The official Christmas FM thread

DvB

Been caught in the car twice now already with Christmas shoes...🤮 vaguely remember managing to more or less avoid it last year, 2023 is paying me back it seems.

Haven't heard Dolly's ditty just yet, thank f**k! Or Patsy & Elmo & their grandma getting run over by a reindeer... though suspect they're in the post!!

dubstepper

I have listened a couple of times but find myself changing channels when one of the songs I don't like comes on. There was a lot of channel switching last night on my hour drive. I have been listening since the start but I fear the accumulation of listening through the crap songs for the ones I like is wearing thin. I'm finding I like listening to maybe 20% of the songs. Other's have been flogged to death. Not Last Christmas though, never Last Christmas.....

DvB

To be fair, the mix I had on my drive to & from work yesterday was good, just 1 or 2 duds, the rest were fine.

Have a long drive later, so it'll be interesting to see what mix I get. Suspect I'll lose signal for the second half of the journey though.

Loughc

Hard to argue with this list.

dubstepper

Have to revise my bad review above. Having listened yesterday for an hour it was really good.

@Loughc Number 3 on that list is a bit contentious these days. I read that many Africans find the whole song a bit offensive.

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121441427#Comment_121441427

Couldn't care less to be honest. Fantastic song wrote with the best of intentions and has done so much for the people of Ethiopia through the raising of money and awareness. If some people are offended these days then....f*** em.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445806#Comment_121445806

This by 1,000 times.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445806#Comment_121445806

Well said. Agree 100%.

joebloggs123

Anyone finding the audio skipping on Christmas fm? Happens in my car but no problem with any other station

TheRiverman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121435534#Comment_121435534

I can't understand the popularity of Taylor Swift. Time magazine really taking the piss choosing her as their person of the year.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121467781#Comment_121467781

Yeah I thought it happened once or twice yesterday morning.

DvB

I've noticed as I drive across the country the channel isn't automatically changing to alternative frequency's, the signal is staying at 105.2 (Dublin frequency) for the whole journey so I lose it altogether, even driving through Longford which has its own frequency it doesnt track & change. Last year it changed as I drove. The other channels (newstalk etc) still change but for some reason Christmas FM doesnt.

I've noticed no song information or suchlike is displaying this year either, vaguely remember it did last year.

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121467781#Comment_121467781

Came on to post the same thing. Was happening at home with alexa so I thought it was our Internet or maybe the app but happening a lot in the car too. It disrupts my singing along ☹️

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121470693#Comment_121470693

I've noticed the song information doesn't appear on FM either but it does through Tuneinn

Also heard Marty Miller from Nova broadcasting earlier today!

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121477551#Comment_121477551

Marty Miller had turned up on Christmas FM a number of years ago, but I think this is the first year in a good while that he presented on it.

SarahLil

Haven’t heard Annie Lennon Winter Wonderland yet

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121481158#Comment_121481158

Bizarre, heard it twice yesterday and on Saturday as well.

For me, I've yet to hear FONY since launch day... and it's not for the lack of listening time either!

SarahLil

Tuned in the past hour it can’t not but you in a good humour mood

@DvB I’m not getting to listen as much as I usually do I will have to do better 😀

Butson

I wonder if the Go Loud Xmas hits is hitting their listenership this year.

It's ad free.

dubstepper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121481492#Comment_121481492

I can't count how many times I've heard it. One day, it may have been on the presenter cross over, it was one twice in 5 songs!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121483520#Comment_121483520

Oh listen, i'm sure its a case of just missing it by seconds or suchlike here & there, I know well its a heavyweight & played regularly, its just for whatever reason so far this year I keep missing it. No doubt I'll hear it on the car trip home from work now 😀

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121483500#Comment_121483500

Go loud Xmas was on last year too. There’ll always be plenty of competition for ears this time of the year but as long as ChristmasFM raises money for charity that’s the main thing.

I actually like the ads on ChristmasFM they add to the ambience. Otherwise just put together a playlist.

DvB

Finally!!

WFH today & have Christmas FM on in he background since about 9am, currently playing FONY.

Cant believe this is the first time I've heard it in 2 weeks since launch day.

ford fiesta

with increasing use of spotify for christmas playlists, smart speakers and devices with more choice etc, is Christmas "FM" as popular as it used to be ?

Coupon King

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486086#Comment_121486086

Good question, I find I am playing my own Spotify playlists more this year and only dipping into Xmas Fm the odd time, theres only so much FONY Ed & Elton and Taylor Swift my brain can hack lol

Declan A Walsh

It was mentioned in a previous post that Keith Shanley is not on the official schedule. Every year, one or two not on the schedule turn up on the station anyway, e.g. Marty Miller this year. Keith was on Christmas FM every year from its start in 2008 until last year. Has there been any sighting (hearing?) of Keith this year?

There are only a small number of people still with Christmas FM who have been involved since its very beginning in 2008. They would include of course the four principals Garvin Rigby, Paul Shepherd (aka Ray Jackson), Walter Hegarty and Daragh O'Sullivan. It also includes Noel Shannon, who I heard over the weekend and is on the schedule. Bernie Jameson shows up on Our Team but not on the schedule. She was involved from the start and was certainly involved up to last year. Did anyone hear her presenting? Is there anyone else still with Christmas FM going back to 2008. Declan Ralph is a case of "close, but no cigar" as he has been with Christmas FM since 2009!

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486074#Comment_121486074

They played it just after 7am this morning as well, I chuckled when it played thinking did DVB hear it.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486490#Comment_121486490

Still no audio sighting of Keith Shanley this year sadly.

Declan A Walsh

When did Karl Tsignidos first get involved with Christmas FM? He has been associated with the station for a number of years, but I don't think he was there from the start.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121486802#Comment_121486802

I assume this is a rhetorical question? Doubt there's many on here with your extensive knowledge of radio, let alone be able to answer the bits you may not know.