NEW YORK, New York — New research promoted by Katz Radio Group suggests holiday music remains a powerful radio habit—and an early opening for stations and advertisers planning fourth-quarter campaigns.
Katz says 69% of surveyed consumers listen to holiday music on radio, with 52% doing so while driving. Eighty-four percent said holiday advertising from brands is a good idea, while 85% associated the music with an improved mood and 87% with nostalgia.
The findings give stations a sales story that extends beyond outlets switching to an all-Christmas format. Music features, sponsored countdowns, community events, retail remotes and seasonal digital content can all create inventory before the busiest shopping weeks arrive.
Sell the ritual, not only the playlist
Holiday listening is valuable because it is tied to repeated activities: commuting, shopping, decorating, cooking and family gatherings. Advertisers can become part of those routines when their messages fit the programming instead of interrupting it.
Stations should begin with local opportunities that national platforms cannot easily reproduce. Those may include charitable drives, neighborhood events, local retail guides, school performances and listener memories built around familiar personalities.
The research needs an important qualification. Katz represents radio advertising interests, and the published summary does not provide a complete sample size and methodology. The percentages should therefore be presented as the company’s findings, not as an independently verified measure of every U.S. consumer.
For sales teams, the useful next step is to compare the national findings with station-specific streaming, contest, event and advertiser results from previous holiday seasons.