Guest blog: Scheduling Christmas on air

BBC Jersey Assistant Editor Matthew Price has spent the last few months preparing for the Christmas schedules on BBC Radio Jersey.

In this guest blog he explains some of the background and work that goes into making it happen.

Here it is.

As the Assistant Editor at BBC Jersey I spend my life constantly planning our programmes for the future.

That means I started thinking about our Christmas schedule back in September!

By the time we've made provision for colleagues with family in the UK to make their holiday arrangements, I'm left with a small but dedicated team who'll keep your usual services of music news and information flowing over the holiday period.

I then take the opportunity to invite some old friends to join us for Christmas in the island.

This year that means Tony Gillham returns to the Morning Show with his unique music collection in "Gillham Gold".

Alex Belfield dusts off his contacts book and introduces us to the stars at lunchtime over the holiday period.

Meanwhile Ted Reynolds reminds us that the 1950's provided some of the best seasonal music of all time, with a couple of extra special programmes from those "Fabulous Fifties".

Our Christmas programmes really are a "box of delights". Geoff Barker recalls the Beatles at Christmas (1600 Christmas Eve) and even I get out the holly and the tinsel to play non-stop Christmas favourites (1000 Christmas Day).

Tim Pollard shows his combined love of classic comedy and classical music on Boxing Day from nine with a three hour special that combines the two. And Phil Taylor has all of your favourite Christmas Requests (1200 Boxing Day).

Hamish Marett-Crosby takes us on a journey around the island's 12 parish churches in the company of author Peter Hunt and artist Karen Blampied (1600 Monday) and Tim Pryor meets some of the islands talented young people in the "Jersey Young Musician of the Year (1600 Tuesday) - showing we've such amazing range of talent and culture in our island.

Along the way we've seasonal specials from Carrie Cooper, when she meets Jersey-based musician Gilbert O'Sullivan (1700 Boxing Day), Chris Stone chats to Jersey's Battle of Britain's RAF Heroes (1700 December 30th) and Christina Ghidoni celebrates 40 Years of Jersey Overseas Aid (1700 December 31st)

But perhaps the one highlight I am looking forward to most is "Belfield's Big Night In". It's a special programme from 1800 to 0100 on New Year's Eve in which Alex and his guests play non-stop party hits and welcome in the New Year.....

And by the time I'm listening to that, I'll already be thinking about our programmes for Easter!