Grand Rapids Radio: WTRV, WSRW Flip Earlier To Holiday Music

Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

They do if they're listening to AC WTRV 100.5 FM The River or AC WSRW 105.7 FM in Grand Rapids.

Both stations flipped Sunday morning, according to MLive.com.

The River 100.5 listeners woke up Sunday morning to songs such as Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas is You" or Brenda Lee with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" after the Townsquare Media-owned station made the switch in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Star 105.7 listeners this morning were greeted with songs "Silver Bells" by Martina McBride and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Bing Crosby as the iHeartMedia station followed suit for the earliest-ever format change for the season.

Every year, listeners either cheer or grumble. The cheers keep winning, according to Tom Cook, brand manager for Townsquare Media in Grand Rapids.

"Some of you have asked why it starts so early," Cook posted on The River's website on Sunday. "The short answer is that each year, there's a huge demand for it."

"The earliest email I received was October 14th hoping that it would start on Halloween," he said.

The two stations are a week ahead of last year when Star 105.7 made the switch first on Nov. 8 followed by The River a few hours later.