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Portland, OR (KPTV) — If you turn the radio on, there’s a good chance you’re going to hear some Christmas music now—and no, it’s not a mistake.
In fact, it’s a very strategic decision by a local radio station that is looking to spread some early Christmas cheer in Portland.
“We all know this has been a rough year, and lately, it feels like we are at a tipping point, Stacy Linn with K103 Portland said. “We know tradition and ritual can really be healing.”
Linn co-hosts Mornings with Stacey and Mike with Mike Chase, and with everything going on this year, they say they’re hoping to lighten the mood and put a bow on 2020.
“Christmas is one of those uniting cultural experiences that nobody can deny … the songs we play cover such a wide range of emotion,” Chase said. “The end of the year, redemption, the light. It means so many different things to so many people.”
With Halloween barely in the rear view mirror and Thanksgiving still weeks away, this is the earliest K103 has ever flipped the switch to 24/7 Christmas music.
“We’ve had so many meetings about this,” Chase said. “When do we do this? When do we pull the trigger? We thought the day after Election Day.”
It was a big decision to select which song would kick things off.
“You wouldn’t believe the meetings and talks and levels of management it has to go through about what song is gonna be the song this year,” Linn said.
The winning song, “We Need a Little Christmas” by Percy Faith, is a song with a message that many people can relate to right now.
“That one was unanimous,” Linn said. “Everyone was like yep, we need a little Christmas right now.”
A first grade teacher in Hillsboro guessed the correct first song and won a prize.
“She said better than we ever could, that it was the perfect time for the season … the season that we’re in right now,” Chase said. “The season of 2020. That we need this now.”
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