, like a Power wannabe. Power started chipping away immediately, and by late 1987 was on top of the ratings, a spot they held for a time.
Eventually, Power evolved into a hip-hop leaning urban format, leaving most of the ethnic dance music behind, this due to changing local music tastes. Power never again saw the ratings it once had, but many remember the launch, the big celebration at The Palace in Hollywood where an un-named intern got really drunk when Mucho Morales mentioned that the open bar was closing soon, and the new music exposed to an audience wanted something new.
In celebration of the anniversary of the launch, I want to wish Power 106 a very happy birthday!
Memories
I’ve had a few requests to write a story about legendary sports reporter and commentator Jim Healy, who passed away in 1994. Heard on numerous stations including KLAC (570 AM), KFWB (980 AM) and the original KMPC (now KSPN, 710 AM), Healy was considered a must-listen to fans … even if they didn’t necessarily like sports!
Here’s were you come in. I want to know your personal memories of Healy … what got you listening, how long you listened, your favorite “sounders,” or any other stories or reflections you’d like to share. Send them my way, and I’ll compile them together for an upcoming Jim Healy tribute.