When will 99.9 FM switch to all Christmas music, all the time? Sooner than you think

Update: KEZ 99.9 FM began playing Christmas music on Wednesday, Nov. 8 during the "Beth & Friends" show, starting with the Andy Williams version of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

It’s the big holiday question in the Valley, up there with, “What do you want for Christmas?” and “Is 75 degrees too warm out to wear my ugly holiday sweater?”

The question in question is: When does KEZ 99.9 FM in Phoenix start playing Christmas music?

And the answer is: You’ll have to wait a bit. But not much longer.

But not too long. At 7:10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, Beth McDonald, the longtime host of “Beth & Friends,” will tell listeners (and Fox 10 viewers) when the switch to Christmas music will be made. It’s expected to be sometime next week.

To be clear: The switch won’t be made on Thursday. But the announcement of when the switch will occur will be.

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Yes, we just got done with Halloween, and Thanksgiving is on the horizon. No matter, not at KEZ — or for its listeners.

“It’s become a playful running theme each year on Halloween that listeners will call us or reach out on social media to ask when the Christmas music starts,” Paul Kelley, KEZ’s program director, said. “We love these interactions with our listeners, and we appreciate the people who aren’t going to be ready this early in the season. And that’s OK too.”

As always, Kelley said, the first song played will be “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix radio KEZ 99.9 FM Christmas music: When jingle bells will ring