(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Seton Hall University’s WSOU 89.5 FM has announced its programming line-up for the 2018 Christmas and New Year holidays. Programming highlights include a radio drama performed by Seton Hall students, A Franciscan Christmas with Brother Greg Cellini, WSOU’s annual presentation of Bach's Christmas Oratorio and A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols recorded live at Seton Hall’s Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. The station’s holiday programming also features the Top 89 Countdown, WSOU’s accounting of the top new music tracks of 2018.
WSOU’s complete line-up of holiday programming is as follows:
Saturday, December 22 - Thank God For Monday (8:30am) – Host Brother Greg Cellini speaks with Ora Nadrich, author of “Says Who?,” about how people can prepare themselves to make positive changes in their work lives for 2019.
Sunday, December 23 - American Catholic Radio (6:00am) – Author and catechist Jeanne Hunt discusses the importance of creating quiet time during the rush of Christmas season.
Christopher Closeup: The Best of Christmas (6:30 a.m.) – Conversations about Christmas with Amy Grant, Mario Lanza, and Father James Keller.
Celtic Christmas (8:00am – 10:00am) – WSOU’s popular Celtic Heritage program presents both traditional and contemporary Irish music for Advent and Christmas.
The Kindship of Catholic and Jews (11:00am) – Reflections on the Vigil Mass of Christmas with Father Lawrence Frizzell, director of Seton Hall University’s Center for Jewish-Christian Studies, and his guests.
The Theater Department of Seton Hall’s College of Communication and the Arts presents My Friend Irma (11:30am) – Seton Hall students, under the direction of Professor Gretchen Hall, recreate the 1950 Christmas episode of the old time radio comedy series My Friend Irma.
A Polka Party Christmas (Noon – 2:00pm) – 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 Campus Buzz Christmas Special (8:00pm – 11:00pm) – WSOU’s specialty show focused on indie and alternative music will pull out all the stops with a Christmas special spinning a variety of traditional Christmas carols and songs covered by artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, and Jimmy Eat World.
WSOU Christmas Eve Programming, Monday, Dec. 24
A Heavy Metal Christmas Eve (6:00am – 8:00pm) – As the home of The Loudest Rock, WSOU presents heavy metal, punk, and hardcore covers of Christmas classics throughout the day.
A Franciscan Christmas (8:00pm – 10:00pm) – Brother Greg Cellini of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn hosts this annual Christmas Eve program, which has become a Seton Hall community favorite. This year’s theme is “Acceptance” and Brother Greg and his guests will explore its meaning through music, poetry, and conversation. In addition, the program will also feature Franciscan reflections, religious and secular Christmas music, and the opportunity for listeners to call in.
Mass (10:00pm- Midnight) – 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 Interim President Mary Meehan, followed by an hour of religious Christmas music.
Christmas Power Cuts (1:00am – 6:00am) – Blocks of Christmas carols covered by heavy metal bands.
WSOU Christmas Day Programming, Tuesday, December 25
Christmas Oratorio (6:00am – 8:30am) – 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 2018, WSOU presents a 1976 recording of the Christmas Oratorio by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Philip Ledger.
For Unto Us: The Messiah Story (8:30am) – 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.”
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (9:00am) – Biblical readings and carols in celebration of the season performed by the Seton Hall University Choir and Orchestra, and recorded live this December inside the campus’ Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
Mass (10:00am) – Christmas Day Mass live from Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange, N.J., followed by the annual Christmas greeting from Seton Hall University Interim President Mary Meehan.
Seton Hall’s College of Communication and the Arts’ Theater Department presents My Friend Irma (11:00am) – Seton Hall students, under the direction of Professor Gretchen Hall, recreate the 1950 Christmas episode of the old time radio comedy series My Friend Irma.
O Come, Little Children (11:30am) – Renown tenor Rolando Villazon leads this Christmas special featuring solo and full choral performances of holiday songs, including “I Saw Three Ships,” “Deck the Halls,” “We Three Kings,” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory.”
A Merry Metal Christmas (Noon – 8:00pm) – A festive mix of music for hard rockers.
Wednesday, December 26
The Top 89 Countdown (noon – 8:00pm) – WSOU counts down the Top 89 Heavy Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Post-Hardcore, and loud rock songs of 2018. Listeners will have the chance to win WSOU prize packs during the countdown. The Top 89 will be repeated on Saturday, Dec. 29 beginning at 11 a.m.
Sunday, December 30
The Kindship of Catholic and Jews (11:00am) – Professors Jonathan Farina and John Wargacki join Father Lawrence Frizzell, director of Seton Hall University’s Center for Jewish-Christian Studies, to discuss the origins of Christmas traditions.
New Year's Eve, Monday, December 31
The Loudest New Year! (8:00pm - 6:00am) – To ring in the New Year, WSOU’s DJs spin live the very loudest rock to entertain head-banging revelers all through the night until dawn.
WSOU 89.5 FM, which began broadcasting in 1948, is the student-run radio station of Seton Hall University. Celebrated for its loud rock format and coverage of Seton Hall athletics, WSOU’s signal reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central New Jersey, and is available on iHeartRadio. WSOU was the 2016 winner of the National Broadcasters Association’s Marconi Award for Noncommercial Station of the Year.
