Radio’s first all-Christmas station arrives.

 

With 102 days to go before Christmas, Mainstream Media is making a point.  The classical music is gone from WBQW, Kennebunkport.  In its place the Portland market FM has launched “Christmas 104.7” promoting itself as the first radio station in the country to begin playing Christmas music this year.

The stunt isn’t temporary either — WBQW is promising “104 days of Christmas” with the format running through December 27.  Mainestream Media won WBQW at the Nassau Broadcasting auction with a $150,000 bid.  Last year’s first Christmas stations launched in mid-October.  There were 383 stations airing all-holiday tunes in 2011, a drop of 11% from a year earlier.