Children Don’t Count For Much In Radio World
Once upon a time, there was a radio station that beamed nothing but good news and family values to the children of the land.
The airwaves bounced with toe-tapping tunes from Disney and the Muppets, educational games and imaginatively told tales of enchantment and adventure.
But unlike a fairy tale, the cold, cruel business world is one tough place to find a happy ending.
Earle and Barbara Kazmark, owners of Deer Park station KAZZ (FM 107.1), say they must soon pull the plug on their 24-hour, syndicated kiddies network, Radio Aahs.
The heartsick couple will reluctantly change to adult-oriented programming because area businesses have shown absolutely zero interest in supporting Radio Aahs with advertising dollars.
Big businesses. Small businesses. Shopping malls. Ad agencies….
The Kazmarks, who began broadcasting Radio Aahs two years ago, say they struck out at every turn. Nobody they contacted would dare to try advertising on a radio format aimed at kids.
“We put 100 grand into this and we can’t go any more,” says Earle Kazmark sadly.
“We really, truly believed in this and still do. We felt advertisers would see the importance of Radio Aahs, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
There’s a twisted irony in all of this.
Had the Kazmarks been broadcasting schlock jock Howard Stern’s potty mouth, you can bet advertisers would be lined up outside their door with checkbooks in hand.
But kiddie radio?
Sorry, not interested. Some of the ad execs and businesses won’t even return the Kazmarks’ telephone calls.
We live in a weird world. It’s trendy in these V-chip 1990s to scream and holler about the importance of family values and wholesome programming yet the truth is that smut and controversy is still what sells.
“We’ve paid the bills out of our own pocket for two years,” says Barbara Kazmark. “It’s getting old.”
The Kazmarks didn’t sign onto Radio Aahs to get rich.
They were motivated as much out of mission as money. What they wanted was to do something for kids.
Earle Kazmark, 62, has been in the radio business since the 1950s. He went shopping for a good format and heard about Minneapolis-based Radio Aahs.
Founded in 1990 by Christopher Dahl, Radio Aahs has grown to 30 markets around the country. It’s a slickly produced mix of music and message that is mainly appreciated by the 10-and-under crowd.
And that bit of demographics is one reason why Radio Aahs is such a tough sell. The Arbitron company that rates radio stations ignores listeners under age 12.
Another obstacle is mindset. It will take some serious evidence to convince area marketing experts to take Radio Aahs seriously.
“Little kids don’t sit around listening to the radio,” says Ed Clark, who runs a Spokane public relations and advertising agency.
“The best way to reach little kids is through TV. They are glued to it. It (Radio Aahs) is a noble idea but, God, there just isn’t the market for it.”
There may be more interest than Clark thinks. An average 6,000 to 7,000 young listeners a month use the toll-free KAZZ telephone contest lines, according to Radio Aahs statistics.
The figures show the Kazmarks’ audience is made up of mostly 10-year-olds, split nearly evenly between boys and girls.
“It is wonderful, age-appropriate, educational and highly entertaining programming for children,” wrote Joan Benderson, in a letter to the Deer Park station.
She’s right. Magazines and media moguls are starting to take note of Dahl and his Radio Aahs.
The day may arrive when this pioneering format will sell itself. “Sesame Street” seemed crazy at the time, too.
It’s probably too late for the Kazmarks. Unless some corporate savior steps up, Radio Aahs will be kaput in this area. “I don’t want to beg,” says Barbara Kazmark. “If the business community won’t support it, if they won’t help us, so be it.”
, DataTimes