Goldilocks of Three Bears' fame always seemed to me to be a little preoccupied with chairs and beds being too hard, too soft, or (thankfully) just right. But if this classic nursery rhyme were expanded slightly, one rather large character might say, "My rock is too hard." A more maternal character might remark, "My rock is too soft." And the little one in the group could opine, "My rock is just right."
Well, if the response is the last one, it could be the words either of a fairy tale or a child who is listening to WWTC, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area's 24-hour, children's radio station, better known as Radio AAHS. AAHS leaves the mainstream rock and country demographics to other stations; it simply strives to provide a good listen for the 20 percent potential audience that has never before had a station formatted to its interest: kids.
Founded in May 1990, Radio AAHS is a local Minnesota station no more. WWTC has recently become the flagship station for the newly formed Children's Satellite Network. With affiliates receiving satellite feeds across the country, Radio AAHS can now be described as a radio network. In addition to the Twin Cities, Phoenix and Salt Lake City now receive broadcasts. Within a month the network will add stations in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Tucson, Denver, and Albuquerque.
Christopher Dahl, president of Children's Broadcasting Corporation, the parent company of Radio AAHS, has formulated the vision for this station. He remembers his childhood recognition of the power of radio. "My mind was very active, so I could imagine what I heard: The Shadow, Jack Armstrong, Sgt. Preston, or any other of the shows rich in verbal symbolism. We didn't need television."
But Dahl could see that things were different for young people these days. "As a single parent for 10 years, I saw the influence that television, that Nintendo, and that VCRs had on my two sons. My kids were mesmerized and hypnotized by these machines. They were not using their imagination."
Radio AAHS offers an alternative to unimaginative and passive television programming. And the station is attracting new listeners. "Ten years ago experts were saying that radio was a receding media. [They] predicted that radio would die with the advent of advances in television and its assorted accessories."
To the extent that radio as a medium is as creative as AAHS, the reports of its demise are certainly premature.
LIKE MOST AM radio stations, listeners can pick up local weather updates and traffic reports. But at AAHS you can also learn important information, for instance, by participating in an hourly quiz called "The Brain Game." The range in difficulty of questions allows people of all ages--from small children to adults--to enjoy themselves.
Dahl says, "Primarily we are here to entertain kids. Along the way we would like to give them a dose of education.
"I wanted to do something good for the kids," Dahl adds, "not just regurgitated pop rock." Dahl's hope is that "the station's wholesome product" can be enjoyed and appreciated by both parents and kids.
To ensure this, Radio AAHS includes in its publicity and marketing materials a set of principles for the station. Affiliates and advertisers are reminded, "Programming, advertising, and other messages should always take into account the level of knowledge, sophistication, and maturity of the audience to which a message is primarily directed."
And it would appear that such guidelines do have some effect. One principle states, "Communicators are urged to capitalize on the potential of advertising and other messages to influence social behavior by developing materials that, wherever possible, address themselves to social standards generally regarded as positive and beneficial, such as friendship, kindness, honesty, justice, generosity, and respect." McDonald's has taken to sponsoring a fairly innocuous "Good Deed Day" rather than pushing its Big Macs on Radio AAHS.
And the Environmental Defense Fund unpretentiously offers a commercial statement in favor of reuse and recycling. Cleverly produced, these spots make a memorable impression on listeners. For a commercial radio station, AAHS seems to have a real concern for community responsibility, an often ignored creed of the broadcasting industry.
CHILDREN'S music has mostly been mainstream music by adult-oriented musicians with some crossover value. Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Puff the Magic Dragon" has perennially been a hit with the young set. Pete Seeger and other folk singers often include songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in their performances. But they are not kid's acts.
The industry is changing. The variety and quality of kid's music is increasing as fast as its quantity. And, according to Dahl, while sales of the rest of the music industry have remained flat in recent years, the children's market has steadily grown. "Kid's music has been there for a long time. But the children's music industry has been a cottage industry because there has never been a medium to sell their product on a mass basis."
Radio AAHS has changed that.
"The Twin Cities is the second largest market in America, behind only Los Angeles, and it is because of this station," explains Dahl. "It's not just a fluke. The kids know Joe Scruggs; they know Joanie Bartels; they know Tom Chapin."
This music may never rival rock and country in popularity. But AAHS does offer artists the hope for financial security by making a living singing kids' songs.
Radio AAHS and the Children's Satellite Network have created an outlet in which talented artists can entertain. And the only way that recordings sell is if listeners can hear them. AAHS thus fulfills the two responsibilities of traditional non-talk radio: to entertain and to market.
And AAHS has now gone beyond simply putting music over the airwaves. In October it sponsored the world's biggest kids' concert, fittingly named Kidstock (see "Rock That's Just Right").
About Kidstock and Radio AAHS, Bob McGrath of Sesame Street told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "There's a tremendous need and benefit to have a child see an artist on stage as opposed to a passive form, such as TV or arena shows. Those are wonderful spectacles, too, but it's not the same as seeing something alive. It's not as inspiring."
RADIO AAHS' commitment to children goes beyond its playlist. The station also includes the kids in planning and implementing its goals. Although most DJs are adults "in orientation," make no mistake--Radio AAHS is by, for, and of the kids. A number of their on-air staff (known as the "Air Force") are well-below voting age.
And Dahl is committed to giving real responsibilities to the young people involved. He says, "We have appointed a 12-year-old as vice president of fun. His job is to bring fun into the station. We will be having a 13-year-old news manager. And we want to have a monthly spot from Chelsea Clinton, if we can get her."
The faithful even turn out to see their favorite DJs spin their favorite tunes. From January to October 1992, 30,000 kids passed through the station doors.
Likewise, affiliates are encouraged to welcome visitors in addition to providing three hours of local programming that allows kids to identify their own local personalities. These "windows" make it possible for each city to offer its own weather, traffic, and news information.
All listeners may participate in determining the playlist. The Top Ten Countdown is based on listener requests, and a toll free number (1-800-55-AAHS-0) allows for callers across the United States.
These days callers are usually requesting the Chipmunks' creative cover of Billy Ray Cyrus' current country hit, "Achey Breaky Heart." But most hit songs have a message behind them.
Radio AAHS is sending a message itself. Kids can be treated with respect. That's a message bound to make a resounding difference.
Sidebar: Rock That's Just Right
With a radio station responding to "their" demographic, I suppose a megaconcert for "young 'uns" was inevitable, especially in the city of the megamall. But the extent of its popularity was astonishing: 9,000 enthusiastic devotees dancing in aisles, romping in the stadium hallways, and coloring under the balcony.
Coloring under the balcony?
Times have changed since the Age of Aquarius. It's the Age of Aqua Crayons. We've now seen the "Kid-ish invasion"--rock and roll for the pre-teens.
On November 7, 1992, the St. Paul Civic Auditorium was a popular place to be if your age fits in one square on a credit card application...or if you are the parent of such a person. "Kidstock," a name that echoes the great rock-and-roll moment of decades ago, was the biggest multi-band children's rock concert in history, even eclipsing the near-immortal Raffi in concert attendance.
Unlike Woodstock, Kidstock lasted only two-and-a-half hours on a Saturday afternoon. The least-clad concert-goers here were in diapers; and the strongest pill being "popped" was probably Flintstone Chewables.
But like Woodstock, there was a tremendous amount of excitement by all in attendance to see favorite musicians and "to just be a part of the crowd." And similarly, participants were treated to a strong concert by some very famous and talented musicians.
BOB MCGRATH, 23-YEAR HOST of Sesame Street fame, kicked off the concert with that show's theme song. This familiar tune got toes tapping for child and adult alike.
Joanie Bartels rocked the house with a mixture of her own songs ("Dinosaur Rock 'N' Roll") and oldies ("Rockin' Robin" and "Locomotion") recognizable to the chaperones in the audience. Her Silly-Time Dancers brought the crowd to its feet, with the children filling the aisles to aerobicize.
In the most traditional rock-and-roll act, Craig 'N' Company--Craig Taubman and a four-piece band--built a real rapport with the fans. Laying on the stage and handing the microphone to those ringing it, Taubman involved everyone in the concert.
One song that brought the crowd especially alive was C 'N' C's "I Need a Haircut." Taubman brought on Styx Franklin, popular host of the weekly Radio AAHS countdown program and owner of a rather long coiffure, and chased him around the stage with a pair of scissors and a tube of mousse.
All of the performers up until this point were high energy, MTV-influenced acts. They tried to compensate for the lack of intimacy in the stadium by infusing a lot of movement and action.
For these acts it worked; they captured the short attention span, even with kids longing for afternoon naps.
The final performer, Tom Chapin, undoubtedly suffered from the distance from the listeners. The brother of the late Harry Chapin, Tom Chapin has been singing folk songs for a long time, and made the transition to children's folk as he began writing songs for his own children.
Chapin was clearly the ablest performer: His songs combine catchy folk tunes with strong stories that often include a clear moral point. His best-known tune, "Don't Play With Bruno, Bruno Is a Dweeb," became a favorite sing-along, convincing even the sternest parent to join in. Chapin is a don't-miss performer when he appears in concert himself.
Christopher Dahl, president of Children's Broadcasting Corp., says that Kidstock will become an annual or semi-annual event, a legacy that the original was never able to sustain. But who knows...if these kids grow up on megaevents, perhaps the 50th anniversary of Woodstock will see another mass concert for adults.
Bob Hulteen was Under Review editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.
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