SummitMedia Variety Hits “106.7 The River” KRVI Mount Vernon/Springfield MO has dropped its regular branding and format for Christmas music as “Santa 106.7” this morning.
The station claims it will be returning to its regular programming after the holidays, however the odds of that go down when a station drops its regular identity. KRVI is the third SummitMedia station to make an early Christmas music move after WVEZ Louisville and the stunting WJSR Richmond.
If visions of the end of 2020 dance in your head, then your end-of-year soundtrack is now on 106.7 The River.
SummitMedia Springfield’s adult variety station 106.7 The River (KRVI) kicked off the Holiday Season early on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Departing from their usual line-up of music variety, the station now broadcast only the best Christmas and holiday-themed songs through Christmas night.
“Why Christmas music now?… 2020,” explains Tom Oakes, operations manager. “This has been such a challenging year for everyone here in the Ozarks and across the nation. We consider this an early gift to our listeners, something positive and festive on the air to counter all the bad news and events in the past seven months.”
While Holiday music traditionally begins around Thanksgiving, for many Americans, Christmas can’t come soon enough this year. Holiday displays share store shelves with Halloween candy. A survey by the National Retail Federation said one in five people typically travel for the holiday season but will celebrate at home instead this year. Whether you stay in to avoid the virus or venture out to shop the deals, listening to Santa 106.7 doesn’t require you to socially distance from the holiday spirit.