Today FM Megathread Mod warning post #1 / #1401

Tonywhest · 23-12-2023 12:03am

We actually got off very lightly here in ireland, in some other countries, Bauer do this 100% christmas music thing on Today Fm equivalents from Mid November😫.... There was an interview with Ian Dempaey in one of the papers a few days ago and he said that up untill about 2010 he got to pick almost all the music played on his show himself.

fire_man · 23-12-2023 12:22am

Ya when block rocking beats wasn't on turned it straight off.

Only so many times a day you can listen to band aid!

NIMAN · 23-12-2023 2:03am

In their promo today about giving away the 200k, they said the Cash Machine gave away 5mill this year, and it'll be back in 2024, bigger and better.

So will be switching off more this coming year.

Breezy_ · 23-12-2023 2:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528470#Comment_121528470

Just shy of 6 million

radiotrickster · 23-12-2023 8:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528076#Comment_121528076

Sorry, I meant 7-10pm. Steve K is class

TaurenDruid · 23-12-2023 9:44am

I honestly don't get the xmas-all-day-every-day thing. I mean, if you want some Christmas music, sure, play a couple of songs an hour. And push the xmas station you have on the app. But all day, every day? I snapped during the week, went to Spotify, stuck Nova on in the car - bliss!

Montage of Feck · 23-12-2023 9:59am

I had to switch over to 2fm, 2fm!!!

hold my beer · 23-12-2023 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528645#Comment_121528645

It just went straight into Xmas songs so I'm guessing a recording.

siblers · 24-12-2023 1:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528230#Comment_121528230

I don't think he gets to pick a single song anymore. He used always play David Bowie back in the day

PhoneMain · 24-12-2023 7:04am

Definitely overkill with the Xmas songs, heard some terrible covers over the last few days. Ian played a destiny's child one after talking about Michael Buble and said something "Michael, never do a song like this".

NIMAN · 24-12-2023 11:52pm

When do the continuous Xmas songs stop?

fire_man · 25-12-2023 12:06am

Probably tomorrow!They will pretend it's all over and move onto a new year's eve cash machine jackpot.

supereurope · 26-12-2023 12:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534322#Comment_121534322

Looks like they abandoned them at midnight. Quite a dramatic turnaround, most other stations still play one or two an hour for today (which I'm fine with), before they're dropped entirely tomorrow.

KanyeSouthEast · 26-12-2023 1:39pm

So they play songs when it’s not Christmas ie before December 8 and stop playing them when it is Christmas. Makes you wonder really.

NIMAN · 26-12-2023 1:43pm

They must have the mentality of some folk I see, who put their tree up on 1st November then take it down on 26th Dec.

radiotrickster · 26-12-2023 1:55pm

I think playing them until New Years would be fine. Not non-stop but as supereurope said, one or two an hour would suit the mood.

supereurope · 26-12-2023 2:14pm

Appreciate I'm talking about it now that its over, but I thought the decision to go all-in on Christmas songs was an odd one, especially since they stuck to just the well-known ones. Dedicated Christmas stations mix in some obscure or less well-known Christmas songs, but TodayFM just played the usual suspects, i.e., Slade, Band Aid, Spice Girls, etc., so there was never more than three hours before a song would be repeated. That just gets boring.

Slightly off-topic (as it applies to nearly every station), but when did it become acceptable to play Christmas songs from early November? I don't want to sound old by saying "back in my day", but when I was younger (and I'm talking the late 80s/early 90s), you wouldn't hear a Christmas song on the radio until 8 December. They moved up to 1 December in the late 90s, and even up to the early 2010s, it would be rare to hear one in late November. I remember back in 2011, I was living in London and had Heart on one morning (no idea why, since Heart is terrible.) It was the last Friday in November and the breakfast DJs were having a dilemma over whether to play a Christmas song or not, since they thought it was still too early. In recent years, it seems to be acceptable to play them from 1 November. One satellite music channel switches to a Christmas playlist in early October I think.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537051#Comment_121537051

I'm also in favour of a gentle phase-out, so it was quite a shock to turn on TodayFM at 1am this morning to find they back to their regular playlist with no Christmas music at all. Flicking around other stations, they seem to be going the two an hour route, which is fine. They'll probably be gone tomorrow though. With the exception of MTV Xmas, the satellite music channels have abandoned them today too. MTV Xmas reverts to its 90s playlist tomorrow.

KanyeSouthEast · 26-12-2023 3:04pm

The new gen I think have decided that Christmas starts at the very latest when that godawful toy show is on the LLS and earliest as someone said above on Noember 1. It’s then quickly abandoned on the second or third actual day of Christmas. Radio stations just following suit it seems.

Loughc · 26-12-2023 3:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537265#Comment_121537265

Retail have a lot to answer for too. They push their Christmas stock heavily from November 1st and then from 26th December they push the new year sales and move on the next event.

TaurenDruid · 26-12-2023 4:20pm

What 'sales' would these be? There used to be sales! Today I got an add for a 10% off Harvey Norman voucher if I spent €250 in Harvey Norman! But yes, this year has been particularly noticeable for the really long "Christmas" period. And I hate it.

ryangontv · 26-12-2023 11:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537099#Comment_121537099

Really? Tomorrow? MTV has really died out...

retalivity · 27-12-2023 12:23am

The short answer is "America", and all the corporate/retail nonsense we imported from it

NIMAN · 27-12-2023 12:40am

It could be June, listening to TodayFM today.

A strange decision, I wonder who decided 24/7 Xmas songs for a week or two was a great idea, but it's a terrible idea to play any Xmas songs on St Stephens Day?

ryangontv · 27-12-2023 5:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539429#Comment_121539429

Spot on.

Tonywhest · 27-12-2023 6:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539460#Comment_121539460

Someone in Bauer HQ in Germany I'd imagine, as already mentioned, they have been doing this on radio stations equivalent to Today FM in other countries for years. Mix Megapol in Sweden for example goes 100% Christmas on November 26 and is 100% "Christmasless" by December 26th