It’s December and Santa is starting to appear in suburban front yards.
As ratings fieldwork comes to an end and stations focus on their Christmas activities and holiday lineups, we have initiated a special feature on Christmas during December.
Click here to see all the Christmas feature stories in one place as we add them during this month.
Christmas Appeals
This week the ABC launched its Christmas giving campaign. ABC Gives connects audiences directly to giving opportunities that provide shelter, food, education, healthcare and other forms of relief to those who need it most.
Each state has chosen its own charity based on the need in each community. The appeal raised over $1.3 million during its national appeal day on Thursday and donations will remain open until just before Christmas.
ABC Radio Melbourne’s Sammy J stayed on air for 24 hours straight, joining every program on the station in his pyjamas to keep the appeal momentum going. Melbourne raised over half a million dollars.
Holiday Lineups
Nathan, Nat and Shaun on Perth’s Nova 93.7 will continue to December 15, alongside Smallzy in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Then Nova Workday host and Channel 10’s The Cheap Seats entertainment reporter Mel Tracina will cover Breakfast across the country until regular programming returns in 2024.
Maddy Rowe and Aaron Rich will do a national Summer Nights show
Christmas Advertising
Coca Cola is known for its Christmas advertising campaigns, going back to the 1930s when the company leveraged its colours into the Santa character to link its drink with Christmas. This year is no different.
Coca Cola’s 2023 campaign aims to create a ‘big moment’ of kindness by collecting gestures of kindness. The company’s TVC shows Santas doing acts of kindness. Themed ‘The World Needs More Santas,’ the TVC hinges on the idea that through acts of kindness, anyone can embrace their inner Santa.
Kindness is one of the brand’s “core values” and has been a guiding principle for the Coke brand.