Corey: You started Christmas Broadband in 1999. We were still very much into the consumer dial-up era - were you prophetic or just hopeful many people would go that route?
Rob: Actually, the station didn't start as "Christmas Broadband". I named it for whatever year it was, such as Christmas 2000. It wasn't until 2002 that I got tired of renaming the station each year, and named it Christmas Broadband. I was one of the few broadcasters offering Christmas music in a CD-quality stream, so I thought the name fit. Last year, Live365 offered streams in MP3Pro. Keeping with the name sake, I converted all my song files to MP3Pro, to offer the highest quality possible.
Corey: Why an all-Christmas music station?
Rob: I love Christmas music! I got tired of bringing different Christmas CDs to work each day during the Christmas season. So I found this website Live365.com, that lets you load up MP3s, and they will broadcast them for you. I thought this was a great idea. I told my friends and family about the station I had created. It wasn't long before others found it. Each season, more and more people tune in.
Corey: You use Live365.com to stream your station. What do find are positives and negatives?
Rob: Live365 is a great broadcasting website. For a monthly fee, they take care of the royalties, server space, and broadcast for you all over the world. It couldn't be easier. And compared to other broadcasting sites, Live365 costs the least to run a station. I really don't have any negatives about Live365. For 6 years, they've been great!
Corey: Describe your format....
Rob: It's simple. Christmas music, all day, every day. I try to play Christmas songs that create that Christmas feel. So you'll hear more older, traditional songs on my station. Lots of Ray Conniff, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, etc. To keep it fresh, there's also a mix of newer songs that still have a traditional feel.
Corey: Tell me about your station's fans...
Rob: I thought I was a Christmas nut, till I met some of the station's listeners! These people listen to my station 365 days a year. I can't even do that. Honestly, fans of Christmas Broadband are some of the nicest people I've ever met. I get emails all year long thanking me for playing Christmas music thoughout the year. During the Christmas season, people let me know how playing my station has become a tradition for their family while they decorate the tree or unwrap gifts. That's why I do it.
Corey: Do you envision more stations someday? How do you like being the Program Director?
Rob: Nope, one is enough. I do this for my love of Christmas music. I love being Program Director. When selecting what to play, I just ask myself, "What would I want to hear?" So far, it's worked. I also ask for suggestions and requests on my website.
Corey: Is there anything you want to mention I missed asking about?
Rob: Just the website: www.christmasbroadband.com. We have a message board there that's pretty active. Lots of great discussion about the station, Christmas music, and Christmas in general.
