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From Radio Insight: With stations launching the all-Christmas format on a daily basis, Ross on Radio and RadioInsight are featuring excerpts from consultant Tracy Johnson?s Radio Guide to Holiday Programming, a look at music, between-the-records content, personalities, post-holiday promotion and re-entry to regular format. Johnson?s entire 57-page guide is available here. Here are his thoughts on why ?Yes, You Need a Major Holiday Promotion.? (The guide itself lists more examples and execution strategies for some of the promotions outlined here.) Music and personality are important, but a major promotional campaign ties a bow around the seasonal strategy. And while you?re at it, try to include a secondary promotion.* Major Christmas Promotions: Many stations are active with charity events as a cornerstone of the season. A promotion gives substance to the messaging and activates listeners.* Some stations update an existing contest to a Christmas promotion or play a game like ?listen for the Christmas Elf with a cue to call.? Those are fine, but they don?t capture the feeling of a promotion to create goodwill. For best results, identify an idea that can build equity as an annual campaign year after year. It?s even better if a story can be told inside the promotion. Always follow these tips for the best results:* Plan. Great promotions take time to plan and prepare and even more time to manage. Start the planning process in July or August (that?s not a misprint; it is not too early) to secure sponsorships. If there are no sponsors, lock down ideas until early November.* Produce It. Support each campaign with promos, imaging, marketing, and promotional materials. Get the creative team involved in logos, landing pages, audio, and marketing concepts.* Start Earlier Than You Think You Should. Christmas tends to sneak up on stations. A good campaign takes at least 4-5 weeks of consistent promotion, and some advertisements with more moving parts (Christmas Wish, for example) must launch by early November to get stories on the air in early December.* The Best Christmas Promotions: Here are a few of the most effective major Christmas promotions with a short description and a link for more details: Breaking And Entering Christmas: This promotion only works with a high-profile personality show. Don?t try to do it with a new show. It requires behind-the-scenes work, but it is excellent for generating warm feelings.* Listeners nominate a deserving family.* The station chooses a story and makes Christmas dreams come true on the last show before Christmas.* The station team ?breaks in? when the family is away (the friend nominating them is responsible for accessing the home) and fills the house with food and gifts selected for their situation.* These moments are tear-jerkers and will produce excitement and gratitude. Be sure to capture it on-air and on video for post-promotion marketing. Christmas Wish: This classic promotion is a winner on dozens of stations in all formats. If someone else is doing it, repackage it with a different name.* Listeners nominate someone who needs help.* The station or show grants as many wishes as possible to make it the best Christmas ever.* When starting, grant a new wish every day during Christmas week. As the brand grows, it expands to the week before, and so on. Eventually, present a new wish every day in December.* The key to this promotion is storytelling. Start collecting nominations early, then invest time to develop the story in the most dramatic possible ways.* 12 Days of Christmas Kindness: This campaign ticks all the boxes for an outstanding promotion and is relatively easy to execute.* A personality commits to one act of kindness each day for 12 days leading up to Christmas and encourages listeners to join them to spread Christmas cheer.* Feature each act online, on-air, in daily emails, and via social media, and take calls from listeners with their stories.* Here are a few examples:* Call a friend or family member you haven?t talked to in a while to make a connection and tell them how much you love them.* Leave a thank-you note for a service worker (postal worker or delivery person, for example.* After a snowstorm, find a sidewalk that has not been cleared and get the snow off.* In addition to the 12 acts of kindness, ask listeners to suggest additional acts of kindness. Home For the Holidays: Many listeners (or their family members) can?t make it home for various reasons (logistics, financial, etc.). Home for the Holidays is a promotion of sentimental feelings.* Solicit entries with a story about missing their family and not being able to see them this year.* Select a winner. Ask them to come to the studio to tell their story (record it), but do not tell them they?ve won.* When they?ve told their story, call the relative they?d like to bring Home for the Holidays. Let them talk about how they hope this can happen, etc. They don?t know that the family arrived the day before and are hiding in the station. While talking on the air, bring the relative in to surprise them. That?s when the magic happens. It makes a great story on-air and a powerful video!* Meet The Real Santa Claus: Every child knows that the real Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, but did you know there is a real Santa Claus and you can visit? The official home of*Santa Claus is in Finland. In the Arctic Circle,*an entire village called Rovaniemi has been designated as Santa?s official home. Is there a better Christmas promotion than taking a family of listeners to meet Santa? This typical enter-to-win promotion is full of imagery and promo power.* Minor Christmas Promotions: Most stations should be able to manage a second promotion with a different appeal.* 12 Trees Of Christmas: Deliver a Christmas tree to a needy family each day for the last two weeks leading up to Christmas. This promotion is easier to execute than Breaking and Entering Christmas.* Jingle Bail: Start with a cause. Then, choose a high-profile location with natural traffic. A shopping mall is a great partner. Build a jail cell with a personality locked inside as a prisoner until bail is raised (through donations) to grant a wish. When released and a wish is fulfilled, arrest someone else and start again! Try to get local celebrities involved. * We Shop for You: Everyone has someone person on their list that?s hard to buy for. This promotion addresses that problem. Find a listener struggling with shopping for one person with an interesting story. Then help them. * The 12 Strays of Christmas: Many stations do public service promotions for pet adoption, but The 12 Strays of Christmas stands out. This is primarily an online video campaign supported by on-air promotion.* * Toys For Tatas: This is not usually associated with Christmas, but a personality-based show that pushes the envelope and targets men can cash in with this parody of the popular Toys For Tots campaign. * The Christmas Choir Competition: This campaign promotes traditional feelings of goodwill and local involvement and has a nice side benefit: Dozens of organizations talk about your radio station and show. It may not seem like the hottest, freshest, or sexiest holiday promotion, but there is merit in this one. * Launching All-Christmas Music: This is a great idea to kick off the holiday music season. Have one personality lock themselves in the studio and ?break format? by playing one song repeatedly. Pick an annoying parody song like ?Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer? or a classic song like ?Last Christmas.? The Online Holiday Experience: The greater the change, the more it should impact off-air marketing and promotion, starting with the website. Change the website and social media to All Christmas if you’re playing All-Christmas. Get everything else off for the time being.* The easiest way to do this is to hide (unlinking) the deeper pages on the site until after the holidays. When listeners interact with the station, each platform should reflect what is on the air. Then give listeners something to do online. Here are two promotion ideas:* Online Promotion: Scared Of Santa: Photo contests are highly engaging and, when executed correctly, can add traffic to a website or social media page. A Scared of Santa contest works every time. And it also makes for a great segment (or segments) on-air. Your Show?s Holiday Recipe Book: This may not seem exciting, but it works! It?s best if the promotion is led by a personality that loves to cook, but it is suitable for any show that gets behind it. Ask listeners to help assemble the show?s official Holiday-themed recipe books, then publish and sell copies to benefit a charity.* more

From Radio Online: Hope Media Group (HMG) announces Jon Hull as its new Vice President Emeritus, effective January 1, 2025. In his new post, Hull will use his experience to help lead and encourage the on-air donor acquisition teams, while also working with those teams that engage existing and lapsed donors off-air. In More...

From Radio Online: The true crime genre has seen exponential growth in podcasting, positioning itself as a dominant category among American listeners, according to the newly released True Crime Consumer Report from Edison Research and audiochuck. Data from Edison Podcast Metrics highlights how the audience for true crime More...

From Radio Insight: Gateway Creative Broadcasting’s Christian Hip Hop “Boost Radio” network based at 95.5 KXBS Bethalto IL/St. Louis launched on Tuesday on Educational Media Foundation’s 96.7 W244BY Memphis/94.9 WWAI-HD2 Bartlett TN. Gateway Creative Broadcasting also operates the “Boost” brand on EMF owned translators in Chicago, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland OR, and Fayetteville NC. The organization is also promoting future launches in Austin TX and Lansing MI. W244BY previously carried EMF’s Contemporary Worship “Air 1” network, which moved last month to the full-power 94.9 WWAI (formerly WKVF) eliminating the duplication of Christian AC “K-Love” on both the Class C3 94.9 and Class C2 94.1 WMLE Germantown (which has now taken on the WKVF calls) that existed since EMF acquired 94.1 from Audacy in 2023. more

From Radio Insight: Pamal Broadcasting AC 100.7 WHUD Peekskill NY has added Heather Deluca as its new midday host. Deluca most recently served as Brand Manager and midday host of Townsquare Media Hot AC ?SoJo 104.9? WSJO Atlantic City NJ until her exit in September. Deluca joined WSJO in 2009 and rose from APD/MD to PD in 2014, spending time in both middays and afternoons. After starting her career at ?Alice 104.5? WLCE Philadelphia, Deluca had been a staple in South Jersey since 2000 with time at Modern AC ?106.3 The Shore? WKOE and a run in middays at CHR 95.1 WAYV preceding her arrival at WSJO. She also voicetracked weekends for all of Townsquare?s Adult Contemporary stations. Deluca succeeds Kacey Morabito-Grean, who departed WHUD last month for a position outside the industry after a combined 32 years at the station. more

From Radio Online: KFUO-AM in St. Louis, the world's longest continuously operating Christian radio station, is marking its centennial year of broadcasting, celebrating 100 years of sharing faith-based programming since its first broadcast on December 14, 1924. Owned by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), KFUO began in More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Jackson MS. September PPM Ratings releases will begin on Monday, November 25. more

From Radio Online: Inland Northwest Broadcasting's Hot AC KRAO-FM (102.5 My Radio) in Pullman-Colfax, WA and Moscow, ID is bringing round the clock Christmas music to the "Palouse" region of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho for the first time as it became "North Pole 102.5" on Sunday. More...

From Radio Online: The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) recognized the achievements of eight pioneering leaders at the annual Gracies Leadership Awards, held Tuesday at Tribeca 360? in New York City. The event highlighted these women's outstanding contributions to broadcasting, journalism, digital More...

From Radio Online: Hot Radio Maine has announced the return of its annual Thanksgiving free turkey giveaway, a tradition now in its 12th year. The event has become a cornerstone for the station, having distributed over 2,500 turkeys to Maine families since its inception. This year, the station plans to give away more than 200 More...

From Radio Insight: Ahead of the pending station swap between Commonwealth Broadcasting and Seven Mountains Media, a number of frequencies have begun stunting with Christmas Music. Commonwealth’s Classic Country ?US 95.7? W239BT Glasgow/103.7 WHHT-HD2 Cave City and Seven Mountains’ 102.3 WLLI Munfordville and 98.5 W253BN Glasgow KY are now operating as “Santa 102.3/95.7“. WLLI/W253BN had been simulcasting Classic Country “Willie 94.1” WLYE-FM Glasgow. All of those stations will become part of Commonwealth in the deal. Hot AC 106.3 WOVO Horse Cave/Bowling Green, which will be moving from Commonwealth to Seven Mountains Media, has also gone all-Christmas as “North Pole Radio“. This is the second year in-a-row that WOVO has done so with that branding. more

From Radio Insight: Futuri has announced that is has released a substantial redesign of its TopicPulse, real-time content intelligence solution with the addition of AI. Futuri says, “in a media landscape where news is readily accessible, TopicPulse stands apart by providing real-time, actionable insights. Users can identify trending stories in local markets, uncover unique story angles that haven?t been covered, know what viewers will care about next and see what competitors are covering?all with a core focus on informing broadcasters about the content their audiences are engaging with right now.” They say the key benefits include: decide what content is best to run on-air, on your website, and on social media channels to keep your listeners tuning in and engaging with your station; Create custom content categories, called “smart pulses,” to track story engagement in categories that are most important to your audience; know the angles of a story that have been covered and, importantly, the angles that have not been covered, to identify and post fresh, uncovered content; track activity in select Facebook groups with ?Community Radar? feature without leaving the TopicPulse ecosystem. TopicPulse President Jay O?Connor said, ?I want to thank our customers for being so instructive on the redesign and vocal about the features that matter most to them. Our team has worked hard to deliver on those customer requests with an emphasis on the main reason customers come to TopicPulse: to find out precisely what stories their audiences are most engaged with right now.? more

From Radio Insight: Educational Media Foundation’s Contemporary Worship “Air 1” has debuted on Northeast Digital & Wireless’ 103.3 WIXM Waterbury and 98.3 W252CJ Burlington VT ahead of an acquisition of the station. WIXM has been running a redirect loop for the past two months following the move of its “Rock 103.3” WWMP brand to 102.3 Grand Isle in mid-September. The network affiliation agreement notes that EMF will pay $3500 per month for the station lease, which will terminate upon closing of its acquisition, which has not yet been filed with the FCC. Air 1 is currently heard in Burlington on Christian Ministries Inc’s 94.9 W235BE Burlington and 91.5 WGLY-HD2 Bolton. Christian Ministries also runs the Air 1 network on translators in Barre and Rutland VT. more

From Radio Online: Futuri, a provider of AI-driven broadcast solutions, has announced a major redesign of its flagship real-time content intelligence platform, TopicPulse. This update aims to provide broadcasters, content creators, and digital publishers with enhanced tools to deliver relevant, More...

From Radio Online: Chicago Cubs fans can look forward to hearing familiar voices on the airwaves, as veteran broadcasters Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer have signed multi-year contract extensions to remain the radio voices of the team on Audacy Sports WSCR (670 The Score) through at least 2025. Pat More...

From Radio Online: Trust in news media continues to wane, yet Americans recognize its critical role in sustaining a healthy democracy, according to new polls by HarrisX and Harris Poll. Despite concerns over misinformation and bias, media consumption habits remain strong among a subset of the population identified as "news More...

From Radio Online: Podcasts continue to solidify their position as a powerful medium for brands, with a recent survey highlighting the effectiveness of podcast advertising. Conducted by Veritonic, the survey provides insights into how brands can optimize their audio creative strategies to maximize More...

From Radio Online: Cox Media Group (CMG) appoints Michael Saunders as the new Director of Branding andamp; Programming for WALR-FM (Kiss 104.1) in Atlanta. He'll start this role November 25. Saunders' career includes brands such as KQBT-FM in Houston, WJLB-FM in Detroit, CMG's WCFB-FM in Orlando (2011-2016) and the launch of WWPR in More...

From Radio Online: MediaCo Holding Inc., the parent company of New York-based WQHT-FM (Hot 97) and WBLS-FM, reported significant financial growth for the third quarter of 2024, thanks in large part to its acquisition of Estrella Media. Revenue grew 363% to $29.9 million from $6.4 million, while net income rose to $54.9 million More...

From Radio Insight: Cox Media Group Adult R&B “Kiss 104.1” WALR-FM Palmetto/Atlanta GA has appointed Michael Saunders as Director of Branding & Programming. Saunders most recently served as Urban Brand Coordinator iHeartMedia and Program Director of Hip Hop “93.7 The Beat” KQBT Houston and from 2016 until earlier this year. During his tenure at KQBT he also led 97.9 WJLB Detroit for a time as well. He previously spent five years with Cox as PD of Adult R&B “Star 94.5” WCFB Orlando from 2011-16 and was the first PD of Hip Hop ?Power 105.1? WWPR New York. Other career stops for Saunders include VP/Programming for Clear Channel Detroit and PD of WPGC Washington DC, WJHM Orlando, and WBAV/WPEG Charlotte. He also founded the New York, Detroit and Florida Music Conferences and was inducted into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame. Saunders commented, “I?m beyond excited to return to Cox Media Group. I can?t wait to work with Rob Babin, Chris Eagan, Nate Reed, Elroy Smith and the entire team at WALR, KISS 104.1 Atlanta.” Cox Atlanta Director of Operations Nate Reed said, “We?re excited for Michael to join our award-winning KISS 104.1 team and look forward to the positive impact his leadership will have on culture, branding, and our community.” Cox SVP/Programming Chris Eagan added, ?We?re thrilled to welcome Michael back to the CMG family. I can?t wait to watch WALR evolve to new heights with his programming leadership.” more

From Radio Online: Michael Wallace, former anchor at WCBS 880 in New York has announced his new role at CBS News Radio following the station's closure earlier this year under its parent company Audacy. Wallace's career spans nearly two decades at WCBS 880, with additional experience at The Wall Street Journal, WDBO in Orlando More...

From Radio Online: Benztown presents an online charitable auction benefiting the Broadcasters Foundation of America and the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation. Bid on VIP experiences and signed music and sports memorabilia for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts that give back to the Radio community. Auction items include More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Chattanooga and Huntsville. The next releases will feature: On Tuesday, November 19: Monthly ratings for Jackson MS. more

From Radio Insight: Inland Northwest Broadcasting Hot AC “My Radio 102.5” KRAO-FM Colfax WA has brought 24/7 Christmas music to the “Palouse” region of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho for the first time as it became “North Pole 102.5” on Sunday morning. Covering the Moscow ID and Pullman/Colfax WA area, KRAO-FM programming consultant Matt Mony said, “Bringing this format to the Palouse for the first time is a total win for INWB. I am so excited to see the listener response.” Inland Northwest Broadcasting acting General Manager Jon Carsona dded, “We?re trilled to bring this listening experience to our audience for the first time on the Palouse. This is going to become a listening tradition for families on the Palouse for years to come.” more

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia has rebranded WOKY-AM in Milwaukee as "Fox Sports 920," effective November 1. The move includes programming adjustments, with the station dropping the syndicated Bill Michaels Show from the 11am-2pm slot. That daypart now features FOX Sports Radio's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." Additionally, More...

From Radio Online: Vox AM FM Digital Burlington's WXXX (95 Triple X) is celebrating 40 years in the market with a continuous format. "We will be doing a five-month campaign to thank listeners for staying with us and allowing us into their homes for four decades, culminating in a local event at the end of the promotion where we More...

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia WLTW (106.7 Lite FM) in New York will officially ring in the holiday season by switching to its annual all-Christmas music format on Friday, November 22, at 5pm ET, becoming New York's Christmas station. The holiday tradition will kick off with a live broadcast featuring More...

From Radio Online: After ten years of hosting "Honky Tonkin' with Tracy Lawrence," the Country singer has announced he will step down from his role as host. Starting in January 2025, the show will be taken over by the syndicated morning duo Big D andamp; Bubba, who plan to expand the program's reach and bring their signature style More...

From Radio Insight: Silverfish Media and Compass Media Networks has announced that Tracy Lawrence will step down as host of the weekly syndicated “Honky Tonkin’” at the end of the year with Big D & Bubba adding that show to their daily national morning show. Lawrence, the well-known Country artist known for songs including “Time Marches On”, has hosted the show for the past decade. Big D & Bubba will take over the three-hour weekly show that focuses on Country hits from the 1980s through 2000s. Compass says, “Big D & Bubba will bring fresh ideas, new segments, and lively energy to ‘Honky Tonkin’ while staying true to the core that Tracy Lawrence established?celebrating the best in 80s, 90s, and early 2000s country music every week on over 165 radio stations.” Big D said, ?What an amazing job T.L. has done. We?ve been fans of Tracy?s for years, and we are excited to do our best to take the show to the next level with more artist interviews, listener interaction, and some of the best country music ever made!? Bubba added, “Tracy Lawrence is genuinely one of the coolest and most talented people we?ve had the pleasure of working with. What an incredible run as the host of ?Honky Tonkin?, and we couldn?t be more thrilled about what?s coming next for Tracy! Likewise, moving forward, we are excited that we have the honor of taking over as hosts and celebrating the Honky Tonk hits that we love while getting to hang with our heroes and artist-friends, sharing amazing stories week after week! We?re fired up and ready to go!? Big D & Bubba’s Silverfish Media will continue to produce the show with Compass Media Networks handling sales and distribution. Affiliation inquiries can go to Compass’ Doug Ingold at dingold@compassmedianetworks.com. more

From Radio Insight: VOX AM/FM CHR “95 Triple X” 95.5 WXXX South Burlington VT celebrated its 40th anniversary on Saturday, November 16. To mark the anniversary the station is planning a series of giveaways over the next five months. Program Director/afternoon host Kwame Dwanka said, “We will be doing a five-month campaign to thank listeners for staying with us and allowing us into their homes for four decades, culminating in a local event at the end of the promotion where we intend to honor staff members past and present as well as give the remind the audience and eventing to remember.” WXXX signed-on for the first time at 6:00am on November 16, 1984 as a 3kW Class A signal on 95.3. It would upgrade to a Class C3 with 25kW on 95.5 in 1995 and has remained a Top 40 station since its birth. Vox AM/FM COO/Managing Partner Ken Barlow commented, “Marking a 40th birthday for any business is historic, and that holds for 95 Triple X. This radio station has been the eyes and ears of an entire generation, being the Hit Music Authority in Vermont and New York. It has a rich tradition of playing the most current music, featuring dynamic personalities, supporting countless community and public service programs, and giving away many fantastic prizes! 95 Triple has never moved from its original idea of being a radio station that serves the masses with great music, entertainment, and community service, and we’ll continue that tradition long into the future!” more