By Anita Garner
Today we get our favorite music everywhere, any time, but not that long ago radio people played the music we listened to. I spent years on the radio and all of us on the air worked from a playlist which we didn’t get to select. Just before in-earnest holiday madness began, Christmas songs were slowly merged into the playlist, but no matter when they started, someone on the air staff hated it.
Here’s a scene from a typical radio programming meeting, where on-air people wrestled with our boss, the Program Director.
PD: So guys – and Anita – you’ll notice on your playlist that we’re rotating one Christmas song each hour starting…
ME: …Couldn’t we play more than one each hour?
EVERYONE ELSE: No!
PD: And then by week three of the season, we’ll play four an hour.
ME: Couldn’t we play more than that?
EVERYONE ELSE: Shut up, Anita!
ME: Could I have more Christmas music just on my show?
ON-AIR PERSON: I’ll be calling in sick.
ANOTHER ON-AIR PERSON: You can’t call in sick, because I’m scheduling all my dental work now. I’ll be gone for the whole month.
The foregoing is only slightly exaggerated. I haven’t met many people who like Christmas music as much as I do. For me, Thanksgiving begins the Christmas music marathon. Give me a couple of favorite holiday songs and lights that twinkle and I’m happy.
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