Kids America facts for kids
Kids America was a special 90-minute radio show for kids. It played on public radio stations across the United States from 1984 to 1987. The show aired on weeknights and was produced by WNYC in New York City.
When it first started, the show was called Small Things Considered. It even won a big award called a Peabody Award in 1984! In October 1985, its name changed to Kids America. By the time it ended in 1987, 26 different radio stations were playing the show.
Who Was On The Show?
The main hosts of Kids America were Kathy O'Connell and Larry Orfaly. Kathy O'Connell still hosts a kids' radio show called Kids Corner on WXPN in Philadelphia today.
Each 30-minute part of Kids America also featured fun characters or special guests. These included:
- Dr. Rita Book (played by E.A. “Betsy” Hass)
- Xeno The Alien (played by Dan Hagen)
- Martha’s Mishaps (Martha Dodge)
- The Duke of Words (Stuart Leigh)
- Marcy’s Party (Marcy Mankoff)
- Susan’s Songs (Susan Dias)
- Mother Nature
- Al Unctuous
The show also played all kinds of music, from rock music to classical music. David Nolan was the engineer who made sure everything sounded great.
Why Did Kids America End?
Kids America was canceled on Christmas Eve 1987. This happened because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting stopped giving money to the show.
Even though it was very popular, with over 6,000 kids calling in each week, there was a problem. Radio ratings, which measure how many people listen, usually don't count listeners who are younger than 12. This made it hard for Kids America and other kids' radio shows to get funding and support from stations.
After Kids America ended, there wasn't another national radio show just for kids in the United States until Radio AAHS started three years later in 1990.
