Mariah Carey takes over the airwaves as California radio station goes full Christmas

Mariah Carey is defrosting early in California, where one radio station has ditched its regular playlist for wall-to-wall Christmas music — nearly two months before Santa’s big night.Coachella Valley station 92.1 MeTV FM is blasting 24-hour holiday hits through Dec.27, hoping to put listeners in a “better mood” for the festive season.“Listening to holiday music is one of the most cherished traditions around the holidays as people prepare for time with family and friends,” 92.1 MeTV FM owner Brad Fuhr said Tuesday.

“So we wanted to get a head start on it today, election day, to put people in a better mood,” he continued.The station normally spins soft pop and classic hits from previous decades, but those tunes are getting the boot until after Christmas.Instead, listeners can expect a nonstop mix of holiday heavyweights, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Carey, whose seasonal anthems have become a fixture of the Christmas countdown.The station is part of KGAY Palm Springs Media, which also operates 103.1 FM and 106.5 FM.It’s hardly alone in getting a jump on the holiday season.Stations including 106.9 FM in Louisville, Kentucky, and 93.3 FM in Cincinnati, Ohio, also switched to Christmas programming immediately after Halloween.Carey’s 1994 smash “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has become one of the season’s biggest musical cash cows.

The singer reportedly pulls in around $2.5 million in annual royalties from the song, according to Forbes.Her other holiday favorites include “Christmas Time Is in the Air Again” and a cover of Darlene Love’s 1963 classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”...