As the calendar flips from October to November, the 'unofficial' start of the Christmas holiday became more official for radio listeners in West Michigan.

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Where can I hear Christmas Music in Grand Rapids?

West Michigan's original 'Christmas Station' has made the annual programming change to 24/7 Christmas music on 100.5 The River.

The switch to programming took place in a festively adorned studio in downtown Grand Rapids with longtime broadcaster Andy Rent and a couple of friends.

Ken Evans/TSM
Ken Evans/TSM
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Where is West Michigan's Christmas Music Station?

Rent was joined by Santa Claus and Fox 17's Tessa DiTirro to hit the 'Magic Music Buttons' that kicked off Christmas music for West Michigan listeners on 100.5 FM.

What was the first Christmas Music Station in Grand Rapids?

100.5 The River was one of the first radio stations in the entire country to flip to all Christmas programming back in the year 2000.

The station has played Christmas music exclusively during the holiday season every year since then, taking a two-year break in 2007 & 2008. In those years sister station WLHT (Mix 95.7) in Grand Rapids carried the all-holiday format.

Fox 17
Fox 17
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How long has Christmas music been on 100.5 The River in Grand Rapids?

100.5 The River has 20 years of Holiday Programming history. Rent tells Fox 17 that not everyone believed that a Christmas playlist could be successful back in 2000 when he first flipped the station's programming:

We were the first station to play Christmas music, in Christmas of 2000...and everybody thought those guys are crazy...No we weren't, it worked out well and it's worked out well ever since.

Ken Evans | TSM
Ken Evans | TSM
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See the story from Fox 17 below and check out TessOnTV to see the fun had in the studio:

 

Check out Christmas in Michigan over the past 150 years