1 of 1- Hansa
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Santa shows
When I was growing up you could always find a phone-in show featuring Santa right around Christams (Rogers Cable 10 used to do it and I think WNED in Buffalo did as well along with a few radio stations). Does anyone still do this in our area?
- RadioActive
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Re: Santa shows
As far as I know, the only presence from Old St. Nick today comes when CFRB or AM640 (or pick a talk station - they all do it) have Santa on for a half hour taking calls from kids about what they want for Christmas.
For some, it's cute and a chance for parents to hear their kid on the air. For others (like me) it's the dullest radio there is. But it happens every year and there's no reason to think it won't be repeated again in mid Dec. 2023. (Actually, it could also happen right before the Santa Claus Parade as a means to promote the event.)
As for TV, the longest running Christmas special has to be "The Santa Show" that aired on WBEN-TV every year from 1948 until 1973 - an amazing 25-year run. Buffalo broadcaster and historian Steve Cichon has the story on the show here, but there's only a little footage that's survived - none of it with sound. You can watch it, including the memorable Forgetful The Elf, in the video below.
- Forward Power
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Re: Santa shows
Not sure about the GTA, but out here in eastern Ontario, the myFM stations in Pembroke and Renfrew have done "Letters To Santa" every year, usually with a local sponsor setting up a mailbox at their location, and some of the schools in the area have their students write letters to be read on the air. Santa is voiced by their hockey play-by-play guy, and his elf sidekick is someone using the "helium" effect in their audio editing software.
Also worth mentioning are the Santa-tracking NORAD reports Christmas Eve by Dan Mellon of Moose FM Kemptville and Algonquin College... these air on a bunch of stations, and he's been running these annually since his second stint at CFLY/CKLC Kingston in the mid to late 2000s.