A majority of the Christmas-music fans surveyed by P1 Media Group would prefer stations to wait until Thanksgiving or later before switching to all-holiday programming.
The 2026 study, sponsored by GoldDisc by TM Studios, puts that preference at 56%, compared with 49% in its 2025 results. Early November drew 18%, down from 23% last year.
Who answered matters
P1’s methodology identifies an online survey conducted November 1–2 among 400 radio listeners ages 25–54 in the 50 largest U.S. radio markets. Participants had to listen frequently or sometimes to all-Christmas stations and rate their enjoyment of Christmas music at least seven out of ten.
That makes this research a view of screened holiday fans, not a representative vote by every radio listener. It measures stated preferences, not the audience or revenue a particular station would gain by changing its launch date.
A guide for local decisions
Bobby Helms’ recording of “Jingle Bell Rock” led the song test. The tested recordings came from Mediabase’s most-played holiday titles in 2025, rather than an unrestricted selection of new and established Christmas releases.
The timing question is already practical: Cincinnati’s STAR 93.3 has begun seasonal Christmas programming. For other programmers, P1’s findings offer a reason to compare local audience preferences and actual listening before copying another market’s calendar.
RNN previously examined why the audience behind a holiday-music test matters. The same distinction applies to this new study.