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Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 46

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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46
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PAGE 46 WEDNESDAY. JUNE 19. 1991 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS FEATURES TV Entertainment mam i iiii i Kathy O'Connell is award-winning host and producer of "Kid's Comer" Optimistic vibes at 'Kid's Corner' KID RADIO Continued from Page 42 Communications, owner of WPRD and a principal of the network, decided to bail out of the venture. The network's limited operation! are being financed by its two affiliates, KKDS in Salt Lake City and WXJO. But Leibowitz.

like McCarthy in Orlando, continues to look for the long-term financing that would secure the network's future. The timing is right Raising money during a recession is difficult at best, but the economy is not the greatest hurdle facing kids radio. Producers of radio programming for children have been working for years in both public and commercial broadcasting without success in creating a national audience. The Children's Radio Network is the oldest of the efforts. Now based in Minneapolis, the network began broadcasting in 1984 from a flagship station in Jacksonville.

Fla. Eventually, it was providing programming to six stations nationwide, but it shut down in 1986 because of the personal financial problems of its founder. William Osewalt Last May in Minneapolis, Osewalt was able to put kids programming back on the air on WWTC-AM. He hopes to begin adding affiliates this year. In Philadelphia, founders of the Kidwaves Radio Network have been No ratings, no advertising, no affiliates, no dough.

It's as simple as that. Or is it? working two years to establish their radio network for children, but are waiting until they have 20 stations signed on before launching. Marcia Moon, a co-founder, said she and her partners are waiting until they have 20 stations signed on before launching. She's not predicting how soon that will be, but the timing is right, she said. "The "90s are totally pegged for families and children." Moon said.

"It's going right back to the '50s." Tish Henslee. a Little Rock. Art, educator and former vice president of programming at the Imagination Stations Network in Orlando, agreed. "I think the timing is right because parents are real concerned about the programming kids have." Henslee said. "I think they are concerned about too many cartoons and not enough quality programming.

I think that's what made as successful in Orlando. Parents could easily hear the underlying educational thread." Henslee. who with her husband ran a children's radio station in Little Rock for 3 years, will be working with McCarthy to start a new network in Orlando. The professor of early childhood and elementary education at the University of Arkansas believes radio is a learning medium that children deserve. Studies show that listening skills are highly correlated with reading ability.

"It is amazing to me what radio can do that television cant do in terms of getting kids to think," she said. Looking for advertisers So how can something as seemingly worthwhile as children's radio be having so much difficulty getting on the air? The answer is that neither advertisers nor stations trust that a large enough audience exists, said Rick Madden, director of the radio fund for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "There are a lot of people who want to produce for it (children's radio," he said. "You don't find the interest in stations, the users, as high." CPB spent $1 million underwriting a national radio show called Kids America, but pulled the plug on its funding in 1987. By the end of its second year, the award-winning show (which was produced by WNYC in New York and aired in New York from 6:30 p.m.

to 8 p.m. following All Things Considered) had been picked up by public radio stations in only 26 markets, mostly in the Northeast Managers at public radio stations nationwide couldn't see the wisdom in running off a proven listening audience of adults for one they couldn't be sure would materialize. Would kids tune into a show that followed a news show they most likely weren't listening to? Probably not, most public radio stations seemed to conclude. For commercial radio stations, which have to be able to prove to their advertisers that they are reaching people, children's radio is even more problematic, said Steve Butler, editor of Inside Radio, a Cherry Hill-based trade publication. Without surveys that demonstrate substantial numbers of children listen to radio, advertisers of children's products will never be confident in the format, he said.

Although BirchScarborough research has agreed to help with a test survey of the children's radio listening habits this fall in New York City, there is no sign that the ratings services will begin regular surveys of kids anytime soon. The proponents of children's radio say they are creating an entirely new radio listening audience that can't be judged by current radio listening habits. Alan Hague, general manager of the Imagination Station in Salt Lake City and a 26-year veteran of the industry, suggests that many an unprofitable AM station may find the children's radio format a happy alternative. After six months playing children's programming. Hague's station is losing less money than with its former oldies format and will soon break even, he said.

If AM stations dont choose to adopt the format in any quantity. Madden and others in the industry predict that the success of children's radio may await the advancement of technology such as cable radio. Consumers could bring a children's radio network into their homes via a cable subscription service. Just as cable television has made possible the success of TV programming designed for narrow audiences Nickelodeon, for example so may cable radio be able to support the likes of a deejay named Sam Eggs and a song such as "Hippopotamus Rock." Meanwhile, kids such as Noah Rusnockwill have to do without. "1 haven't been listening to radio at all." Noah said.

"I've been listening to tapes. That was the only thing I liked." Whitney Houston: better on stage LISTEN UP Continued from Preceding Page live. Yes, their new drummer Matt So rum is sober enough to keep time, but his work with bassist Duff McKagan still constitutes one of the most leadened, plodding, cliche-ridden rhythm sections I've ever beard from a big name, hard-rock crew. I can't really comment on newly added keyboard player Dizzy because he couldn't be heard in the superloud and distorted sound mix. How "bout those new and "better" tunes, like "Pretty Tied Up" and "Double Talking Grant them a C-minus grade instead of an F.

on the basis of Guns' live performances. The forthcoming recorded versions (on "Use Your Illusion," Volumes I and due August) will probably have more meat on its bones. Truth is. N' R's much vaunted guitar players Slash and Izzy Strad-lin also show terrible chops in concert Smoking cigarettes (like that's still cool) as they play, they seem sloppy without redemptive purpose, without achieving the gritty bounce and burn of a legendary goof-off like Keith Richards. Slash's pretentious flamenco turn was a bad joke.

And neither guy proved capable of resolving a riff forcing them to end solos on a wimper. not a bang. Live, Axl Rose does come off as a commanding, hard-working presence, a trooper despite his well-disguised foot cast and painfully limited vocal abilities. He also showed a surprising talent to play piano, albeit with a gnarled hands technique that made him look arthritic. (Kids do not try this at home!) And whileclaiming to have grown as human beings.

Guns N' Roses are still the same chauvinist pigs they ever were. As a procession of girls jumped up on the stage, each was genteely peeled off Axl by a bodyguard and carried backstage like a sack of potatoes. But when some poor sap of a guy jumped on stage, he was summarily thrown back into the crowd, head first, then pummeled severely by crew toughies and then ridiculed by Rose, midsong. Some "show-stopper." eh? Bottom line Judas Priest ACDC. Anthrax and Metallica can rest easy.

Guns N' Roses may have a more fashionable rebel image, better ta-toos and a studlier logo. But when it comes down to the music, to fighting, in the trenches, they're never gonna win any hard-rock wars. And dont say I didn't give them a chance. by Mark de la Vina Daily News Staff Writer ust a few weeks ago. Kathy O'Connell, the host and producer of "Kid's Corner" on WXPN.

was a hit jittery about the future of her popular children's show. Having nearly exhausted a $250,000 start-up grant awarded in 1988 by the William Penn Foundation, "Kid's Corner." which reaches about 20.000 youngsters a day. was in danger of dropping from the airwaves. But on June 3. O'Connell's concern turned to optimism when four hours of on-the-air fund-raising yielded $11,000 for the program, proving to station honchos that the show had loyal supporters willing to put their money where their ears were.

"Kid's Corner" is still $40,000 short of the $130,000 it needs to continue operations to the end of fiscal year 1991-92- But the arrival of the $11,000 came as a much-needed confidence injection. "It looked bleak for a while there." said O'Connell. winner of a 1990 George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award, considered the "Pulitzer Prize" of radio. "But I have a strong feeling that we are going to continue because we've gotten close to our goal and it would be a really bad move to cancel us now." With lAs money raise thus far. "Kid's Corner is at least assured a future through early 1992.

WXPN development director Karen Cad-bury said. "We feel that we could go forward." Cadbury said. "Now the problem is to find funding for the second half of the year and for the next year." Despite the program's popularity some worried children even have mailed in crumpled dollar bills to help keep the show on the air efforts to raise money have been anything but easy. "But we're feeling positive about it because Kathy O'Connell won a Peabody Award, it's the most prestigious award given in broadcasting." Cadbury said. "And we're looking at (syndication).

We'd like to take it slow and become solidly fixed re-, gionally before doing that." As for the remaining $40,000, the public radio station is hoping for a corporate grant Another option might be to attempt to raise the money during the stations's fall fund-raising campaign, Cadbury said. The economic slump has also pinched Kidwaves Radio Network, a locally based commercial children's radio network originally scheduled to go out to 20 stations across the country in the fall of 1990. Organized by Ragan Henry, who owns 24 radio stations nationwide, Kidwaves suffered the setback when some investors balked because of fears over the recession. "We were really set to go. and all of a sudden there were financing problems because of the economy." said Linda Katz, vice president of programming and promotion.

"We're very close to being ready." In the planning stages since fall 1989. Kidwaves has signed several nationally known children's performers for its programming, including Barry Polisar. Kevin Roth and Linda Goss. At least 10 stations, many in major markets, have signed up to buy Kidwaves shows. A Philadelphia affiliate is not in the network's plans.

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