Stations Making Earlier Flips to Christmas Music Amid Pandemic

Many Upper Midwest radio stations are making earlier changeovers to All-Christmas music amid the pandemic, with more than twice as many regional stations now in seasonal mode compared with this time last year.

At least 20 regional stations had made the switch by the evening of Friday, Nov. 6, compared with eight in the same period in 2019. (Two of the stations that flipped early last year were changing format, but it does not appear any format changes are headed for any of the stations that have changed so far this year.)

The biggest group of changes came on Friday, when seven regional iHeartMedia stations made the switch. Many flipped at 5 p.m. with Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

iHeart’s Friday flips included “Kool 108” (KQQL/107.9 Anoka-Minneapolis), “95.7 Big FM” (WRIT Milwaukee), “Mix 96” (KMXG Clinton-Quad Cities), “Leo 1360” (KMJM Cedar Rapids), “KG95” (KGLI/95.5 Sioux City), “Mix 99.9” (KMXA-FM Minot), and KOGA/930 (Ogallala, NE).

Ironically, the changeovers came as unseasonable warmth settled into the region, prompting many to head outside to enjoy one last dose of summer-like temperatures.

Earlier in the week, iHeart’s “Rewind 92.1” (WXXM Sun Prairie-Madison) was apparently the only Election Day flip.

Three other stations made the flip on Wednesday, the day after the election: “Star 104.5” (KSRZ Omaha), “104.3 Cities FM” (KZLT East Grand Forks), and WSPT/97.9 (Stevens Point-Wausau).

Saga’s “B93.3” (WLDB Milwaukee) made the changeover on Thursday, beating iHeart’s “Big FM” by a day.

As earlier noted, eight regional stations made the flip between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2.

You can track all of the flips here.