Christmas Music A Big Hit On The Radio Dial

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A few radio stations in our area are playing wall-to-wall Christmas music. Why?  Because it seems the audience wants it.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least it is for radio stations that start playing all Christmas music. Two stations in our area, WBEB and WJBR, started a week before Thanksgiving. WOGL-HD2 went all-holiday on November 8th.

Radio consultant Alex Demers:

"Stations do it because it works and I think Christmas music is here to stay."

Demers also says a growing number of listeners want Christmas music, either over-the-air or online:

"One of the internet radio services, Pandora, where you're able to make up your own music mix or your own music channels. Over ten-percent of the listener choices there are for all-Christmas or holiday music channels."

Demers says going all-holiday can give a station a 30-percent bump in listeners. I wonder if we'll consider doing all Christmas news stories for the rest of the month?!

Reported by: Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio