Though some stations made earlier changes to All-Christmas formats this year, the total number of Upper Midwest stations that have adopted the seasonal format is almost exactly the same as last year.
Entercom’s “Mix 105.1” (WMHX Waunakee-Madison) was the first to switch on Oct. 30. A trickle of stations followed in the ensuing week including a large group of flips by iHeartMedia stations a week later.
Dozens more stations made their switches on a more typical schedule in the days surrounding Thanksgiving.
As of Sunday, Nov. 29, 87 stations in the region had made the switch, though the number surpasses 100 if translators and in-market simulcasts are counted. (For purposes of this site’s list, only one station identity per market is listed.) In 2019, 88 stations had made the switch by the end of November.
Those that have changed to All-Christmas are predominately in the Adult Contemporary, Classic Hits, or Christian format categories. This year’s format breakdown is as follows:
- 33 Adult Contemporary (including Light AC and Hot AC)
- 22 Classic Hits/Oldies
- 20 Christian
- 6 Classic Country
- 4 Soft Oldies/Easy Listening
- 1 Contemporary Hits
- 1 changing format
A few more switches to All-Christmas are still expected from stations that typically don’t make the change until early December.