Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

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Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby PicturesForYourEars » Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:49 am

I listened about 8 hours tonight while at work and I just wanted to congratulate CKNW for their music selection. Song after song after song was fresh. I had listened a lot to both QM and CISL (for some unknown reason I found myself tuning in to hear Xmas songs this year while at work((getting old?))! Just wanted to say that the songs on NW were a COMPLETELY different batch from the mainstream stuff - so much so that I was left in amazement enough to post this. Kudos to the music department.
Also wanted to add that I have listened to 'Christmas Is' since about 1973 when I was working at CJON and we picked it up as a syndicated feature produced by CKNW and that THIS year I missed the cute little stories that they produced with that whimsical little music bed in between the songs. This year they redid them to freshen things up I guess, with Dean (Hill) voicing 'em. I really think VERY highly of Dean's work; God knows we did a lot of spots together in '81, but I would have preferred if NW had simply continued to run the old ones that made me tune back in as a Christmas tradition year after year.
All in all, top shelf, Top Dog.
...LEFT PLACES I SHOULDA STAYED,
STAYED PLACES I SHOULDA LEFT...
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby BossRadio » Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:37 pm

'NW? Music Department? Really? :santawink:

Seriously,your so right PFYE! The program never dissapoints. Didn't David Houle have something to do with it at one time,v.o or production-wise?
Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby jon » Sun Dec 25, 2011 5:13 pm

Now I'm really confused. Speaking with my friend, a Corus Edmonton Production guru, earlier this month, it was very clear that Corus gets a fresh copy of Christmas Is from CKNW every year.

After reading PicturesForYourEars' comments, I tuned into CHED this morning and it was the version I was familiar with from 2006 and 2007, with bits voiced by Paul Preston, Ramona Mar and the late Robert O. Smith, and at least one appearance by Jim Hault doing a safe driving PSA, all recorded in the mid-1980s.

So, I have no idea what he heard on CKNW, unless you were just referring to the differences between the current version, which has changed little since the mid-1980s, and the original version which had a lot more production pieces voiced by 20-30 of the top voices of the era.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby radiofan » Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:34 pm

David Hoole created and produced the original Christmas Is back in 1972.

From the late 70's through the late 90's, Paul Preston produced updated versions each year. Most of the original content had been replaced by new voices etc.

I assume they have carried on with what Paul did the past 10 or so years. The bits and pieces I heard on NW last night and today didn't resemble the old Christmas Is at all. I didn't hear any "bits", just a bunch of
boring unknown music. To my ears, the only good part was the elimination of the much over-used "Pop Goes The Weasel" splitter. Each hour's opening was very bland, a female voice saying "This Is Christmas Is" ..

I was shocked to hear the news readers actually say Merry Christmas. There was no use of the "Your Home For Christmas, NW 98" jingle though.

If they had programmed re-runs of The Roving Mic, I may have listened longer.
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby legweek » Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:40 pm

The "Home For Christmas" jingle was played several times this morning - usually the last ID before news.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby radiofan » Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:54 pm

I only heard the current jingle when I was listening this morning. I think the only time I heard the Home For Christmas was when Jill Bennett played it last weekend...
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby sparky » Sun Dec 25, 2011 9:44 pm

What NW is calling Christmas Is this year is nothing like the Christmas Is shows of past years.

The muisc mix is like an iPod on acid. We all know that NW is trying to get younger demos, but you're going to do it by featuring Christmas programming that it very unfamiliar to most of your curtrent listeners.
You're not going to attract new younger listeners to an AM station on Christmas Day by playing music that might appeal to them rather than your current 55+ audience.
"You get a bunch of clowns together and sooner or later you've got a circus"
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby Howaboutthat » Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:47 am

I thought NW had given up its right to play music?
Houston, We're dealing with morons!.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby jon » Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:48 pm

For anyone who is keeping count: this year, CHED Edmonton is running a simulcast of CHQR Calgary's playing of "Christmas Is" and the Calgary Newscasts, with local Edmonton commercials. CJOB Winnipeg is also running "Christmas Is" with local Winnipeg Newscasts and commercials. CKNW Vancouver is running "Christmas Is", but the one feature piece I heard was not voiced by any of the usual trio of voices mentioned above.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby jon » Wed Dec 25, 2013 10:29 am

Just after 10am Christmas morning and, here in Edmonton, CHED is running the same version of Christmas Is -- I heard Robert O. Smith's 1980s Christmas Food Preparation tip 20 seconds after tuning in -- and CHQT is doing the normal iNews880 format, with a live announcer in Edmonton.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby radiofan » Wed Dec 25, 2013 1:06 pm

No "Christmas Is" or Christmas music on NW this year. They're running back to back produced hours with various hosts featuring "Berst Of" segments from the past year.

They did run Coast To Coast from Midnight til 6 this morning.

Nice not to hear that irritating Pop Goes The Weasel "Christmas Is" ID every 5 minutes. Would be nice to hear the "Your Home For Christmas' jingle though.

Also, nice to hear the Merry Christmas from CKNW IDs several times an hour rather than a generic Happy Holidays!
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby dial twister » Wed Dec 25, 2013 4:48 pm

Did I hear an "F" bomb during last night's 11PM news on CKNW? The news reader seemed somewhat flustered during the cast and at :04 he introed a traffic report. Instead of the obviously
recorded traffic report playing, his pre-recorded bottom of the hour news update played. After about 15 or 20 seconds of hearing himself, I'm sure there was a somewhat muffled "F" bomb
just before he managed to get the traffic report on. Check the audio vault for 11PM Christmas Eve.

:unwrap:
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby czarcasm » Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:43 pm

The repeat factor on these segments is higher than anything Dan Russell ever put us through with his Journey Series of interviews. Since last night, I've now heard bits and pieces
of Jolly Roger's hour four times.

The price we have to pay as listeners just so a company can save a few bucks on paying fill in people extra pay for a stat.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby Flint » Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:20 pm

In the mid-70's, I was tasked with updating Christmas Is, which hadn't been modified "in 5 years". If I recall correctly, the "update" was more of a selective song and feature removal (I was given a list of what to edit out). In the 80's, after I left 'NW, a newer version of the show was finally produced, often featuring the voice of Paul Preston, who read Xmas facts set to "I Saw Three Ships" bg music. Those bits that Paul read would be heard for many many years. In contrast with the original show, which featured lots of Vancouver's best character actors and voices doing entertaining skits & bits, the most recent version of the show has only sparse narrative content such as: not very Christmassy "don't drink & drive" tips, rounded out by a couple of show IDs each hour. The original (1972?) show featured fairly well known songs of its day. The newer version is a very schizophrenic thing with often unfamiliar songs of surprisingly (and not in a good way) unrelated styles. As you can probably tell, I vastly preferred the original "David Houle" version of the show. It had more production value, more entertainment value, and more familiar Christmas hits.
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Re: Christmas Is - Annual CKNW Feature

Postby cart_machine » Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:19 am

Flint wrote: In the 80's, after I left 'NW, a newer version of the show was finally produced, often featuring the voice of Paul Preston, who read Xmas facts set to "I Saw Three Ships" bg music.


I could listen to Paul Preston read the phone book. I always enjoyed his voice work and he was one of those guys you could learn things from by listening to him.

cArtie.
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