There's no universal 'right' time; only what works for each individual outlet.

kevjo wrote:

now, can we move on? Nothing new to see here.

If posters here had the capacity to "move on", there would be absolutely no "new" posts ever again.
 

To TheConsultant: That was a cheap shot.

fyshtalk wrote:

Exactly..not an issue . Whatever works for them.
You don't like it , it is as easy as changing stations. Besides, as I have said before there are 24/7 Christmas stations cranking out the stuff 365 days a year on the web!!

That is fine when one is at home or travelling in their car. What about those working in an office or store? No escape from 98.1 or 102.9 for them.

@ RadioAaron: you bring up a point.  Personally, I don't like music in my work environment, Christmas or otherwise, but I never have a say.  Co-workers simply turn on a radio and I must like it or lump it ... and it's a given that I will just lump it and not say anything when that f***ing "Hello" by Adele is played for the 4th time!  When  I work a  12-hour shifts, it's even more often.  If you like a music-free environment, you're SOL. (Not to mention the incredibly high rotation of irritating commercials!!)

potentiometer wrote:

@ RadioAaron: you bring up a point.  Personally, I don't like music in my work environment, Christmas or otherwise, but I never have a say.  Co-workers simply turn on a radio and I must like it or lump it ... and it's a given that I will just lump it and not say anything when that f***ing "Hello" by Adele is played for the 4th time!  When  I work a  12-hour shifts, it's even more often.  If you like a music-free environment, you're SOL. (Not to mention the incredibly high rotation of irritating commercials!!)

I hear ya! Even working *in* radio, I've had to listen to a station where I personally didn't like the music upwards of 12 hours a day. One pre-radio job where a station I didn't like was played every night, I at least got to wear headphones.

Still not a radio issue though, as they'll never program to someone listening to a station they wouldn't turn on in the first place if they had a choice for 12 hours at a time.
 

In Canada, stations here usually don't let the Yule rule until after either Remembrance Day or, in Toronto, following the the Santa Claus Parade. They don't have either one of those in the U.S., and so, on the day after Halloween, a number of outlets have already begun to deck the halls. And they haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving down south yet. 

Cincinnati radio station cranks up holiday tunes day after Halloween

Christmas music returns to Detroit radio waves Friday

Madison radio station switches to playing all holiday tunes for season

Green Bay radio station switches to all Christmas music the day after Halloween

This list of the most popular Christmas songs on radio is from the U.S., but I doubt there's a lot of real differences here. 

What Are The Most Popular Christmas Songs?

Song number 21. Jingle Bell Rock by Hall & "Oatest"? Forgive me or noticing, but once a proofreader, always a proofreader.

It is interesting how many stations get a big bump in ratings when they go all Christmas Music. CHFI is a great example of this, but it is common in many other markets as well. 

The top 50 songs is about right. Total playlist for Christmas music would be much larger though, with album cuts and of course some good Christmas cancon.  What is kind of nice is that you can play a lot of artists and groups that normally don't receive airplay.  Other than the Christmas "hits" most people don't really care if Silent Night is sung by Anne Murray or Ray Coniff and the gang.

I agree Mace, I can't normally listen to more than an hour of Christmas music on the radio, and that needs to be right at Christmas time. Playing Christmas tunes 4,5 weeks ahead 24 hours a day ain't my thing. But many people do love 24/7 Christmas music on the radio. There is usually only a few stations even in large markets that go this far however.

And lists like the top 50 are not really a good indicator of what is played on the radio. These are the Christmas "hits" that stations will put into the mix but there are many more than just the 50 listed.

Stations like CHFI do a great job with their Christmas playlist and they do play a lot of current artists that have recorded Christmas songs. Most however are remakes with not a lot of new original songs coming on stream every year. Also the list doesn't reflect many of the comedy or novelty Christmas songs which are dusted off every year. And of course the many cancon Christmas hits that have been recorded over the years. 

AM 740 doesn't go all in Christmas but they do play a very interesting mix leading up to t0 the holiday, as does any of the Jewel stations.

Wonder who will be the first to play Johnny Bower and the Rinky Dinks, with Honky the Christmas Goose. It was a big hit on CHUM around 1964!!  Maybe CHUM was the only station that played it??

Honestly, at first I thought it was Bert Reynolds!

Here's a fresh take on this topic - a British radio station that openly promotes it WON'T be playing any Christmas tunes this year. 

“We think everybody will get sick of Jingle Bells, Slade, and worn out Christmas nonsense when they’re in the shops. And they really don’t need commercial radio stations ramming the festive season down their throat as well."

UK radio station bans Christmas songs

CHFI didn't even wait for Eaton's Santa to cross the merry threshold. They went Christmas @ noon. <click>