TWO festive firsts are being celebrated by the KM Group's local kmfm radio stations this week.

Four of the kmfm stations are playing almost 100 hours of non-stop Christmas music to help ensure Kent gets into the mood this year.

The Christmas mix started on Monday on kmfm for Canterbury, Medway, Maidstone (CTR) and West Kent. Tune in any time between 6am and 7pm until Christmas Eve to enjoy the mix of seasonal music.

It will continue on Christmas Day morning when kmfm enjoys another coup - going into the radio history books with the first famous-father-and-presenter-daughter show as TV and radio superstar Chris Tarrant and his daughter Fia host a special programme.

Penny Williams, the KM Group's head of radio, said: "The non-stop Christmas idea has worked for some US radio stations but it's never been done in this country. So we have decided to be the first.

"In the States it was found that local shops tuned into the station because they found that playing non-stop Christmas music was good for their customers - and good for business."

Group programme controller Steve Fountain said: "I think it’s a real opportunity for us to break new ground and go where we’ve not ventured previously. Love it or hate it I think it will give listeners something to talk about."

The Tarrants' three-hour spectacular goes on air at 9am on Christmas Day on all eight kmfm stations. It will be full of their own Christmas anecdotes and listeners' stories as well as Christmas music.

Chris, host of the award-winning TV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, won top radio awards during his 17 year stint as presenter of Capital's breakfast show. Fia, 21, is following in father's footsteps as breakfast presenter on kmfm Ashford.

"Fia asked me over the summer if I would like to do a Christmas show with her and I think she was amazed that I said yes," said Chris, whose marital difficulties have been making tabloid headlines recently .

"I haven’t done radio for a while now so we will have some fun mucking around with it. Father and daughter shows have never been done before so this will be the first - and probably the last."

Christmas with the Tarrants starts at 9am on Christmas Day on kmfm Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Medway, Thanet and West Kent as well as CTR (Maidstone) and kmfm Digital Radio.