Why more talk on music stations works
Encouraging hosts on music radio proves successful with audiences, increases conversation
Belgian radio station Joe has launched a pop-up Christmas station — “Christmas all the way” — on DAB+. On Nov. 5 — 50 days before Christmas — Antwerp’s mayor, Bart De Wever, pushed a ceremonial red button in the city’s Grote Markt (main square) to kick-start the thematic channel. Joe presenters Heidi Van Tielen and Jan Bosman then broadcast live, surrounded by a winter wonderland, complete with snow and a giant snowman.
During the two-hour (4–6 p.m.) live broadcast, the Joe presenters interviewed the mayor and announced the opening of Joe’s Christmas House on Saturday, Dec. 4. The station will broadcast from the Christmas House studio from Dec. 4 until Jan. 5, 2022, between midday and 10 p.m. (midnight on weekends), to provide a suitable musical background for Christmas shoppers.
The digital Christmas station offers 24/7 Christmas tracks until Jan. 5 on DAB+, JOE’s website and app (iOS, Android), the Radioplayer platform and through a dedicated QR-code.
“Joe Christmas has traditionally become the country’s Christmas station. With Joe, we continue to invest in digitalization,” commented Robin Vissenaekens, Joe’s channel manager. “And, after one year of ‘corona-absence,’ this year’s fifth edition of the Joe Christmas House in Antwerp promises to become even more beautiful, with more concerts and radio shows than before.”
