BusRadio facts for kids
BusRadio was an American company that started in 2004. Its main goal was to offer cool services to school buses, their drivers, and the students riding them. The idea was to play music, special shows, helpful public service announcements (PSAs), and even some commercials for kids on school buses. This service was available in certain school districts across the United States. BusRadio was based in Needham, Massachusetts.
The programs were sent to the buses using a special radio device. This device could download BusRadio's content. Other helpful features on the radio unit included GPS (which helps find locations), a panic button for drivers to connect to emergency services, and speaker systems inside and outside the bus.
BusRadio was similar to music services you might hear in stores, like Muzak.
On September 28, 2009, BusRadio announced it was closing down. At its busiest time, BusRadio worked with about 300 school districts and 10,000 buses in 24 states.
Fun Programs on BusRadio
BusRadio created four different sets of programs, each lasting eight hours. These were made for elementary, middle, and high school students. There was also a special service for field trips, designed for mixed groups of all ages. The different kinds of audio programs were also meant to help students behave better on the bus. Every night, new programs for the next school day were downloaded to the BusRadio units.
In a typical hour of BusRadio content, 52 minutes were original programs. The music played was a mix of pop, rock, country music, and urban contemporary songs. All songs were carefully edited to be right for each age group. BusRadio had very strict rules for its music. They removed all inappropriate lyrics and topics to make sure everything was suitable for kids.
The content, including music and safety messages, was made special for each school district. School districts could also have a say in what songs or messages were included.
BusRadio sometimes held fun contests. For example, in December 2007, they had a holiday contest called Give A Gift, Get A Gift. Students were asked to describe a gift they were excited to give and who it was for. Two winners received laptop computers, and charities they chose were given $200.
Ads and Helpful Messages
BusRadio worked with non-profit groups to share important PSAs with kids. These messages helped to support the goals of these organizations. About four minutes of every hour of programming was used for PSAs and bus safety tips from partners like:
- City Year
- Students Against Destructive Decisions
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
- Take Pride in America
- National Eating Disorders Association
- Do Something
- Ad Council
BusRadio also included about four minutes per hour of paid commercials. These ads were always suitable for the specific age group. The company encouraged its sponsors to share "positive, socially responsible" messages. BusRadio actively looked for partnerships with companies related to sports and activities, as well as those offering healthy food and drink options. BusRadio stated that advertisers for products that didn't fit their healthy lifestyle mission, like fast food chains, were not allowed to advertise.
All messages, whether PSAs or commercials, followed strict content rules. These rules were created by BusRadio’s own independent review board. Everything was carefully checked to make sure it was "age appropriate" and suitable for young listeners.
