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Now ye're talking - to Christmas FM!

  • 26-11-2018 3:53pm
    #1
    Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Niamh
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    This week we have Ronan from Christmas FM here to answer your questions about the Christmas station.
    Christmas FM is coming back for its 11th year on air, launching on Wednesday 28th November at 1pm.

    Christmas FM has five stations, 4 of which only stream and Christmas FM Ireland that goes out on the FM dial. Between the five stations we have something for everyone (who likes Christmas :D) and every Christmas mood.
    About Christmas FM:
    ChristmasFM Ireland is a quasi national FM radio station serving Ireland for 30 days each Christmas period. We operate a unique temporary radio service funded by commercial sponsorship and activities and have a strong focus on fundraising for charity. To date we have raised over 1,250,000 for Irish charities.


    Ronan is here to answer as many questions as he can about Christmas FM and the work that they do. They have a charity partner every year who benefit from the monies raised. Raising money for charity is one of the main reasons that Christmas FM is on air. This year their 2018 charity partner is Temple Street Hospital.

    If you have any questions, ask away!


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,046 ✭✭✭kitten_k


    How is the charity partner selected?


  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Cockadoodledoo


    Do you ever get tired of hearing Christmas music :D


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    When does the heavy preparation work kick off for Christmas fm?

    October or sooner?

    Also how is scheduling and song rotations decided.

    Thanks so much for doing this Ronan. Great appreciated during what will be an extremely busy week for you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,248 ✭✭✭Gloomtastic!


    Congratulations Ronan on such a great product. It’s a unique station with such professional djs and output and brand loyalty that every other radio station owner in Ireland would die for. They must hate you to bits for taking what I imagine is a large chunk of their listeners away at this time of year.

    As a serial entrepreneur are you not tempted, just a teeny weeny bit, to commercialise it?

    How long, from the initial idea, did it take to get to launch? What was the biggest obstacle you faced at the time and how did you overcome it?

    Sean Dunne was an early backer, accommodating you in the Berkerly Court. You obviously met him, what did you think of him?

    Have you had many approaches to buy it?

    What’s your favourite Christmas song? :D

    Well done again, and best of luck with the AMA.....


  • Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭R.dufy454773


    Hi , thanks for doing this

    What keeps you busy for the rest of the year?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    No questions, just wanted to say thank you to you and the team for all your hard work. You're as much a part of Christmas in my home as the toy show and fairy lights. Best of luck and have a lovely Christmas.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,845 ✭✭✭✭Tom Mann Centuria


    What frequencies are you on? Do you yourself enjoy Christmas, or is it a case of too much of a good thing?*




    *though I can't believe this is actually possible with Christmas.

    Oh well, give me an easy life and a peaceful death.



  • Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    What are the busiest and quietest times for texts? How often does it get to the point where you can’t read every text out? Do you ever get angry texts? (Presumably from people on the naughty list.)


  • Registered Users Posts: 43,017 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    Do you wish it could be Christmas every day?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,691 ✭✭✭ Ethan Limited Diesel


    Christmas Shoes.

    Why?

    Why, why, why?

    Why?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 22,198 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Just for clarity....

    You are aware it's still November?!?

    :mad:


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,242 ✭✭✭AllForIt


    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,198 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    AllForIt wrote: »
    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.
    I can't help meself...

    Despite my previous, I simply must draw attention to the fact that there is a user-operated 'tuning' function on most radios these days. And usually an on/off button, switch or slider of some sort?

    It pained me to type that. I agree with you 100%. Bar the celebration of holibabijebus's birthday. Couldn't give a polite shyte for that.

    :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,820 ✭✭✭FanadMan


    Are you going to play A Merry Jingle by The Greedies? It's possibly the best xmas song ever......better than that fairytale rubbish!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,789 ✭✭✭Jude13


    First of thanks for doing the Q&A, I love driving across country seeing other people singing the same Christmas tunes as me. This year we cant get home for Christmas so will be listening via an app in the desert.

    Q: Is there a relaxed festive atmosphere, i.e. a tipple or two and some quality street, or it all business?


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,247 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    AllForIt wrote: »
    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.

    You do realise that the station is run by volunteers and is used to raise significant funds for charity each year, don't you? Are you a Grinch all year round or is it just a seasonal thing for you?


  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Why do you shut down on 26th? Why not the 30th?


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 23,035 ✭✭✭✭beertons


    What's your favourite non Christmas song?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,744 ✭✭✭Brock Turnpike


    Hi, Ronan.

    Fair play on the fundraising for Temple Street this year. A very worthy cause that is often overlooked.

    May I ask how you choose your playlist for the station? I enjoy flicking to the station on the build up to Christmas, but I do find the playlist fairly repetitive. (I don't mean that in a "you're always playing Christmas songs" way!)

    Are there a particular set of Christmas songs that you feel meet what the station is slot, and therefore exclude other Christmas songs?

    One example I would give is an album called "Funny Looking Angels" by Smith & Burrows. Is an album of Christmas* songs, some of which are beautifully done, in particular "Only You". I'm sure there are plenty of other artists that have done similar Christmas albums that could be added to the playlist.

    Finally, your station introduced me to "Feliz Navidad" and for that I am eternally grateful :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,131 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    Will you have Santa on this year, so the kids can listen to him?

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,020 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    Why have you never played Chrissie Hynde's song 2000 Miles? I mean it has to be the BEST CHRISTMAS SONG EVER.
    I clearly now expect it to be song number 1 played this week after my intervention. :-)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,314 ✭✭✭davo2001


    AllForIt wrote: »
    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.

    No one is forcing you to listen to it.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    seamus wrote: »
    Why do you shut down on 26th? Why not the 30th?

    It's a 30 day temporary licence. So my going live on the 28th (they use the 27th for testing, etc)

    they need to end on the 27th of December.

    Of course your question is now why start on the 28th and not December 2nd?


  • Registered Users Posts: 47 Caybar


    The Christmas FM App works all year round, who looks after that during the year?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,861 ✭✭✭Nokia6230i


    One doffs ones hat to all those volunteering be it front of house or behind the scenes in production.

    As Sharon Ni Bheolain on Six One might opine; "It's not for me now" though I don't do her facial tics as well as she can.

    Have dipped into it but it's the radio equivalent for those volunteers of what it must be like for retail staff at this time of year too.

    Listeners can tune in/out, switch on/off, retailers/staff can't as such.

    Groundhog Day comes to mind!

    It'd be great for piping into a remand cell to get a prisoner to talk; they'd either co-operate or be a gibberish wreck coming out.

    But I get it's a necessarily evil and raises funds, in this case for Temple St.

    The altruism for me would be outweighed by the need to bang my head off a wall with the same songs being played during my 8, 10, 12 hour shift.

    But that's just me and I think it's a novel, noble idea and for reasons like staying power I doff my hat to the volunteers involved!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,539 ✭✭✭The Specialist


    AllForIt wrote: »
    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.

    Can you just go listen to Radiohead or something?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,653 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    How much would we need to pay to make "Christmas Shoes" disappear from the rotation forever more?


  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Faith wrote: »
    How much would we need to pay to make "Christmas Shoes" disappear from the rotation forever more?
    That actually sounds like a great idea for a donation drive for Xmas FM;

    "If we can reach our target of €100,000, then we will remove Christmas shoes from rotation for the rest of the year!".


  • Registered Users Posts: 29,294 ✭✭✭✭Mint Sauce


    What would have to be the minimum amount rasied, to remove Mariah Carey 'All I Want For Xmas' from the Play List?

    :D
    AllForIt wrote: »
    Do you accept that some ppl have no interest in xmas whatsoever and that your station exists as a part of the whole xmas advertising machine to make xmas compulsory for everyone, all done not to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but to increase consumerism as far as you possibly can.

    There are other radio stations you know.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 499 ✭✭ainy


    I love Christmas fm, I am ridiculously excited to start listening tomorrow! One of my favourites has to be grandma got run over by a reindeer! In our new house this year and don't have a radio for my kitchen yet, will be purchasing one today for sure!!


This discussion has been closed.
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