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College of Human Development, Culture, and Media

From Holiday Music to Catholic Programming, WSOU Announces the Soundtrack to the Christmas Season  

Snow outside on President's Hall. The College of Communication and the Arts’ WSOU 89.5FM is proud to announce their programming line-up for the 2020 Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The programming highlights include A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols performed by the Seton Hall University Choir and Orchestra, a radio drama production of A Christmas Carol by Seton Hall students, the wonderfully entertaining annual WSOU Christmas Special and A Franciscan Christmas followed by live Mass on Christmas Eve. The station’s holiday programming also features its yearly Top 89 Countdown on December 31.

Now through December 24, WSOU will play in regular rotation loud rock covers of Christmas classics, including holiday songs performed by A Day To Remember, Dropkick Murphys, GFM, He Is Legend, Ice Nine Kills, Ill Nino, Pennywise, My Chemical Romance, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and others. The days leading up to Christmas will feature a range of holiday programming, starting Saturday, December 19:

Saturday, Dec. 19

  • Personally Speaking with Monsignor Jim Lisante (6 a.m.) – This week’s program focuses on the true meaning of Christmas.
  • The Christophers (6:30 a.m.) – Music legend Dolly Parton discusses her Christmas memories growing up in the south and her latest Christmas album.

Sunday, Dec. 20

  • The Knightly Message (8 a.m.) – Host Andre Viola offers reflections on the spiritual meaning of Christmas.
  • The Christophers (8:30am) – “The Best of Christmas.” Highlights from past Christmas programs.
  • Mass (10 a.m.) – WSOU’s weekly broadcast of Sunday Mass.
  • For Unto Us: The Messiah Story (10:30 a.m.) – Martin Jarvis narrates the story of how George Frideric Handel’s “The Messiah” came to be. Featuring performances by Metropolitan Opera soloists Erin Morley, Tamara Mumford, Ben Bills and Tyler Simpson, and a rousing version of the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
  • The Kindship of Catholics and Jews (11 a.m.) – Reflections on the season of Advent by Father Lawrence Frizzell, director of Seton Hall University’s Center for Jewish-Christian Studies.
  • A Polka Party Christmas (Noon – 2 p.m.) – WSOU’s weekly Polka Party show offers up a delightful and joyous mix of music for the Christmas season. The Polka Party has been airing on WSOU since 1949 and is the station’s longest-running program.
  • The WSOU Christmas Special (10 p.m. to midnight) – This annual WSOU holiday special features two hours of Christmas carols and songs by a variety of artists from the 1940s to the present. Listeners will be treated to both holiday classics and lesser known but equally wonderful Christmas music. Hosted by Seton Hall/WSOU alumnus Frank Scafidi.

WSOU Christmas Eve Programming, Thursday, Dec. 24

  •  A Metal Christmas Eve (6 a.m. – 8 p.m.) – As the home of The Loudest Rock, WSOU presents metal, punk, and hardcore covers of Christmas classics throughout the day.
  • A Franciscan Christmas (8 – 10 p.m.) – Brother Greg Cellini of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn and alumna Molly Meller host this annual Christmas Eve program, which has become a Seton Hall community favorite. This year’s theme is “Inclusivity” with a look at how we can all embrace one another through love and hope despite humanity’s current divisions. In addition, the program will also feature Franciscan reflections, religious and secular Christmas music, and a poetry reading.
  • Mass (10 p.m. – midnight) – A live broadcast of the Christmas Eve Mass from Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange, N.J.
  • Seton Hall Christmas Message (Midnight) – Christmas greetings from Seton Hall University President Joseph E. Nyre, followed by an hour of religious Christmas music.
  • Christmas Power Cuts (1 – 6 a.m.) – Blocks of Christmas carols covered by heavy metal bands.

WSOU Christmas Day Programming, Friday, Dec. 25

  • Christmas Oratorio (6 – 8:30 a.m.) – WSOU’s annual presentation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. This Christmas morning airing of Bach’s choral masterwork is a Seton Hall tradition, with the station offering a different performance each year. For 2020, WSOU will air a recording of the Christmas Oratorio by the Academy for Ancient Music Berlin and the Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus, with soloists Dorothea Röschmann, Andreas Scholl, Werner Güra, and Klaus Häger. The conductor is René Jacobs
  • A Merry Little Christmas (8:30 a.m.) – Tony-winning actress, dancer, and singer Sutton Foster treats listeners to songs for the season, including “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Christmas Time is Here,” and “Silent Night.” Plus, actor Hugh Bonneville reads the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke.
  • A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (9 a.m.) – Biblical readings and carols in celebration of the season performed by the Seton Hall University Choir and Orchestra and recorded live in 2019 inside the campus’ Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
  • Mass (10 a.m.) – Christmas Day Mass from Heart of the Nation, followed by the annual Christmas greeting from Seton Hall University President Joseph E. Nyre.
  • Angels Among Us (10:30 a.m.) – Tony Award-winning singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth joins with a full choir and orchestra to perform “O Holy Night,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Somewhere in My Memory,” and more.
  • A Christmas Carol (11 a.m.) – Seton Hall University professor Gretchen Hall directs a cast of Seton Hall students in this radio adaptation of Charles Dickens classic tale “A Christmas Carol.” Deirdre Yates, Dean of College of Communication and the Arts, provides a special introduction.
  • A Christmas Carol (11:45 a.m.) – After a traditional telling of “A Christmas Carol,” WSOU offers a contemporary twist on the seasonal classic. Swedish symphonic power metal band Majestica provides a musical interpretation of Charles Dickens’ holiday tale through their just released album “A Christmas Carol”. In nine tracks, the band tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge through a unique sonic experience.
  • A Merry Metal Christmas (12:30 – 8 p.m.) – A festive mix of music for hard rockers.

The New Year’s Eve programming will highlight the top songs of 2020 and a countdown to midnight.

New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31

  • The Top 89 Countdown (1 p.m. – 8 p.m.) – WSOU counts down the Top 89 metal, punk, hardcore, post-hardcore, and loud rock songs of 2020. Listeners will have the chance to win WSOU prize packs during the countdown. The Top 89 will be repeated on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 beginning at 1 p.m. as a special treat for those returning to work after the holidays.
  • The Loudest New Year! (8 p.m. – Midnight) – To ring in the New Year, WSOU’s DJs spin the very loudest rock to entertain head-banging revelers as the station countdowns to midnight. The WSOU news department will provide live updates about the festivities in New York City’s Times Square.

About WSOU
WSOU is a student-run, award-winning radio station of Seton Hall University, housed in the College of Communication and the Arts. Established in 1986, WSOU has programmed a hard rock format and is a national leader in college broadcasting after being consistently ranked in the top tier student-run electronic media outlets. Throughout its 71-year existence, WSOU has earned more than 70 industry awards, with the most recent one being the Marconi Award for "Noncommercial Station of the Year." In addition, WSOU operates 24/7, producing 8,760 hours of programming and reaching a weekly over the air audience of more than 78,000 listeners. To learn more, visit WSOU on the web.

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