It’s the time of year when a great musical tradition is fast-approaching. No, not Spotify Unwrapped, but Christmas FM. The Irish station is back from November 28th, next Monday, courtesy of its temporary licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the support of its premier sponsors Cadbury, Coca-Cola and An Post.
In the bleak mid-winter, Christmas FM is a beacon for many, not least because it raises hundreds of thousands every year for charity and more than €3 million to date. This year, its 15th on air, all listener donations made to the station will go to children’s charities Barnardos, Barretstown, Make-A-Wish Ireland and the Community Foundation for Ireland — its charity partners for the next three years.
The station will be broadcasting from the Clayton Hotel in Liffey Valley, which has donated studio space, until December 27th, and can be heard via FM (at different frequencies depending on where you are in the country), smart speakers, the Christmas FM app and online at ChristmasFM.com.
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The appeal for Cadbury, Coca-Cola and An Post — three brands that invest heavily in festive marketing and are serial backers of the station — is clear. Christmas FM is a marshmallow world of sleigh rides and jingle bells, a reprieve from cold realities. While a streamer like Spotify offers up countless holiday playlists broken down by genre — fireside Christmas jazz, Christmas K-pop, punk Christmas, that kind of thing — festive radio has the human touch.
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It doesn’t rest on its Shakin’ Stevens or Bing Crosby laurels either. This year marks the return of a competition for songwriters and singers who have either written their own festive composition or recorded a cover version of a favourite one. Sponsored by Ryanair — which uses it to promote its gift card — the song contest is open until December 2nd, with entry details on the Christmas FM website.
The competition might not guarantee stardom or Mariah Carey-style riches, nor is Christmas FM threatening to revolutionise the music business. But in an age of cynical and exploitative football-shaped mass entertainment, its modest ambition to spread festive joy and goodwill while raising money for children’s charities can’t help but be cheering.
