Children under age 12 have traditionally been the most neglected segment of the radio audience. Arbitron, the principal company that makes estimates for radio listening, measures only age 12 and up. However, the Children's Radio Network, of which Salt Lake City's KKDS (AM-1060) is a member, may be changing this form of child neglect by the radio industry.
Also called "Radio AAHS," the 24-hour-a-day network has penetrated 18.5 percent of the U.S. radio market in just 18 months.Christopher T. Dahl, president of the Children's Broadcasting Corp., calls it "the fastest growing format in the history of radio." He is working to double accessibility to the network in the country to between 30 percent to 40 percent in the next few years.
"It's a totally untapped market," he said. "The kids deserve to have something on the radio."
Dahl was in Salt Lake City for a stockholders' meeting, and he talked about the concept with the Deseret News, explaining that he is committed to a format that provides both children and parents with wholesome listening opportunities.
"Parents and kids feel good about it," Dahl said. "We've started to awaken the country to kids' radio. . . . We create a product that really benefits our listeners, and it's free."
Dahl admitted his radio network isn't going to affect children's TV viewing habits, but his is a G-rated alternative to regular radio, which features wild DJs and suggestive songs. He said all material on the Children's Radio Network goes through a submission process and, yes, some kids' songs have not aired because of inappropriate material.
"We have an obligation to the kids to give them a product that's not offensive," he said.
Most songs created for children have strong messages, and AAHS pushes those that stress self-esteem and good living habits. Dahl said he gets some requests for the network to be more specific and really hit kids with strong messages about life and the world, but he doesn't think this radio format should do that.
"Our job is to make kids feel good about being a child and not to scare them. We don't talk about body parts; we talk about issues," Dahl said.
He said the format provides a safe haven for children by focusing on human-interest news and not sensationalism. The station covers earthquakes and wars but from a child's point of view.
Radio AAHS also has a 20-member panel of kids that keeps station management in touch with its audience.
- DAHL BELIEVES Arbitron will soon expand its ratings in certain areas such as Salt Lake City to measure kids' radio.
After all, Utah has the highest percentage of children of any state in the nation.
"It would show up well," he said.
Flagship station WWTC in Minneapolis had Strategic Radio Research Co. do some radio ratings and found that 23 percent of all children, ages 4-11, in the metropolitan area listened at least 50 minutes a day to Radio AAHS.
The study also showed that 12.5 percent of all parents listened to the station with their children. That's partially because in a car parents are captive to whatever radio station is on, and the children want to hear Radio AAHS.
Dahl said there is enough advertising around to keep the network going. He believes the format will never make the big bucks mainstream adult stations can earn, but he's content with its quality and the potential good it can do. All of the AAHS stations are on AM radio, and Dahl believes the format will likely not make it on FM radio because the costs and advertising demands are too high. - RADIO AAHS started on satellite in October 1992, with WWTC in Minneapolis as the flagship station. Prior to that, the "Imagination Station" satellite network based in Orlando, Fla., served KKDS and other stations. However, the network, trying to grow too quickly, folded after one year.
KKDS is the lone "Imagination" station remaining, and it joined Radio AAHS when that network was formed.
Today Radio AAHS airs on 14 U.S. stations and will soon be adding four new affiliates, including one in Las Vegas.
KKDS airs most of the AAHS programming but still retains a few local programs, including a morning show that accepts listener requests.
Dahl said that while it's important for each of the affiliate stations to do some local promotions, he doesn't believe they need local programming because kids don't care if it's local or network.
- RADIO AAHS also features three kid DJs - Stephanie Wilson, Jimmy Freeman and Danielle De Marsh. Regular weekday programming is provided by five adult personalities - Dan Geiger, Don Michaels, Stix Franklin, Mia Debbins and Robin Blair.
Among the regular weekday shows are "The All American Alarm Clock," "Alphabet Soup," "Evening Theatre" and "Great Music for Great Kids."
Recent top 20 songs, as measured by listener requests for Radio AAHS, have included "Achy Breaky Heart" by the Chipmunks with Billy Ray Cyrus, "Bahamas Pajamas" by Joe Scruggs, "Broccoli & Chocolate" by Scooter and "Brother for Sale" by Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen.
- COMPETING BILLBOARDS - In other radio news, KLZX (alias "Z-93" FM) and KRSP (Alias "Arrow 103.5" FM) may not have the exact same rock music format, but they are having a billboard competition of sorts. For example, along I-15, just south of the Beck Street overpass and near Reagan Outdoor Advertising Co., KLZX has a billboard on the east side of the freeway and KRSP has one exactly opposite on the west side.