Ho, Ho, Ho! To help you get in the festive mood, Smooth Radio will be launching a national Christmas radio station, Smooth Xmas.
The station will be going live on Tuesday the 1st of November on the national DAB multiplex. The station will be running nationwide until the 27th of December 2011, alongside the existing Smooth Radio service.
Smooth Xmas will be commercial free, and at launch will be chat-free, playing back-to-back Christmas music. As the station gets closer to the big day, some presenter chat and competitions will be introduced. We understand that Smooth Christmas will be mono-only.
Here at Radio and Telly HQ, we have mixed opinions on the idea of a station running two months of Christmas music. Could the first of November be a little early to start enjoying (or enduring) White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Mary’s Boy Child and Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer…?
Personally, I’d prefer a few “Silent Night”s before Christmas, and after 2 months of Christmas tunes, I’ll be hitting a large glass of (Mistletoe and) Wine
We’d love to hear your thoughts on whether Smooth Xmas floats your boat. Please add a comment (or the pun of your choice) below…
Can’t wait, just wish they’d put some decent channel on freeview though. Twitter – @ColinRadburn1
Nice idea but 1st November far too soon, December, fine.
Why are they doing this? Smooth Radio is a very good station to listen to. What is going to be achieved by this? Who is going to listen to this? Just a load of Humbug.
Note that Smooth Xmas is in addition to the existing Smooth Radio, not a replacement.
Given the current economic climate at the BBC., I am surprised that you..The Beeb are launching N.C.R. this kind of short term event is surely well covered by other networks.I wonder “Is our dear oid Aunty showing her insecurity?*
The station Smooth Xmas is an offshoot of Smooth Radio. Smooth Radio (and therefore Smooth Xmas) is a commercial radio station unconnected to the BBC, and not funded by the licence fee.
I did not assume that it was paid by the licence fee. Are you telling me that it falls free from above like manna from Heaven
Smooth Radio is a commercial organisation, and not conected to the BBC. Commercial radio stations make their money through advertising and sponsorship. There’s no licence fee to listen to commercial radio stations, so they’re free to listen to.
You could argue that they’re not completely free. The companies that pay to advertise on a commercial station factor in the cost of their advertising in to their costs – so by buying an advertiser’s product, you’re indirectly subsidising a commercial radio station.
Note that Smooth Xmas won’t be running commercials, so it’s their sister station that gets the money through advertising.
You have to buy a digital radio, of course…
Damn site better than the endless repititions of the impending disasters in Greece & the rest of the European Union.
To hell with it all bring on the Christmas cheer.
What a totally bonkers idea! The way to lose listeners I would say. There’s far too much Xmas musak around anyway. Would quickly switch channel if I chanced upon it.
The commercialisation of Christmas (and every other religion-based holiday) continues apace. Shops, and particularly supermarkets, are putting out Christmas goods before the summer ends now. On January 2nd, it will be Sales (which are permanent) and Easter Eggs. They even turned what was the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain (the night that the dead ancestors walk) into Halloween, a wholly American idea, an insane night of children dressed in weird clothes and begging at doors. Adults now have Halloween parties and the stores are full of garbage connected with it. I am not a Christian, nor do I believe in any organised religion, but I believe that committed Christians must wince at what happens to Christian holy days now.
From now until the middle of January, we will hear the same tired old songs and the manic voices of radio and TV presenters, “helping us” to celebrate. Think I will find an island, or maybe hibernate until Spring. Oh, no, then it’s Easter.
I think it’s a great idea, bring on the cheer!! xx