Centennial, Colo., Dec. 6, 2023 - CPR Classical’s 15th annual Carol Countdown — the listener poll to choose Colorado’s favorite Christmas carol — debuts tomorrow after weeks of a March Madness-style competition that garnered thousands of votes. The show, airing on the radio at noon MT, will include the contenders in reverse order and reveal this year’s winner. CPR Classical’s Denver radio signal is 88.1 FM.
“Every year, more and more people show up to vote in the Carol Countdown, which has become one of our most beloved on-air holiday shows,” said Monika Vischer, CPR Classical program director. “We’ve even seen other radio stations replicating the feature to name the top carols with their audiences, which is fantastic because we know this music is a way to invite new listeners to discover classical music during the rest of year.”
Over the 15 years of the Carol Countdown, carols have come and gone from the list, with a few perennial favorites often taking the top spots. Given the bracket style of competition, there is always the chance for upsets and eliminations, but “Carol of the Bells” and “O Holy Night” have been in one of the two top spots every year since 2014. This year, the two finalists are “Carol of the Bells” and newcomer “Silent Night.”
“It’s historically been hard to unseat ‘Carol of the Bells,’” said Vischer. “‘Silent Night’ is the underdog for the final round. It’s nice to see it in the running this year, especially because a lot of listeners have such strong childhood memories associated with it.”
CPR Classical’s Matt Weesner hosts the Carol Countdown, which will air numerous times between now and Christmas Day. Weesner recently appeared on Denver7 to talk about this year’s finalists.
Visit the website to view the full bracket results and the complete schedule of holiday music on CPR Classical, as well as ways to listen. The 15th annual Carol Countdown on CPR Classical is made possible in part by Madison Taylor Marketing.
Media inquiries: Clara Shelton, [email protected]
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About Colorado Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization delivering meaningful news, music, and cultural experiences to everyone in Colorado using the power of the human voice in all its forms. Roughly 95 percent of CPR’s funds come from the private support of listeners, businesses and foundations. For more information, visit www.cpr.org.
- CPR News delivers in-depth, insightful and impartial news and information from around the world, across the nation and throughout Colorado, examining its relevance to our state and connecting it to our community.
- CPR Classical takes listeners on an in-depth exploration of thoughtfully curated music – with an emphasis on Colorado’s classical community – providing context to a broad range of meaningful and compelling works from past to present.
- Indie 102.3 takes listeners inside the world of new and independent music – exposing them to up-and-coming artists and highlighting Colorado’s local music scene.
- Denverite is an online news source dedicated to Denver's curious and concerned.
- KRCC is a public radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving Southern Colorado. KRCC is operated by Colorado Public Radio in partnership with Colorado College.
